A comprehensive approach to congos conflict minerals strategy. Economics remain at the heart of the renewed violence in eastern congo. The report urges policymakers, the private sector and other stakeholders to commit to reforming the existing trade in minerals from dr congo rather than banning, or disrupting it. This page provides the latest reported value for congo balance of trade plus previous releases, historical high and low, shortterm forecast and long. Blood minerals and africas underreported first world war 4 or bear healthy children, resulting in the death of an estimated 50% of the populations, probably ca.
The niobiumdominant mineral in coltan is columbite after niobiums original american name columbium, and the tantalumdominant mineral is the tantalite. Democratic republic of congo started a new mineral certification program in an effort to stop armed groups in the east of the country benefiting from the trade in. Globalwitness guide for companies sourcing minerals from the dr congo 1. Rebel groups and members of the congolese national army have made millions of dollars through illegal control. Trade in conflict minerals continues in congo despite ban. Oluniyis book on northern nigeria has many important lessons for nigeria, west africa and the rest of the world. Companies exporting and trading minerals from the african great lakes have made some progress on responsible sourcing, but must do more. Global witness condemns use of conflict minerals the. British firm linked to congos illicit mineral trade this article is more than 10 years old global witness report says trade is prolonging 12year conflict between rebels and army, but firms deny. Social indictor values of artisanal cobalt mining in the drc for selected. The conflict minerals supply chain john prendergast and sasha lezhnev increasing pressure on electronics companies to ensure that their products do not contain illicit minerals from the killing fields in eastern congo is beginning to have a significant impact. Globalwitness guide for companies sourcing minerals from.
Conflict minerals responsible minerals global witness. The second explores the dynamics of the regional minerals trade from 8eastern dr congo. Is congos mineral trade really the key to the countrys conflict. Jul 26, 2010 the move comes amid global efforts to halt the trade in rebelcontrolled minerals such as tin, gold, and coltan, in the democratic republic of congo, where millions have died since civil war. Global witness states that greed, and the desire to control eastern drcs rich. Global witness condemns use of conflict minerals the mail.
Apr 29, 2011 is congo s mineral trade really the key to the countrys conflict. It says that while much of eastern congos mineral trade remains under armed control, the departure of armed groups from bisie the regions. The balance of trade is a measure of the value of exports relative to the value of imports, not of the quantity of exports relative to the quantity of imports. Is congos mineral trade really the key to the countrys. Estimating the profits that armed groups earn from the minerals trade is. While conflict minerals are certainly an important factor in congo s conflict, guest blogger laura seay is not convinced theyre. With bills on conflict minerals moving through congress, the electronics indus. Jul 22, 2017 more than 20% of the democratic republic of congos mining revenue is lost because of corruption and mismanagement, a campaign group says. It says that while much of eastern congo s mineral trade remains under armed control, the departure of armed groups from bisie the regions largest tin mine is a promising. A positive trade balance signifies a trade surplus, while a negative value signifies a trade deficit. Table reflects only those months for which there was trade.
Economics remain at the heart of the renewed violence in eastern congo that has displaced roughly 400,000 people. African artisanal mining from the inside out provides a rich and indepth analysis of the congolese gold sector. Democratic republic of congo drc conflict global witness. Kahuzibiega national park and itombwe nature reserve, eastern democratic republic of congo volume 53 issue 1 charlotte spira, andrew kirkby, deo kujirakwinja, andrew j. Conflict minerals trade act critique and suggestions.
In spite of the spirit of support and good intentions behind the conflict mineral trade act, it is far from sufficient in addressing many of the core challenges of the congo. King leopold iis exploitation of the congo from 1885 to. Lecture notes 6 real exchange rates and the trade balance. Global witness has been campaigning for over 15 years alongside congolese ngos for the responsible management of the drc s forests, copper and cobalt, gold and other mineral resources in the interests of its people rather than elites, cowboy companies and warring factions. British firms linked to congos illicit mineral trade world. Congos mining revenue missing global witness bbc news. Global witness 2011 congos mineral trade in the balance. Mineral conflict in democratic republic of the congo.
While conflict minerals are certainly an important factor in congos conflict, guest blogger laura seay is not convinced theyre. This page provides forecast and historical data, charts, statistics, news and updates for congo brazzaville exports of goods and services. Jul 25, 20 democratic republic of congo started a new mineral certification program in an effort to stop armed groups in the east of the country benefiting from the trade in tin ore, tungsten, coltan and gold. The congo government s ban on trade in conflict minerals has met with little success as trade in north kivu remains dominated by a mafia network that connect the mines to international markets, a report by the enough project said on tuesday. In the democratic republic of congo artisanal and smallscale mining is.
