The Nexus of Terrorism and Mineral Exploitation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2018-2024

• In Event: Terrorism and the Environment

Abstract

The Global Terrorism Trends and Analysis Center (GTTAC) operated by Development Services Group and the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at GMU, supports the Counterterrorism Bureau of the U.S. Department of State in the collection and analysis of global terrorism incidents and trends. In this paper we present the intersection of three key factors: 1) terrorist activity and violence in the DRC, 2) impact of foreign interference, and 3) the role that the unregulated exploitation of the country’s vast resource wealth plays in financing of terrorist entities as well as contributing to the general conflict. Our data reflects that over the course of the past five years the violence in the DRC has if anything gotten worse. The vast mineral wealth fundamental to our smart phone and electric vehicle technology has exacerbated the violence. GTTAC researchers will highlight and present research on the evolution of the violence, the key perpetrators, and the relationships between the location of the violence and mineral exploitation.

Authors

• Eoin Healy, GTTAC, Development Services Group, Inc.

• Adam Blackwell, GTTAC, Development Services Group, Inc.