Geo 5.5

History of congo before independence

Colonised by Belgium during scramble for Africa, the king wanted to civilise by improving infrastructure and education; however, there was a great inequality between black people and white people, and strong religious beliefs. During scramble for Africa, colonisers re-drew borders leading to different tribes being in the same area, causing conflicts

History of congo during/after 1960

A crisis developed; tensions between locals and belgian colonists increased and after several fights it became independent. Still today lots of political unrest and corrupt war lords in the country and ethnic conflicts

How did congo become a copper-rich area?

Due to collision of central and south african craton; the area in between was full of sediments and because of collision it was deformed; the increase of pressure created copper/the copper belt.

What is done with the copper?

It is used for electric wires, and cobalt, the by-product of copper, is used in batteries as it can handle high temperatures

Congo Basin

central part of the country, valuable since it has a lot of resources and it is the second largest rainforest in the world; a lot of biodiversity, and forest acts as a lung for our planet. However the demographic growth, urbanisation and mining for resources threaten its existence, and Chinese infrastructure causes deforestation

Warlords

leaders of military forces that represent a group within a sovereign country with different interests than the national government

Ethnic conflicts in congo

Clashes between government-supported militias and warlord militias. There are a lot of young people in the DRC that are in poverty and hopeless; a perfect breeding ground for warlords persuading young people to join militias, promising to conquer resource-rich areas. With revenue from illegal exports they finance weapons

Why is congo a fragile state?

There is a lack of clear governance, too much influence from foreign multinationals and countries, internal conflicts, low level of development, famine & hunger among large numbers of the population

What is landgrabbing and how is congo experiencing it?

When foreign investors ‘buy’ pieces of land; china gets concessions from the drc, Chinese uses a huge part of land to grow oil palms and extract resources.They also build roads, but due to the unrest and inability of congolese government to create a stable state, the development effect of roads is small

Kimberley process

an international initiative established to prevent conflict/blood diamonds from entering the global supply chain and to prevent diamonds from funding armed conflicts and rebel groups. There are border controls, certifications, etc.

What are the advantages to the DRC not being landlocked?

Access to international shipping routes/atlantic ocean; easier export of resources, reduced transport costs (no tolls) compared to landlocked countries; not having to cooperate with bad developed neighbouring countries (independent), opportunities for trade and foreign investment

Why does China build a railway between Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, and how does this benefits the Congolese government?

It makes cheaper and easier transport of resources from mining regions to ports and help secure access to resources like copper and cobalt. Congolese government benefits from improved infrastructure, increased trade, greater export earnings, and foreign investment that can support economic development

Social effects of resource extraction

Mining can create jobs but usually poorly paid and dangerous, displacement of communities, environmental damage, unequal distribution of wealth; conflicts

Political consequences of resource extraction

control of resources can lead to corruption, conflicts between governments and armed militias/warlords for resource-rich areas, revenues often don’t go to improving public services, foreign companies can gain control over decision-making/resources