RESOURCE EXTRACTION AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN AFRICA

The document assesses the financial links between natural resource extraction and violent extremism in Africa, finding that while the LRA relies heavily on ivory and the Janjaweed on gold, al-Shabaab primarily funds itself through charcoal taxation, and Boko Haram derives little to no revenue from resource extraction.

• Al-Shabaab's primary source of wealth in the region is the taxation of charcoal products and exports, rather than direct extraction. In 2013/14, this activity generated approximately $250 million in profits, representing nearly one-third of the total revenue for charcoal exports from Somalia.
• The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) depends heavily on the illicit ivory trade for funding, primarily poaching from national parks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The group allegedly trades this ivory for arms, salt, and sugar with the Sudanese military in the Kafia Kingi enclave.
• The Janjaweed militia has funded its operations through the appropriation of gold reserves and timber in the Darfur region. A leaked UN report indicated that leader Musa Hilal earned $54 million annually from the artisanal gold trade, contributing to a total of $123 million for armed groups in Darfur.
• There is no evidence that Boko Haram engages in natural resource extraction, largely because the northern parts of Nigeria where the group is based lack significant natural resources, most of which are located in the southern Delta region.
• Claims that al-Shabaab derives 40% of its funds from widespread ivory poaching are described as being based on spurious evidence and a single unnamed source, suggesting that any engagement in the ivory trade is likely opportunistic rather than systematic.
• Both al-Shabaab and the Janjaweed militia have allegedly been involved in illegal mining and the minerals trade in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where up to 98% of extracted gold is smuggled out of the country.

APA

van der Merwe, T. (2017). RESOURCE EXTRACTION AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN AFRICA. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Policy-Insights-44.pdf

Chicago

van der Merwe, Theo. RESOURCE EXTRACTION AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN AFRICA. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2017. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Policy-Insights-44.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=van der Merwe |first1=Theo |title=RESOURCE EXTRACTION AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN AFRICA |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=May 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Policy-Insights-44.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vandermerwe2017resource, author = {van der Merwe, Theo}, title = {{RESOURCE EXTRACTION AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN AFRICA}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Policy-Insights-44.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }