Illicit trade with coltan and implications for certification

Abstract

Coltan mining in Central Africa and especially in the Eastern Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has often been viewed as a case for a conflict over the control of raw materials in a failing state (contribution of Müller, Croll in Part I). Rebel groups and others are fighting over access to minerals and profit from illicit trade, and the state fails to provide social order resulting in unchecked criminal activities. The easy access to coltan and other minerals, combined with weak property rights in a country with weak basic institutions and a long history of civil war, and a high demand on world markets can be assumed as main determinants of insecurity and conflicts.