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This report analyzes poverty and inequality trends in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), highlighting that the country has one of the highest numbers of people living in extreme poverty globally and is unlikely to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals on its current trajectory.

This case study examines the operational challenges faced by ALASKA, a company based in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which specializes in importing goods from South Africa and Mauritius. The document details systemic barriers to business growth, including a dysfunctional banking sector, an opaque and burdensome tax system, severe infrastructure deficits, and pervasive corruption within government agencies.

This policy briefing examines the presence and operations of Indian mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically focusing on the copper, cobalt, tin, and tantalum sectors. It highlights the growth of small and medium-sized Indian firms, their reliance on self-funding rather than state or Western capital, and the environmental and political risks they face in the Katanga province.

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.

This research paper examines the social and economic impacts of artisanal cassiterite mining in Kalima, Maniema province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Based on 2007 fieldwork, the author argues that artisanal mining provides better employment, income, and working conditions for the local population than the previous industrial mining era, while remaining largely disconnected from the violent conflict seen in other DRC provinces.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies argues that while illegal mining is a pervasive aspect of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), it is a manifestation rather than a root cause. The author contends that focusing solely on regulating the mining sector—through measures like the DRC's 2010-2011 mining ban or the US Dodd-Frank Act—without addressing underlying issues of governance, land, and ethnicity is insufficient for achieving sustainable peace.

This report analyzes the limitations of international interventions in the security sector of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), specifically focusing on Security Sector Reform (SSR) and the International Security and Stabilization Support Strategy (ISSSS). The authors argue that these efforts failed to produce fundamental change because they adopted a technical approach that ignored the neo-patrimonial political nature of the Congolese state and the complex relationship between the military and local communities.