Extractivisme minier dans l'Est-Cameroun et controverses socio-environnementales : quelles perspectives pour un développement paisible des communautés locales ?

Abstract

The Cameroonian subsoil is of interest to mining companies in a context where the country has made mining a pillar of its development. The Eastern Region, the most endowed with minerals, is thus experiencing an intensification of mining activities while their externalities are fueling controversies between companies, authorities and local communities. Local development issues are questioned in a governance context marked by corruption, the opacity of mining activities and abuse of authority. So what are the determinants of the controversies in the wake of mining extractivism in East Cameroon? This article is built around the theories of political ecology and governance. It analyzes the determinants of socio-environmental controversies related to mining in East Cameroon. State of the art and field surveys reveal that the environmental harmfulness and social failures of mining activities are fueling the demands of local populations in a context where the authorities are labeled as corrupt.

Keywords

• East Cameroon
• extractivism
• corruption
• socio-environmental controversies
• local communities