La dynamique sociale et économique de l’industrie minière à Kalima, RDC

This research paper analyzes the socio-economic dynamics of the mining industry in Kalima, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically comparing the impacts of industrial mining (historically led by Sominki and later Sakima) with current artisanal mining of cassiterite. The author argues that artisanal mining provides better employment, higher incomes, and more democratic working conditions for the local population than the previous industrial model, despite a decline in social services and local agriculture.

• Artisanal mining in Kalima is currently more lucrative for the working class than industrial mining ever was, providing higher employment and a greater share of the final market price for minerals.
• The transition from industrial to artisanal mining has shifted the social structure from a rigid, Belgian-led colonial hierarchy to a more democratic system of small associations, often including women and children, and sometimes led by women.
• The rise of artisanal mining has led to a decline in local food production as farmers abandon their fields for mining, resulting in increased food prices and rising malnutrition among the very poor.
• Social services in Kalima, previously provided by industrial mining companies, have collapsed, leaving the population with dilapidated health facilities and minimal state support.
• Preliminary evidence suggests that artisanal mining is less environmentally damaging to the landscape than industrial mining, which left deep scars on the hills through large-scale water canalization.
• The DRC's high export taxes on cassiterite encourage illegal smuggling to Rwanda, where no such taxes exist on non-traditional exports, leading to significant revenue loss for the Congolese state.
• The Congolese state suffers from a structural over-reliance on international trade taxes due to an inability to effectively collect domestic revenues, such as Value Added Tax (VAT).
• Unlike the Kivu regions, mining in Maniema Province has not directly fueled violent armed conflict or been used by warlords for financing, though some military individuals profit from the export process.
• The transport of minerals from Kalima has shifted from a rail-based system to an expensive and environmentally harmful air-transport system using old Russian Antonov aircraft.

APA

Mthembu-Salter, G. (2009). La dynamique sociale et économique de l’industrie minière à Kalima, RDC. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper185French.pdf

Chicago

Mthembu-Salter, Gregory. La dynamique sociale et économique de l’industrie minière à Kalima, RDC. Institute for Security Studies, 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper185French.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mthembu-Salter |first1=Gregory |title=La dynamique sociale et économique de l’industrie minière à Kalima, RDC |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=May 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper185French.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mthembusalter2009dynamique, author = {Mthembu-Salter, Gregory}, title = {{La dynamique sociale et économique de l’industrie minière à Kalima, RDC}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = may, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper185French.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }