Originally starting as a research project on public authority in post-conflict Liberia’s artisanal diamond mines and the role of demobilized paramilitary groups who previously commanded resource-rich areas, due to the Ebola epidemic, this research project had to be adapted. It currently focuses on similar dynamics in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, where artisanal diamond and gold mines were previously controlled by rebel factions. In particular, it looks at the role of rural elites in governing informal mining activities employing tens of thousands of immigrant labourers.

• Funded by: Special Research Fund (BOF), Ghent University
• Contact: Steven Van Bockstael
• Staff involved: Steven Van Bockstael (PhD student); Koen Vlassenroot (supervisor)