{UAH} DR. KIIZA BESIGYE CAN NEVER GO AFTER THIS INDUSTRY FOR HE NEEDS TO BE IN CHARGE OF IT IF ELECTED A PRESIDENT

The Bloodiest Trade: Conflict Minerals in the DRC

By KELLY MACGARRIGLE in INTERNATIONAL, KELLY MACGARRIGLE  

We all use cell phones. But do we know where the minerals that make them work come from? 95% of the global supply for coltan, a rare mineral essential for modern smartphones, comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This region has been rocked by a multigenerational series of civil and interstate wars since 1993, with various militias fighting for control of the nation. The 1994 Rwandan genocide resulted in floods of migrants, some fleeing the violence, and some Hutu soldiers fleeing prosecution for their role in the violence, further destabilizing the region. The Congolese Conflict (also known as the Great War of Africa) has been ongoing since the 1990s, and is the deadliest global conflict since WW2, with casualties equal to the entire nation of Denmark. One of the major triggers for this war was the control of the Eastern Congo’s mines, which promised millions in profits for the groups (both governmental and the various rebel organizations) that could establish control. So, how does this bloody trade work?

First, it is important to understand how physically difficult it is to access these sites. To get to a mine in the Eastern DRC, you need to drive along a one-way, uneven road up the side of a mountain. Along the way, you need to dig the tires out of the muddy track to make it to the top of these incredibly rainy mountains, while facing constant aggression from armed groups who want to dominate the mines. This consequential trade is a multibillion-dollar industry, providing armed groups with over $180 million in profits that they use to buy weapons and supplies. Both rebel groups and the government profit from their control over the mines, smuggling the materials out of the country and selling minerals to refineries and smelters to fund their sides. Since armies cannot rely on the central government for their pay, they relied on the mines for their incomes, imposing entry fees for miners and taking a share of the profits.

In the Kivu province during the Second Congolese War, armed groups controlled almost every mining site. They levied illegal taxes at all stages of the mining process to increase their profits, in addition to their illicit take of the profits. Regardless of who was in charge of the mines, the process ruthlessly exploited local workers. A region at war does not need to worry about mining safety or labor protections. Soldiers would beat miners who refused to work and forced them into unstable mines, killing hundreds in mine collapses. Countries worldwide, alarmed by these stories, refused to buy minerals directly from the DRC. Instead, companies bought minerals from the neighboring countries (Rwanda and Uganda) who would procure the minerals from DRC mines, passing them off as conflict-free, regardless of their actual origins.

Interestingly, Uganda produces no diamonds domestically but exports tens of millions every year. They also have only minuscule gold deposits but export an average of $100 million worth of gold annually. Uganda also exhibited similar extraction patterns in coltan, coffee, timer, and cassiterite, with vast discrepancies between domestic production and exports. Similarly, Rwanda has no indigenous diamonds, but exported almost $3 million dollars of rough diamonds to the rest of the world. So, where are these minerals coming from, if not from Rwanda or Uganda? They come from the DRC – and are sold to international companies who use them to make the cellphones we use every day.

Over one-hundred global companies have been accused by the UN Security Council of having “problematic or suspect dealings” with the DRC mines during this conflict. The UN investigation tracked a Swiss businessman, Christoph Huber, who was involved in the “large-scale transport” of coltan from a Rwandan-backed rebel group. Huber had a direct business relationship with rebel groups and received minerals from them at significantly reduced rates. His company then traded the minerals with private businesses around the world after cleaning them of the blood minerals label by passing them through the Swiss banking system, which refuses to disclose the identity of their account holders, or the contents within.

Several countries, including the US, have attempted to push for reform or abolition of illegal mining. In 2010, the US Congress introduced the Dodd-Frank Act, requiring publicly traded companies to alert the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about their supply chains’ origins and if they use components from the DRC. This forced companies to fully disclose the sources of minerals, with yearly checks of “due diligence” to ensure they were not supporting human rights abuses. While the Dodd-Frank Act was well-intentioned, there have been unintended consequences. It increased rebel groups’ looting of civilians and shifted to unregulated mining areas, especially gold, which were not explicitly banned. Gold is easier to conceal than bulkier minerals like tantalum and tin, which require additional smelting to remove excess rock. Thus, armed groups moved towards focusing on gold mines and supplemented their income from looting. Many Congolese scholars disliked the legislation since it ended up hurting local miners, not warlords or armed groups, who changed their tactics.

While the current state is not ideal, altogether abolishing mining is also not a viable option. Miners rely on minerals for their primary income, choosing to mine due to a lack of alternatives. The areas surrounding mines have been environmentally devastated by aggressive mining, ruling out the possibility of agriculture. If mining is restricted in the DRC, companies might pull out of the DRC and mine in other nations with less oversight. Once they move out, other countries, especially China, could come into the DRC and exploit the minerals there with far less oversight and no labor protections. China had done this before in Sudan and Iran, cheaply buying up oil  elds after the US withdrew, with numerous accusations of Chinese companies’ human rights abuses.

If American policymakers want to make meaningful and lasting changes, policies need to be comprehensive and go beyond restricting supply chains. Instead, we need to address the deep-rooted marginalization and exploitation of Congolese miners, which comes from the lack of economic opportunities outside of mining. Too many solutions for the DRC come from well-meaning officials, who do not know enough about their own country to create significant changes that respect the Congolese people’s unique needs. There are slim chances for lasting change unless international organizations, in collaboration with local governments, miners, and rebel fighters, can create comprehensive strategies that tackle the economic drivers of both the conflict and the dirty mineral trade. If such an approach is successful, it will allow the DRC to  finally begin the long process towards reconciliation, peace, healing, and prosperity for the long-mistreated Congolese people.

So, what can we do, as ordinary citizens, to deal with this bloody trade? First, educate yourself – read the perspectives of local activists, and Congolese scholars, about the needs of the local community. Most perspectives (even this one) are very Westernized – but we need to learn more about what miners need, and how we can best meet their needs. Second, if you can, lobby cell phone companies to fully disclose where their minerals are coming from – and decide if you like their answer or not. And finally, tell others about what’s happening – it is not possible to completely erase this trade anytime soon, but all attempts to do so should take the needs of the local community into account first – and keep them as a priority through all attempts at reform.

EM         -> {   Gap   at   46  } – {Allan Barigye is a Rwandan predator}

On the 49^th Parallel          

                 Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy"
                    Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni katika machafuko"