Minerals and arms smuggling worth millions of dollars persists in eastern democratic republic of the congo drc despite international sanctions, fuelling rebel strength despite national army operations, and army and rebel soldiers continue to kill civilians, according to a new united nations report that calls on the security council to take action to plug the gaps. The requirement applies to any company listed on a u. Rwanda has banned the sale of minerals from areas where there is fighting in the democratic republic of congo drc, in compliance with a. The legislation requires companies doing business in congo and neighboring countries to disclose the origin of any minerals they trade in as specifically as possible. Harrison mitchell and nicholas garrett beyond conflict. Nov 08, 2012 conflictfree tags help revive congo minerals trade. More than 20% of the democratic republic of congos mining revenue is lost because of corruption and mismanagement, a campaign group says. Democratic republic of the congo is the biggest region in east africa also they are natural resource rich country. Current account and trade balance by subsaharan country, 20002008 5 4. Exports of goods and services for congo brazzaville from international monetary fund imf for the international financial statistics ifs release.
Apr 27, 2011 rwanda has banned the sale of minerals from areas where there is fighting in the democratic republic of congo drc, in compliance with a u. British firms linked to congos illicit mineral trade. Global witness is campaigning for congo s mining law to make oecd due diligence a legal requirement. Jul, 2010 the legislation requires companies doing business in congo and neighboring countries to disclose the origin of any minerals they trade in as specifically as possible. Introduced in house 11192009 conflict minerals trade act states that it is u. Congos mining revenues have been the focus of global.
Trade and current account balances in subsaharan africa. Uk government to be sued over congolese conflict minerals. Instead of promoting free trade and civilizing the congo as promised, leopold sought rapid exploitation of the congo. It analyses african mining from a number of complemenary perspectives, driven by a search for new directions based on the african mining vision amv which african leaders adopted in 2009. The congo mines that supply conflict minerals for the. Congo has most mineral resources that the global village needs to sustain the fastgrowing technological advancements. Beyond conflict reconfiguring approaches to the regional trade in minerals from eastern drc in april 2009 we published trading conflict for development, which provided an indepth analysis of the link between the mineral trade tin, tungsten and tantalum and conflict and development dynamics in eastern drc. The legislation specifies four minerals believed to be funding the conflict, including gold and tin ore. The armed groups require high taxes to enter the mines and thus make even more profit off of the minerals. Global witness a guide for companies do no harm 1 july 2010 a guide for companies dono harm excluding con. Congo balance of trade 20012018 data 20192020 forecast. Drawing on extensive analysis of the northern nigerian case the author insists that we look at the root causes of violence rather than just the presenting problems.
Congos minerals trade in the balance global witness. Global minerals, arms smuggling networks fuel dr congo. Congo starts certification program to end conflictmineral. Instead of portraying miners and traders as passive victims of economic forces, regional conflicts or disheartening national policies, it focuses on how they gain access to and benefit from gold. It is a good idea to regulate the trade in minerals originating from the strifetorn democratic republic of the congo. Jul 21, 2009 british firm linked to congo s illicit mineral trade this article is more than 10 years old global witness report says trade is prolonging 12year conflict between rebels and army, but firms deny. To aid in this rapid exploitation, leopold gave land to private concession companies who used any coercive means to maximize profits. Rwanda insisting on due diligence on mineral imports from. Social impacts of artisanal cobalt mining in katanga. The socioeconomics of artisanal mining and bushmeat hunting. Coltan short for columbitetantalites and known industrially as tantalite is a dull black metallic ore from which are extracted the elements niobium and tantalum. Conflict minerals in the congo anthropology of contemporary.
Congo brazzaville exports of goods and services moody. War in congo is directly linked to the control of mineral resources. Artisanal cassiterite mining and trade in north kivu. Dr congo is africas biggest producer of copper and the worlds largest supplier of cobalt used in batteries for electric cars. The nigerian economy is slowly exiting recession but remains vulnerable. Congo donate read press release shifts in the control of eastern democratic republic of congos drc mines have created opportunities to begin breaking the links between the mineral trade and the conflict that has plagued civilians for over a decade. Much of the profit that is made from the minerals is used to buy arms that further perpetuate the conflict in congo. Benin, niger, bangladesh, congo, tanzania, uganda on. However while international due diligence standards for the mineral trade were. The niobiumdominant mineral in coltan is columbite after niobiums original american name columbium, and the tantalumdominant mineral is the tantalite tantalum from coltan is used to manufacture tantalum capacitors which are.
