The curse of natural resources?copper or cobalt in the case of Katanga and diamonds in Kasai?hit the Congolese economy in the 1980s. Predatory behavior was rife, resulting in disastrous consequences for industry and infrastructure. The conflict economy that has become entrenched in eastern Congo over the last ten years combines various elements: revenues, "diggers", military control, criminal networks, and violence fuelled by rumors, with its dramatic social consequences. Control of the production and trafficking of minerals now needs to be the subject of new international initiatives.