"No blood on my mobile phone" - This slogan published by a Belgian human rights
organization as part of a famous campaign gives a glimpse on what disadvantages the
increasing digitalization and globalization has on our society.1 It refers to a material which is
used in almost any device of our daily life. We are talking about coltan, one of the rarest and
most sought commodities in the world. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) owes
hereby one of the largest mineral deposits, but due to the illegal exploitation of natural
resources it is at the same time one of the most affected countries.1 The DRC is rich in various
minerals, but because of years of dictatorships and wars that lasted in Congo since the
beginning of the so-called First Congo War in 1996, there was not only the death of up to an
estimated 5.4 million people, but also the dissolving of ordered structures and the economic
system.2 In the context of rival rebel groups, government militias as well as occupying forces
from neighbouring countries like Rwanda and Uganda one can also find a number of foreign
companies that take advantage from the lack of structure and use it for tracking economic
interests. Over the last decades a web of corruption, exploitation and trafficking developed,
through which it was possible for the beneficiaries of the conflict to achieve their profit.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The resource wealth of the DRC and the importance of coltan for the world market
3. The coltan commodity chain - from the mines of the DRC into our mobile phones
4. The Exploitation of Coltan and the Finance of the Conflict
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Core Themes
This paper examines how economic interests, particularly those of the high-tech industry, influence the maintenance and escalation of armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by analyzing the illegal supply chain of coltan and its role in financing rebel groups.
- The impact of resource extraction on conflict stability in the DRC.
- The structure and logistics of the global coltan commodity chain.
- The influence of international companies and their supply chain responsibilities.
- The link between illegal mineral trade and military conflict financing.
Excerpt from the Book
3. The coltan commodity chain - from the mines of the DRC into our mobile phones
The plundering of Congolese commodities has always played a significant role throughout the history of the country and its bloody conflicts. Back in 2001, the "United Nations Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo", which was launched by the Security Council on 2nd of June 2000 with the resolution S/PRST/2000/20, stated in its final report on the significant importance of coltan for maintaining and financing the war and for the first time outlined the so-called coltan chain and thus named the actors involved in the conflict-both at regional and international level. Following that also various non-governmental organizations such as Global Witness and Human Rights Watch reported about the trade routes of coltan and its consequences for the population.
The coltan commodity chain starts at the mines of the Kivus forest in the area of the eastern DRC, which is mainly controlled by the Rwandan Army or allied rebel groups, because although there is a big ethnic diversity most of the ranchers are Tutsi or Rwandan. The current political situation in the country and the difficult access to the mines in the forests suspended most of the commercial and legal activities in the area. The mining of the coltan is very artificial, because most of the country's production is done by artisanal Miners, where at the same time the conditions in the mines are inhumane. The mined coltan is then sold to various local traders, who deliver the coltan in the
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the "blood on my mobile phone" slogan and outlines the research objective regarding how external economic interests contribute to the conflict in the DRC.
2. The resource wealth of the DRC and the importance of coltan for the world market: This section details the significance of coltan for the high-tech industry and examines the DRC's role as a major mineral producer.
3. The coltan commodity chain - from the mines of the DRC into our mobile phones: This chapter traces the logistical path of coltan from artisanal mining in the Congo to international trade networks and manufacturing.
4. The Exploitation of Coltan and the Finance of the Conflict: This section demonstrates the causal link between the illegal export of minerals and the funding of military budgets and rebel operations.
5. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes that coltan acts as a conflict-sustaining factor and highlights the role of international stakeholders in the cycle of violence.
Keywords
Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, Coltan, Tantalum, Commodity Chain, Conflict Minerals, War Economy, Illegal Exploitation, High-Tech Industry, Global Supply Chain, Rebel Groups, Resource Curse, Mining, Human Rights, Economic Interests
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the relationship between the illegal extraction of coltan in the DRC and the financing of ongoing military conflicts by local and regional actors.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The main themes include the global demand for coltan, the structure of the illicit commodity chain, the role of international trading companies, and the impact of these factors on the stability of the DRC.
What is the central research question?
The research asks to what extent economic interests, specifically those of the high-tech industry, contribute to the intensification and maintenance of conflict in the DRC.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The paper utilizes a qualitative analysis of reports from the United Nations, human rights organizations, and existing economic studies to establish a correlation between resource exploitation and conflict financing.
What content is covered in the main body?
The body covers the geological and economic importance of coltan, the physical supply chain from mines to manufacturers, and the financial mechanisms used by rebel groups to profit from these resources.
Which keywords best describe the work?
Key terms include DRC, Coltan, Conflict Minerals, War Economy, Commodity Chain, and Illegal Exploitation.
What role do international companies play in the conflict?
International companies are part of the commodity chain; the paper suggests that some companies, knowingly or unknowingly, facilitate the conflict by purchasing minerals from dubious sources that fuel regional wars.
How do rebel groups in the DRC profit from coltan?
Rebel groups control mining areas and extract fees or taxes from the trade of coltan, which they use to purchase weapons and maintain their military influence in the region.
Does the author consider coltan the root cause of the conflict?
No, the author argues that coltan is not the root cause, but rather a "conflict-sustaining factor" that aggravates existing dynamics and perpetuates the cycle of violence.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2013, The illegal exploitation of coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/275940
