In the hills of Masisi, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the guns have fallen silent. Rwanda and its allies, the Congolese rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23), now control this territory, in particular the mining area of Rubaya, but Rwandan soldiers are officially not there and Masisi no longer exports minerals. Yet almost every day, under the control of armed men, motorcyclists head towards the Rwandan border with packages of columbo-tantalite in their luggage. Better known as coltan, this mineral extracted from tantalum is crucial for the manufacture of mobile phones.
The United States was shocked by this situation on July 8, worrying about the role that “Illegal trade and exploitation of certain minerals, particularly gold and tantalum mined on artisanal and semi-industrial basis in the Great Lakes region, continue to play a role in financing the conflict”The US State Department did not hesitate to point to its allies, Rwanda and Uganda, as the main recipients of these so-called “blood” minerals. because they come from conflict zones.
This statement is published, the press release states, “in response to the demands of the private sector” Who wanted to see Washington clarify? “Potential risks associated with the manufacture of products using minerals mined, transported or exported from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda”It draws on the work of the United Nations Group of Experts, its mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and reports from civil society.
But this public stance comes at a bad time for the American giant Apple and possibly hundreds of other companies. The Congolese government has hired two law firms (one American, Amsterdam & Partners, and one French, Bourdon & Associés) to carry out investigations into the mineral supply chain. 3T (tin, tungsten and tantalum) produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo and illegally exported. Their mission: to determine the legal action that Kinshasa could take against Apple and all the potential beneficiaries of this fraud.
“Open secret”
“Some of the Congolese coltan has always been exported to Rwanda, with or without the intervention of the M23. It is an open secret”“However, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have been using a traceability system called “ITSCI” (Tin Supply Chain Initiative) for 15 years, which should have put an end to fraud, but which the United States is careful not to mention,” explains Gregory Mthembu-Salter, a former UN expert responsible for investigating illegal mineral exploitation.
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