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FEATURE REPORT AUGUST 2010
BLOOD MINERALS:The Criminalization of the Mining Industry in Eastern DRC (PDF)
The socio-economic consequences of persistent conflict and state failure in Eastern Congo and the search for ways in which the Congolese can re-appropriate their own destiny have always been at the heart of the work of Pole Institute. Partly triggered by Pole Institute’s research on the mineral trade, much international discussion has arisen in recent years about reordering the Eastern Congolese economy in order to make it less conflict-prone.

While recognizing the good intentions behind these efforts, we are convinced that sustainable and sensible solutions can only be found by those directly concerned. For this, local actors and stakeholders need to come together in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect in order to arrive at a common understanding of the problem with a view to working out solutions. To this end, in 2010 Pole Institute has set up a Round Table around the mineral economy of Eastern Congo, uniting public and private decision makers, state representatives, enterprises, mining cooperatives and civil society organizations. The first meeting of this Round Table in March 2010 gave rise to a series of written papers which are collected in this volume. They will serve as the basis for further discussion.  Click here to find out more about the POLE Institute.

Natural Resources
Global Witness – Digging in Corruption: Fraud, Abuse and Exploitation in Katanga’s Copper and Cobalt Mines (July 2006)
Global Witness’s research confirmed entrenched patterns of illicit exports of minerals across the DRC-Zambia border, with government and security officials either turning a blind eye to false or inaccurate export certificates, or actively colluding with trading companies to circumvent control procedures. Large quantities of minerals are leaving the country undeclared, representing a huge loss for the Congolese economy – but a vast gain for a small number of powerful actors. The big influx of foreign companies pouring into Katanga since 2004 has presented yet more opportunities for the political elite to enrich itself.

Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa – The State vs. the People: Governance, Mining and the Transitional Regime in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (January 27, 2006)
By means of a case study of the situation in Katanga, this report gives a most illustrative analysis of exactly how the efforts to improve the situation of the DRC’s population, and transform Congo’s ‘fatal transactions’ into fair ones have been undermined by bad governance practices under the transitional government. The International Fatal Transactions campaign hopes that this report will provide those committed to improve the situation of the DRC’s population, with a deeper insight, tools and knowledge to promote just and democratic governance of the DRC’s natural resources.

The Lutundula Report (December 2005)
“In June 2005 the Lutundula Commission, a special National Assembly commission led by parliamentarian Christophe Lutundula, submitted a report on its investigations into mining and other business contracts that rebels and government authorities signed between 1996 and 2003, when Congo was wracked by war. The report found that dozens of contracts are either illegal or of limited value for the development of the country and it recommends their termination or renegotiation. It further recommends judicial action against a number of senior political and corporate actors involved in these operations.” (Source: HRW).

The Curse of Gold (June 2005)
This report was published by Human RIghts Watch in June 2005. It documents human rights abuses linked to efforts to control two key gold mining areas, Mongbwalu (Ituri District) and Durba (Haut Uélé District), both bordering Uganda.

Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID): The Unanswered Questions: Companies, Conflict and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (May 2004)
This report examined the UN Panel’s allegations against 40 companies and included additional evidence attesting to the companies’ involvement in human rights violations, corruption and/or illegal resource exploitation.

Women & Sexual Violence
Funding a Women’s Movement Against Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo: 2004-2009
is an in-depth study of the underlying causes of violence in the region and how Global Fund support has helped women’s groups to promote women’s leadership, peace, justice, and respect for human rights. Over five years, we supported 70 groups with over $880,000 in grants as they implemented innovative community-based strategies. The report shares 10 case studies and recommendations for donors. The report is authored by Muadi Mukenge, Program Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Caitlin Stanton, Senior Development Officer and Aimée Mwadi Kady, GFW Advisor and National Director of SWAA-Congo. The report is available in English and French.

Rape with Extreme Violence: The New Pathology in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
By Denis Mukengere Mukwege & Cathy Nangini
In this article, the authors document the medical consequences of Rape With Extreme Violence (REV) through the lens of the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, South Kivu, one of the few established medical centres that has the capacity to treat REV cases. In the ongoing conflict of the DRC, much remains unknown and undocumented; we draw heavily on a few reports by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other observers about the use and impact of rape in the DRC, and on our own extensive experience in the field.

Living With Fear: A Survey of the People of Congo (PDF)
The International Center for Transitional Justice, the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley and the Payson Center for International Development at Tulane University conducted a survey of 2,620 Congolese between September and December 2007. The study focused North and South Kivu, Ituri, Kinshasa, and Kisangani. The results of the survey were predictable but shocking nonetheless.

Politics & Human Rights
HRW: We Will Crush You (November 25, 2008)
The report documents the Restriction of Political Space in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

MONUC: Human Rights Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (May 10, 2006)
This disturbing report documents a number of human rights violations by the police and the Armed Forces of the DRC. The report provides details of summary executions, torture, rapes, beatings, arbitrary arrests and other egregious human abuses.

International Crisis Group – Congo’s Elections: Making or Breaking the Peace (April 27, 2006)
The International Crisis Group reports on the prospects for a peaceful election process in the Congo. The report makes specific recommendations to the transitional government, political parties, the members of the international community, the Independent Electoral Commission, the United Nations and the Donors.

United Nations Reports on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth in the DRC
The United Nations Security Council Report (October 2003)
This report is the mandate of the panel of experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and other forms of Wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a period of six months.

The United Nations Security Council Report (October 2002)
This is the third of FOUR reports by the United Nations. The panel of experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and other forms of Wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo provides more in depth information on the illegal exploitation of the mineral wealth of the Congo.

The United Nations Security Council Report (April 2001)
Report of the illegal exploitation of the minerals (coltan, gold, copper, timber, etc) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This report names the individuals, companies and countries behind the illegal exploitation of minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Other UN Reports
United Nations Mapping Exercise Report (October 1, 2010)
The report maps and documents “the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed with the territory of the DRC between March 1993 and June 2003.”

UN: Final Report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (December 12, 2008)
This report documents the extensive business and government connections that the Rwandan government has to proxy forces inside Congo causing terrible devastation and human suffering among the Congolese people. The report played a critical role in leading Sweden, Netherlands and Canada to withdraw foreign aid from the Rwandan government.

UN Resolution 1653 (January 27, 2006)
The resolution calls on the Governments of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to disarm and demobilize militias and armed groups, especially northern Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army. The resolution also acknowledges the link between the illegal exploitation of natural resources, the illicit trade of those resources and the proliferation and trafficking of arms as key factors fueling and exacerbating the conflicts in the Great Lakes. Resolution 1653 thus urges the countries of the region to promote lawful and transparent use of natural resources among themselves and in the region. (Source: Global Policy Forum)

Special Report of the Secretary-General on the Elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (May 26, 2005)
This report documents the elements of the Congo’s constitution that lays the foundation for the upcoming elections. It also provides an overview of the political climate in the country.