Christoph N. Vogel - Conflict Minerals, Inc.: War, Profit and White Saviourism in Eastern Congo

CONFLICT MINERALS INC.

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CHRISTOPH N. VOGEL

Conflict Minerals Inc.

War, Profit and White Saviourism in
Eastern Congo

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available
Christoph N. Vogel.

Conflict Minerals Inc.: War, Profit and White Saviourism in Eastern Congo.

ISBN: 9780197659649

Printed in the United Kingdom on acid-free paper

CONTENTS

Thembo Kashauri and Christoph N. Vogel, 2018.

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figures

Fieldwork sites

Armed groups in eastern Congo in 2013

Armed groups in eastern Congo in 2015

Armed groups in eastern Congo in 2017

Armed groups in eastern Congo in 2020

Geographical distribution of mines and violence

Locating the ngociants in the supply chain

The coexistence of legal and illegal trade

Matrix of scaled and networked patronage dynamics

Boat busting

Fuliiro fault lines

Conflict cooperatives

Geographical distribution of mines and armed groups

Comparison of an unregulated and an iTSCi supply chain

Tables

Timeline of key events in the evolution of conflict minerals policy

Overview of resource governance techniques in eastern Congo

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book benefitted enormously from a huge number of friends and the generous support from different institutions, in particular the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Mercator Foundation, DAAD, the Rift Valley Institute, Congo Research Group and the FWO in Belgium. Moreover, I am grateful to five journalsReview of African Political Economy, Antipode, Political Geography, Journal of Modern African Studies, and Extractive Industries and Societyas well as the Governance in Conflict network at Ghent University for permission to draw from articles I have published with them.

I am deeply grateful to Stephanie Kitchen at the International African Institute, and Alice Clarke, Michael Eckhardt and the entire Hurst Publishers and Oxford University Press teams managing the African Arguments series. Without their steadfast support and wise guidance, this book surely would not exist. Moreover, very special thanks go to Giovanni Salvaggio, partner in crime and best mapmaker in the world, as well as to the International Peace Information Service and the Kivu Security Tracker for allowing me to use their geographical datasets on mine sites and violent incidents, respectively.

The first timid steps towards this book happened over a decade ago. Finalising a piece of work that has taken so long inevitably requires giving thanks to a huge number of colleagues, friends and companions. I have been blessed to work with tremendous humans at Cologne University, Makerere University, the University of Zurich, New York University, ISPBukavu, Ghent University and elsewhere. If the roles of Timothy Raeymaekers, Koen Vlassenroot, Jason Stearns, Godefroid Muzalia, Benedikt Korf, Judith Verweijen, Kasper Hoffmann, Louisa Lombard and Christian Lund (who urged me to write this book) are not always sufficiently reflected, they were crucial in shaping my intellectual curiosity.

Walking the thorny paths of academia, I was lucky to find like-minded, supportive and inspiring mentors and peers, in particular Michel Thill, Ben Radley, Aymar Bisoka, Peer Schouten, David Mwambari, Stephan Hochleithner, Thiruni Kelegama, Rony Emmenegger, Esther Marijnen, Rachel Niehuus, Samuel Graf, Jasmine Truong, Maarten Hendriks, Muriel Cte, Karen Bscher, Marielle Debos, Kristof Titeca, Jeroen Cuvelier and Jean-Paul Kimonyo. Alongside those I forgot, they taught me to learn, understand and always remain critical towards both myself and the world around me.

I would not have had the chance to engage Congo, its history and its people if it were not for innumerable encounters, interviews and moments since 2008 with friends and guardian angels like Lievin Mbarushimana, Blaise Karege, Willy Mikenye, Gentil Kombi, Chrispin Mvano, Loochi Muzaliwa, Paulin Bishakabalya, Safanto Bulongo, Niss Mughendi, Grard Kikwaya, Oscar Dunia, Juvnal Twaibu, Wolf Sinzahera, David Ngoy, Claude Iguma, Kapeta Benda-Benda, Jimmy Matumona, Nickson Kambale, Bienvenu Matumo, Jean-Mobert Nsenga, Fred Bauma, Luc Nkulula, Zacharie Bulakali, Lebon Mulimbi, Jolino Malukisa, Christian Dolo, Sekombi Katondolo, Ganza Buroko, Christophe Hakizimana, Emile Gandika, Emmanuel Ndimubanzi, Bruno Kindu, Ley Uwera, Tembo Kashauri, Freddy Tsimba, Patient Ligodi, the entire Baraza La Nchi, Cercle de Concertation and Kinshasa Masolo crowds, GEC-SH and the Bukavu team, and all the others who welcomed me and shared so much kindness and knowledge.

In and outside Congo, I was blessed to stand on the shoulders of giants such as Sonia Rolley, Richard Zink, Oliver Meisenberg, Emmanuel Lampaert, Jen Staehelin, Warner ten Kate, Jean Baillaud, Cedric Turlan, Michelle Drlemann, Trsor Kibangula, Pierre Boisselet, Ken Matthysen, Willet Weeks, Michel Kassa, Andreas Spaeth, Greg Mthembu-Salter, Michael Kavanagh, Justine Brabant, Chlo Lewis, Juvnal Munubo, Tristan terryn, Yangu Kiakwama, Dino Mahtani, Simone Schlindwein, Mlanie Gouby, Teddy Mazina, Filipe Ribeiro, Tatiana Carayannis, Christof Ruhmich, Manu Ngueyanouba, Bertrand Perrochet, Carlos Schuler, Nestor Bidadanure, Willy Nindorera, Rosebell Kagumire, Sean Jacobs, Philippe Beauverd, Tariq Riebl, Emilie Serralta, Zobel Behalal, Daniel Fahey, Alexis Huguet, Rachel Sweet, Diane Bihannic and Hanne Michiel.