Diamond artisanal mining and trafficking in the South Kasaï region of the Congo during the decolonization period (1957–1964)

This paper examines the diamond extraction and commerce in South Kasaï, a key diamond-producing region in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Focusing on the late colonial years through the post-independence militarization of the province in 1964, the article examines the role of the multinational firms Forminière and Bécéka in consolidating control over diamond resources. Drawing on archival materials from both firms, held in the Sibeka archives (after the postcolonial renaming of these operations), we analyze how these firms exploited Congo’s extractive institutions, contributing to violence and state fragility. Shortly after the Congo gained independence on June 30, 1960, South Kasaï declared secession from the new republic and remained a semi-autonomous entity until 1962. Despite the ban on artisanal mining by the multinationals present in the region and by the South Kasaï provincial authorities, clandestine mining increased and started fostering the cross-border trade in diamonds, creating alternative circuits of commerce outside the monopoly of the De Beers international cartel. Against this backdrop, our findings show a ‘cycle of repression’, in which multinational management employed corruption, local exploitation, and violent measures to suppress artisanal mining and maintain dominance. We argue that the transition to independence intensified legal pluralism and informal mining cultures, undermining state authority and reinforcing the ‘resource curse’ framework. The paper contributes to debates on natural resources, extractive institutions, and conflict, offering a microhistorical perspective on diamond mining and its implications for Congolese governance. • Focusing on the early decolonization years, this article examines the tensions of artisanal exploitation of diamond in the South Kasaï of the Democratic Republic of Congo. • Research shows a ‘cycle of repression’ where management employed corruption, local exploitation, and violent measures to suppress artisanal mining and maintain dominance. • Archival sources provide unique historical depth to the challenges faced by the diamond exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the long term. • The article offers a microhistorical perspective on diamond mining and its implications for Congolese governance.