Overlaps, Overestimates and Oversights: Understanding Domestic and Foreign Factors in the Land Rush in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is an emblematic case in the ‘Global Land Grab,’ with reports of 11 million hectares acquired by foreign firms between 2000 and 2020. However, this figure is an underestimate. The acquisition of land by domestic actors, often under coercive circumstances, appears equally significant. The role of domestic investors has largely been overlooked in the academic literature. The situation is complicated by overlapping concessions for different uses (e.g. agriculture, forestry, mining, oil exploration), due to institutional disconnects and legal contradictions. Ongoing land policy reform processes could potentially address some of these problems. In 2011, the government outlawed land ownership by foreign individuals or firms. Nevertheless, uncertainty remains over the level of political will to reduce land grabbing given the vested interests of many politicians. Based on an extensive literature review, this chapter dissects the contemporary political economy of the land rush in the DRC.