Are Congo’s mines the main target of the armed groups on its soil?

The authors have developed a qualitative geographic research tool for case studies of conflict areas. They believe it can furnish convincing evidence on war motivation. They have used the tool to analyze concrete military actions and decisions and to trace them back to what provoked them. They have applied it to the conflict situation in the DR Congo between August 2007 and January 2008. In this article special attention is given to the role of natural resources in the armed conflict. Its importance as a war motivation factor is compared to three other conflict drivers found in the literature on the causes of war.