Ithiel Batumike Mihigo is a PhD student in political and social sciences at the University of Mons in Belgium. A lawyer by training, he is also a researcher at the Ebuteli Research Institute. He works on political and electoral dynamics, as well as the challenges and issues facing the extractive sector, with a particular interest in political ecology. He has in-depth expertise in the fields of mineral resources, public policy analysis and governance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His current research focuses on environmental conflicts associated with mining contracts.