"Faced with a gun, what can you do?"

Report conducted by Global Witness from July 2009 on ‘War and the Militarisation of Mining in Eastern Congo.’

Summary:

“The militarisation of mining in eastern DRC is prolonging the armed conflict which has been tearing the country apart for more than 12 years.  In many parts of the provinces of North and South Kivu, armed groups and the Congolese national army control the trade in cassiterite (tin ore), gold, columbite-tantalite (coltan), wolframite (a source of tungsten) and other minerals. The unregulated nature of the mining sector in eastern DRC, combined with the breakdown of law and order and the devastation caused by the war, has meant that these groups have had unrestricted access to these minerals and have been able to establish lucrative trading networks. The profits they make through this plunder enable some of the most violent armed groups to survive.

In their broader struggle to seize economic, political and military power, all the main warring parties have carried out the most horrific human rights abuses, including widespread killings of unarmed civilians, rape, torture and looting, recruitment of child soldiers to fight in their ranks, and forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. The lure of eastern Congo’s mineral riches is one of the factors spurring them on.

By the tie these minerals reach their ultimate destinations - the international markets in Europe, Asia, North America and elsewhere - their origin and the suffering caused by this trade, has long been forgotten.

The illicit exploitation of natural resources is not a new phenomenon in eastern DRC. It has characterized the conflict since it first erupted in 1996 and has been well documented by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the United Nations Panel of Experts and Group of Experts, journalists and others. Twelve years on, the patterns remain the same, and despite abundant evidence of these activities, no effective action has been taken to stop this murderous trade. On the contrary, the warring parties have consolidated their economic bases and have become ever more entrenched.”

The full report can be downloaded from Global Witness and is available in English and French.

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