Exploring the Relationship between Cobalt Mining and Conflict in the DRC

Abstract

Abstract: Electric vehicles (EVs) are an integral part of carving out a sustainable future, but ramping up their production has inevitably resulted in a skyrocketing demand for numerous essential raw materials used in the production of lithium-ion batteries, including cobalt. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) contains 70% of the world’s cobalt reserves, and due to the long and documented history of a relationship between the proliferation of armed groups and the country’s mining sector, many human rights organizations and large corporations are advocating for cobalt to be considered a conflict mineral. This paper will assess the validity of these claims and the nature of the relationship between cobalt mining and conflict by utilizing a Differences-in-Differences (DID) approach with spatial data on cobalt mine locations and conflict events. Spatial data on cobalt mine locations is sourced from the International Peace Information Service’s (IPIS) dataset, while conflict event data is sourced from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) database. The preliminary results of this paper’s statistical analysis suggest that there is no statistically significant relationship between cobalt mining and conflict in the DRC, which interestingly contrasts with findings for other minerals in the region, such as gold or tin.