Congo's Minerals: From Conflict to Community Benefit
Posted by Enough Team on May 05, 2014
Editor's note: This post was written by Natalie Schreffler. Armed
groups' exploitation of conflict minerals and attempts to control the
illicit trade are one of the drivers of the conflict in Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC). This blog will provide a snapshot of the
conflict minerals trade and highlight one group taking positive action
toward cleaning up the minerals trade and thereby building sustainable
peace in the DRC.
The DRC is the site of the deadliest conflict since World War II, with
rampant instances of sexual violence, mass murder, and child
soldiering. But with the surrender of the Rwanda-backed armed group
M23 in November of 2013, DRC began to see hope for a successful peace
process.
Although M23's surrender was a huge step in the right direction for
DRC's peace process, much progress is still needed. Central to the
peace process is cleaning up the mining sector. Congo is
extraordinarily rich in natural resources--specifically, tin, tungsten,
tantalum ("3Ts") and gold. However, the country remains one of the
poorest and most dangerous countries in the world because armed groups
and the national army benefit financially by exploiting the minerals
trade. For example, the former leader of M23 and ICC indictee, Bosco
Ntaganda, coordinated efforts between M23 and local armed groups to
smuggle gold into Uganda and Burundi, where it was then sold
internationally. Other armed groups such as the Democratic Forces for
the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, and factions of the Congolese army
have also mined and smuggled gold and continue to trade gold for arms.
Congo's minerals--tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold--are used in most
electronic devices, including mobile phones and laptop computers. Like
rebel and army commanders who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone
fueled by "blood diamonds," Congolese militias use the minerals trade
to fund their murderous regimes. Some companies, most notably Intel,
have taken steps to clean up their supply chains and guard against the
use of conflict minerals in their products.
Other efforts by a local coalition of civil society organizations, the
North Kivu Civil Society Support Group for Traceability and
Transparency in the Management of Natural Resources (GATT-RN), are a
critical component of cleaning up the minerals trade in Congo,
"fighting to transform eastern Congo's vast mineral wealth into a
source of life rather than death." By informing local and
international policies on mining sector reform in the region, holding
government and mining authorities accountable, and educating and
mobilizing eastern Congolese citizens to understand and advocate for
their rights, GATT-RN seeks to end the unlawful exploitation of DRC's
vast natural resources and instead benefit Congolese civilians.
The coalition also complements the statutes of section 1502 of the
Dodd-Frank Act by advocating for the implementation of due diligence
guidelines, a crucial aspect of holding companies accountable for
their supply chain responsibility standards.
In the words of one GATT-RN's leader, "Congo's minerals wealth is a
potential source of development, but until the current system is
shaken, our communities will continue to be destroyed over the fight
to control resources. We are steadfast in our efforts, and your
support will go a long way in ensuring the expeditiousness of our
success."
http://www.google.ca/gwt/x?gl=CA&wsc=yh&source=s&u=http://www.enoughproject.org/blogs/congo%25E2%2580%2599s-minerals-conflict-community-benefit&hl=en-CA&ei=DkZpU9nGEuKEsgfIrIFg&ct=np&whp=3329
--
SIBOMANA Jean Bosco
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