Résumé
Cet article explore comment le droit international de l’investissement et l’arbitrage des différends entre investisseurs et Etats reconfigurent la gouvernance minière en Tanzanie, notamment dans les relations entre compagnies minières et acteurs de l’extraction artisanale et à petite échelle (EMAPE). L’analyse inscrit d’abord ces dynamiques dans un contexte global de litiges croissants sur les investissements extractifs pour lesquels les investisseurs peuvent poursuivre les Etats dans des tribunaux d’arbitrage. À partir d’entretiens avec des arbitres, l’article montre comment le droit de l’investissement véhicule une conception du territoire comme somme d’actifs financiers, socialement désencastré, et géographiquement extensible. L’étude d’un cas récent en Tanzanie illustre la tension entre une vision relationnelle de la propriété orientée vers la cohabitation, et une vision exclusive fondée sur la marchandisation du territoire. La garantie d’un droit au profit au détriment de droits d’usage de la terre accroît les risques financiers pour l’État et fragilise les efforts de gouvernance inclusive de l’EMAPE.
This article explores how international investment law and investor-state dispute settlement are reconfiguring mining governance in Tanzania, particularly in the relations between mining companies and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) operators. The analysis begins by placing these dynamics in a global context of growing disputes over extractive investments, for which investors can sue governments in arbitration tribunals. Based on interviews with arbitrators, the article shows how investment law conveys a conception of territory as a sum of financial assets, socially disembedded and geographically extensible. The study of a recent case in Tanzania illustrates the tension between a relational vision of property oriented towards mining coexistence, and an exclusive vision based on the commodification of territory. Guaranteeing a right to profit at the expense of land use rights increases the financial risks for the State and undermines efforts towards an inclusive governance of ASM.
This article explores how international investment law and investor-state dispute settlement are reconfiguring mining governance in Tanzania, particularly in the relations between mining companies and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) operators. The analysis begins by placing these dynamics in a global context of growing disputes over extractive investments, for which investors can sue governments in arbitration tribunals. Based on interviews with arbitrators, the article shows how investment law conveys a conception of territory as a sum of financial assets, socially disembedded and geographically extensible. The study of a recent case in Tanzania illustrates the tension between a relational vision of property oriented towards mining coexistence, and an exclusive vision based on the commodification of territory. Guaranteeing a right to profit at the expense of land use rights increases the financial risks for the State and undermines efforts towards an inclusive governance of ASM.