Publication

This paper focuses on military control of artisanal mining of the mineral coltan in and around Nyunzu Territory in northern Katanga of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Section II of this paper provides background information on the size and organization of the local mineral sector in northern Katanga and on the governance of mining sites, with a focus on coltan mining in Nyunzu Territory. Section III describes the current military presence around the mines and gives a brief overview of the national disarmament, demobilization and reinsertion (DDR) and army integration programmes. Section IV identifies the different ways in which the military and other state actors have benefited from two of the territory’s coltan mining sites. Section V proposes a strategy for the gradual demilitarization of the mining sites in northern Katanga.