Mining and Conflict in the DRC

One of the main tenets of the resource curse theory is that areas richly endowed with resources are often political unstable and prone to conflict. Research by Sachs and Warner (2001) empirically demonstrated that states with a high abundance of natural resource exports had abnormally slow economic growth in general, relative to other countries. The study became the basis of a growing recognition of the need to address the problems that natural resource abundance can create in developing societies.

Situation in the DRC
Much of the fighting in the DRC has been over the control of the mineral reserves. The impact of conflict goes beyond the immediate effects of the gunfire – millions have died from malnutrition and disease that have resulted from years of instability. Moreover, ‘sexual and gender-biased violence’ has been a significant feature of the conflict – the physical and psychological burden of the fighting has been disproportionately harsh on women and children. A report by the American Journal of Public Health (2011) suggested that a woman is raped almost every second in the DRC.

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