Paper short abstract:

This paper attempts to shed the light on the protracted mineral-led conflict and the need for severing the artisanal mining-combatant-recruitment relationship in the East-DR Congo.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the bottom-up approach to the protracted mineral-led conflicts in the conflict cycle in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The analysis of the severing the artisanal mining-combatant-recruitment relationship in the East-DR Congo, using a bottom-up approach revealed not only the convoluted multi-layered nature of the conflicts in the country and their intricate causalities, but also the contentious nature of the ongoing geopolitical interests regarding the carving up of rich-mineral territories inside the DRC such as the Kivus. Therefore, the paper contributes to knowledge in two broad areas; firstly, it contributes to ongoing academic debates on conflict analyses, the political economy of armed conflicts vis-à-vis mining sector as well as the mining sector in the DRC. Secondly, it offers empirical analysis and data on the bottom-up approach to the conflict cycle in the eastern DRC.