Accumulating (In)Securities. Rethinking the linkages between natural resources and violence in eastern DR Congo

by Dr. Ann A. Laudati (University of California, Berkeley, USA)

Thu, July 8, 12-14, Zoom 921 1681 5725, Passcode: 330924 (RS Mobilities)

Abstract

In what has been called the richest patch of earth on the planet, the DRC’s wealth is also seen as its curse and the chief cause of the violence in the region. Existing narratives surrounding the DRC’s so-called resource curse have largely attended its violence to its mineral wealth and particularly the link between certain minerals, notably coltan and gold, and continuing conflict. The reality of which and how natural resources matter in the Congo, however, is much more varied and complex and requires moving beyond just minerals. This talk presents a snapshot of my wider project that examines how particular resources differentially influence and shape the country’s landscape of violence and how these resources are entangled in the everyday lives of conflict actors. Drawing on over 24 months of qualitative and survey data collection in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2009, this talk aims to contribute to broader conversations on resource wars in two ways. First, this talk seeks to unearth the significant role that different natural resources matter in the context of Congo’s contemporary conflicts and second, to demonstrate that how different natural resources matter, matters and may in fact be key to unraveling the violence in the Congo and in resource-related conflicts around the world.

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