Beyond minerals: broadening ‘economies of violence’ in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

This paper expands current understandings on resource wars by arguing for a comprehensive ‘economies of violence’ that considers the wider range of activities that rebel groups are engaged in beyond minerals. Using evidence from fieldwork in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo together with recent scholarship, this paper draws on six secondary economies to construct a broader political economy of Congo’s divergent natural-resource wealth. It then considers how the engagement of armed groups in these activities creates opportunities, alternative livelihoods and governance structures, as well as new forms of conflict, and what these processes may hold for the future of the region.