"Madini – Conflict analysis and stakeholder mapping in the mining regions of South Kivu and Ituri"

To ensure that the implementation of the Madini project fits the local context and positively impacts the local population, IPIS conducted a conflict sensitivity analysis in South Kivu and Ituri. The present study highlights that poor governance, along with chronic poverty, are structural causes of violence in mining regions, whereas the presence of so-called ‘conflict minerals’ is only a symptom...

Although legal, mining companies suffer from a lack of legitimacy, some elites and armed groups fuel resentment against them by calling them “foreigners who have come to steal the minerals”. This is a fallacious argument that appeals to a population for whom minerals are a means of subsistence. Yet these industries are legally obliged by the mining code to respect their social responsibilities towards the community. The contribution to local development can take the form of investments in infrastructure from which the population can also benefit. These projects should be subject to consultation with the people concerned, civil organisations and local authorities. A second essential contribution is the recruitment of local staff to create direct employment, but also sub-contracts. MGM has signed contracts with cooperatives active in these concessions where artisanal activity is more appropriate than industrial.