Much has happened in the mining sector of Eastern DRC over the last
year. President Kabila imposed a ban on all mining activities last fall,
during which production fell considerably. As soon as the suspension was
lifted in the spring of this year, the major global electronic companies
stopped buying minerals from the region, provoking a de facto embargo on
Congo’s minerals with detrimental effects on the
sector.
At the same time, the Congolese government has taken major steps
to restructure its army in the east of the country. These different
decisions in the mining and security sectors have affected the
nature and volume of minerals production and export and have
reconfigured the security situation in the region. The consequences of
these actions are discussed and illustrated with the use of the most
important and well-known cassiterite mine in North Kivu called Bisie.
Bisie shows first that production fell significantly during the ban, but
mining activities unquestionably continued, as satellite imagery
indicates.
Second, despite the ban’s focus on ending the involvement
of military and civil authorities in the illicit exploitation and trade
of minerals, certain military units strengthened their grip. Third,
while the regular army withdrew from many mining sites as a result
of military restructuring, armed groups sometimes filled the void,
increasing widespread insecurity. Fourth, the de facto embargo has
decreased the potential profit for armed groups and corrupt military
units, but it has also left many miners unemployed, increased smuggling,
and undermined the continuation of important government and industry-led
due diligence initiatives.
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