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In April, the M23 — a rebel group with alleged links to Rwanda — seized the Rubaya mining area in eastern Congo, which holds deposits of a key mineral used to produce smartphones and computers.
A rebel group in Congo generates around US$300,000 a month in revenue through its control of a mining area in the east of the country, a U.N. official said.
In April, the M23 — a rebel group with alleged links to Rwanda — seized the Rubaya mining area in eastern Congo, which holds deposits of a key mineral used to produce smartphones and computers. Over 15% of the world’s supply of tantalum, a rare metal extracted from coltan, comes from Rubaya, Bintou Keita, head of the U.N. mission in Congo, told the Security Council on Monday.
Unless international sanctions are imposed on those benefiting from this criminal trade, peace will remain elusive and civilians will continue to suffer,” Keita said.
Tantalum is among the minerals identified earlier this year in a letter from Congo’s government questioning Apple about the tech company’s knowledge of “blood minerals” smuggling into its supply chain.
The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo has produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 120 armed groups fighting for power, land, and valuable mineral resources while others try to defend their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings, rapes, and other human rights violations. The violence has displaced some 6 million people in the country’s east.
In July, U.N. experts estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan government forces are deployed in eastern Congo alongside M23, which has been making major advances.
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Last week, a regional court in East Africa opened proceedings in a case filed by Congo against Rwanda , accusing it of violating Congo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by sending troops to help rebels in the country’s east.
