Definition and Terminology

The term “Genocost” was coined by Congolese civil society to describe the large-scale human suffering and loss of life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly in the mineral-rich eastern provinces, caused by violence linked to the exploitation of natural resources. It is a portmanteau of the words “genocide” and “cost,” implying not only the systematic destruction of populations but also the economic motivations underlying that destruction.

Unlike conventional definitions of genocide, which are typically grounded in racial, ethnic, religious, or national hatred, the concept of the Genocost highlights a profit-driven extermination, where people are killed, displaced, or enslaved as a result of their proximity to valuable natural resources such as cobalt, coltan, gold, tin, and diamonds.

Geopolitical and Economic Context

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the most resource-rich nations in the world. It possesses over 70 percent of the world’s known reserves of cobalt, a critical component in lithium-ion batteries, and is a major source of coltan (used in electronic devices), as well as gold, copper, and tin. Despite this immense wealth, the DRC remains one of the poorest and most conflict-affected countries globally.

Following the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, armed groups, including some with direct ties to neighboring states, entered eastern DRC, where they gained control over territory and resource-rich mines. These groups, many of them still active today, continue to finance their operations through the illegal extraction and trafficking of minerals (UN Panel of Experts, 2003; United Nations Security Council, Resolution 1457).

Scale of Human Loss and Displacement

Between 1998 and 2007, an estimated 5.4 million people died in the DRC due to violence, disease, and malnutrition resulting from war and instability. This figure, reported by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), represents the deadliest conflict globally since World War II (IRC, Mortality in the DRC, 2007).

Millions more were internally displaced or fled as refugees. The violence disproportionately affected women and children, with mass sexual violence systematically used as a weapon of war (Human Rights Watch, 2005; UN OHCHR Mapping Report, 2010).

International Recognition and Documentation

While the term “Genocost” has not yet been formally recognized in international law or by major multilateral institutions such as the United Nations (UN) or the International Criminal Court (ICC), multiple international bodies have documented patterns of violence and possible acts of genocide in the region.

4.1. UN Mapping Report (2010)

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published a comprehensive report in 2010 documenting 617 serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the DRC from 1993 to 2003. The report suggests that some of these violations, particularly those committed by foreign military forces, may constitute crimes against humanity or genocide under the definitions set forth by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (OHCHR, Mapping Exercise Report, 2010).

4.2. UN Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources (2000–2003)

These panels found strong evidence that regional governments and multinational corporations were complicit in the illegal exploitation of Congolese minerals, often through arrangements with armed groups engaged in human rights abuses (UN Panel of Experts, 2001; 2002; 2003). The illicit resource economy fueled ongoing violence and enabled systematic crimes against civilians.

4.3. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International Reports

Human rights organizations have consistently reported on widespread and systematic abuses in eastern DRC, including mass killings, torture, child soldier recruitment, sexual slavery, and forced labor in mining zones. These reports support the claim that economic interests are a driving force behind ongoing atrocities (HRW, “The Curse of Gold,” 2005; Amnesty International, “This Is What We Die For,” 2016).

Legal Recognition by the DRC Government

In 2022, the Democratic Republic of the Congo passed Law No. 22/065, which officially designates August 2 as the National Day of Commemoration of the Genocost. The law recognizes the extensive suffering endured by the Congolese population due to decades of conflict and the systematic exploitation of the country’s natural resources.

This law represents a significant step toward national acknowledgment, even though international recognition remains absent.

Why the Genocost Is Unique

Unlike the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, or the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, the Genocost is not centered on ethnic or religious hatred. Rather, it is rooted in the economic logic of dispossession and extraction, where violence becomes a mechanism for controlling land, minerals, and labor.

This raises new legal and ethical questions for the international community, which has historically focused its genocide investigations on cases motivated by racial or ethnic animus. The Genocost challenges this framework by highlighting structural violence driven by profit and facilitated through international economic systems and supply chains.

Conclusion

The Genocost is a concept that seeks to capture a form of modern genocide that is driven not by ideological hatred but by the global demand for resources and the profits associated with them. Though the term is not yet formally recognized in international law, the evidence compiled by the United Nations, international NGOs, and Congolese institutions provides a compelling basis for legal and historical recognition.

As efforts continue to secure justice for the millions of victims, it is essential that advocacy, education, and legal analysis be grounded in well-documented international reports, and that the economic drivers of atrocity be placed at the center of any serious conversation about peace, accountability, and post-conflict recovery in the DRC.

References

International Rescue Committee (IRC), Mortality in the DRC: An Ongoing Crisis, 2007
United Nations OHCHR, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1993–2003: Mapping Human Rights Violations, 2010
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 1457, 2003
UN Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the DRC, Final Reports, 2001–2003
Human Rights Watch, The Curse of Gold, 2005
Amnesty International, This Is What We Die For: Human Rights Abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Power the Global Trade in Cobalt, 2016
DRC Law No. 22/065, August 2022