Responding to Civil War: Fisheries as a Safety Net and Lootable Resource on Lake Tanganyika, the Democratic Republic of Congo
Publisher: Maritime Studies
Author(s): Deo Namwira, Fiona Nunan, and Danielle Beswick
Date: 2024
Topics: Governance, Livelihoods, Renewable Resources
Countries: Congo (DRC)
Research on conflict and fisheries has largely focused on conflict between resource users, rather than on how fisheries are affected by external conflict, including civil war. Knowledge that does exist does not fully engage with the specific characteristics of conflicts, how those characteristics affect fisheries, and how fishers respond. This article identifies how the characteristics of conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) affect the fisheries of the transboundary Lake Tanganyika and how those dependent on small-scale fisheries have responded to those characteristics. Data was collected at three fish landing sites through remote interviews in 2017 and 2018. The results show that the primary characteristic of the DRC conflict is the sporadic and unpredictable nature of the violence generating insecurity, loss of equipment and increase in fishing pressure. Increasing fishing pressure is associated with newcomers, who turn to fishing as a safety net, yet do not abide by local norms and beliefs. A reported increase in illegal fishing and corruption further present challenges to the weakly managed fisheries. The research concludes that the experience of civil war brings multiple and contrasting sources and experiences of vulnerability for fishers. The significant influence that conflict has on fisherfolk and fisheries supports calls for greater recognition of how the wider political and economic environment of natural resources affects how they are used and governed.