Mineral resources have played a crucial role in fuelling protracted armed conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This Policy Paper examines the the prospects for and interactions between various trade- and security-related initiatives that are aimed at demilitarizing the supply chains of key minerals. It also describes the changing context in which such initiatives operate. Finally, it offers policy recommendations for how the Congolese Government and international actors can coordinate and strengthen their responses in order to break resource–conflict links in eastern DRC.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Mineral production and trade
3. Militarization of mines and trading chains
4. Non-military responses
5. Conclusions and recommendations

About the author

Ruben de Koning (Netherlands) is a member of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an Associate Researcher with the SIPRI Armed Conflict and Conflict Management Programme. His recent publications include ‘Demilitarizing mining areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the case of northern Katanga province’, SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security no. 2008/2 (Oct. 2008) and ‘Resource–conflict links in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’, SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security no. 2010/1 (Jan. 2010).

Publisher: SIPRI
ISBN 978-91-85114-64-1
42 pp.
June 2011
Price: €7.50 per copy plus €5 shipping and handling per order