Mining Cooperatives in South Kivu: Saviour or Extortionist?

Looking at recent policy, ‘mining cooperatives’ appear to be the latest saviour for Congolese artisanal mineworkers. International donors and NGOs, national and provincial governments, local civil society organizations and even the private sector all have jumped on the bandwagon to promote and empower miners’ cooperatives. But do the latter really take the form of a saviour, or do they rather sustain extortion by the most powerful actors? On the basis of a field study in South Kivu province, this brief argues that mineworkers’ power positions and the distribution of wealth in artisanal mining have not been significantly altered, but that cooperatives are at risk of advancing capture and extortion by the most powerful actors.