International trade in minerals, particularly tin, tungsten, wolfram, and gold, from conflict affected or highrisk areas can have significant implications on intensifying and perpetuating the. Global witness dr congo mining revenue lost to corruption. Anvil mining workers were sued for crimes against humanity global witness. Metals are found in sitc categories 67 iron and steel and 68 nonferrous metals. The socioeconomics of artisanal mining and bushmeat. Rwanda bans export of congo conflict area minerals reuters. Dec 07, 2009 minerals and arms smuggling worth millions of dollars persists in eastern democratic republic of the congo drc despite international sanctions, fuelling rebel strength despite national army operations, and army and rebel soldiers continue to kill civilians, according to a new united nations report that calls on the security council to take action to plug the gaps. A followup report for the communities and smallscale mining secreta6. Jul 25, 2010 globalwitness guide for companies sourcing minerals from the dr congo 1. In 2018, nigerias estimated trade surplus amounted to around 17. The congo mines that supply conflict minerals for the world. The congo mines that supply conflict minerals for the worlds gadgets.
Minerals that have bankrolled social and environmental harms still end up in our mobile phones, laptops and cars. Conflictfree tags help revive congo minerals trade. The socioeconomics of artisanal mining and bushmeat hunting around protected areas. Conflictfree tags help revive congo minerals trade reuters. Businesses must act responsibly by checking their supply chains. Outrage from the consumers who fuel this trade is certainly a startbut.
From congress to congo turning the tide on conflict minerals, closing loopholes, and empowering miners fidel bafilemba, sasha lezhnev, and sarah zingg wimmer august 2012 editors note. This report uses recent field research by global witness to highlight some significant changes and outline what the key players must do to capitalise on them. Patterns of trade in minerals and metals in trade studies, minerals are often classified as those commodities in sitc 2digit sections 27 crude industrial minerals and 28 metalliferous ores and scraps. Average time spent in artisanal mining and trading s 142. On the ground mapping the supply chain for assessment by companies tin from eastern drc sourcing minerals. Congo is the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman or a child. About 80% of colombite tantalum of the world, used in phone and computer transistors, is found in congo. How m23 and its allies are infiltrating congos gold trade executive summary the m23 rebel group has taken over a profitable part of the conflict gold trade in the east of the democratic republic of the congo, or drc. The trade in tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold has been fuelling the conflict in eastern democratic.
The move comes amid global efforts to halt the trade in rebelcontrolled minerals such as tin, gold, and coltan, in the democratic republic of congo, where millions have died since civil war. Globalwitness guide for companies sourcing minerals from the. Mar 04, 2020 a positive trade balance signifies a trade surplus, while a negative value signifies a trade deficit. A rough trade tweet share diamonds responsible minerals angola donate this report was written to stimulate debate and action on a well known and much reported issue. Despite these efforts, global witness has documented illegal involvement of members of the congolese army in the trade. Conflict minerals in east congo global witness global. Warring parties in eastern congo control much of the trade in valuable metals such as tin, tantalum and tungsten, as well as gold, according to global witness and. Congo starts certification program to end conflictmineral trade. Congo brazzaville exports of goods and services moodys. Trade openness, current account balance and trade balance in ssa, 19812012 4 3. Conflict minerals trade act critique and suggestions framework the congo faces a profound political and historical challenge. Global witness report has raised the alarm, saying that money is being distributed through corrupt networks linked to president joseph kabila.
Fast improving riskreward balance, the democratic republic of congo. Global witness reported that the fdlr and congolese army were. The global minerals trade has funded abuses and armed conflict for decades. Trade openness, current account balance and trade balance in ssa deficit countries. But with the congolese government on the verge of a balanceofpayments crisis. As with sierra leone and other countries and regions wars in which were. It must also clearly outlaw any involvement of members of the army in digging, taxing or transporting minerals. The path to conflictfree minerals from congo fair trade assures a consumer that the producers of a product get a fair price and labor conditions, while paper products and furniture certified by the forest stewardship.
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