Rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo fraudulently exported at least 150 metric tons of coltan to Rwanda last year, leading to the largest contamination of the Great Lakes Region’s mineral supply chain on record, UN experts said in a report.
The flows started after the M23 movement, a Tutsi-led organization purportedly backed by Rwanda, seized the Rubaya area, which produces minerals used in smartphones and computers, following intense fighting in April.
M23’s control of transport routes from Rubaya to Rwanda led to Rubaya minerals mixing in with Rwandan production, the UN Security Council’s Group of Experts said in the report, published on Wednesday.
“This constitutes the most important contamination of supply chains with ineligible … minerals recorded in the Great Lakes region over the last decade,” the report said, referring to a vast area that includes north-east Congo, Rwanda, and other countries east of Congo.
Rwanda and M23 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The situation complicates procurement for technology manufacturers, who are under scrutiny to ensure that metals used in their products are not sourced from conflict zones like eastern Congo.
The report said the rebels established a so-called mining ministry in the occupied territory and ensured a monopoly for the export of coltan to Rwanda from Rubaya, which has one of the world’s largest deposits of the strategic mineral.
In this way, the militants collected at least $800,000 per month in taxes on coltan production and trade in Rubaya, it said.
On the ground, the rebels doubled the wages of diggers to convince them to keep working in Rubaya and oversaw forced labour to widen roads to accommodate truck transport. They also patrolled the town and its mining sites to make sure minerals were only sold to authorized Congolese and Rwandan traders, it said.
In December, Congo filed criminal complaints against Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium, accusing the tech firm of using conflict minerals in its supply chain. Apple disputes the allegations and says it has told its suppliers they must not use the minerals in question sourced from Congo or Rwanda.
(By Sonia Rolley and Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
7 Comments
Johnson
Before 1881 division of Africa Rwanda kingdom covered parts of uganda,East congo and Tanzania west.when boarders were drawn it cut Rwanda into congo with rwandese becoming congolese, Ugandans and Tanzanians instantly over 200 years until 1994 when genocide on Tutsis by French trained FDLR failed as they fled to congo France ordered deregistration on congo kinyarwanda speaking congolese to be pushed to Rwanda that caused overthrow of Mobutu as M23 former congolese soldiers who are Tutsi of congo fought off that order .unto kinshasa in 1995 puting kabila in power.who repeated Mobutu mistake sparking new war until cease fire was drawn in March23rd thus M23 in nairobi.
Tishekedi seeing elections coming sparked war on M23 to cause diversionary tactics as he steals elections even after chairman of elections resigning and joining M23.instead intensified and refuse to meet with M23 calling them terroriests
Nyota
It is so sad when people continue to lie about Rwanda and Kongo borders when the facts are present. Many scholars have written about borders in Africa. If you are not ofbof them, please stay away and don’t feed people with lies. The world knows that Rwanda is an expert in lies. FYI Both Congo and Rwanda was home to several kingdoms and states if you can call it that. By a combination of political, cultural and economic factors the borders were established. The CongobKungdom was the dominant force in central Africa from the 14th to early 19th century. The Bantu people settled there between Lake KIVU AND rweru in 500BC. The atutsipeople arrived in the region around 14th and 15th century CE their relationship with Bantu was based on client-Patron which Rwandan called Ubuhake. In early 19th century Mwami Kigeri IV established the borders of Rwanda. This was before the division of Africa by the Colonizers. So what are you talking about when you say part of Rwanda is in Congo. Stop this madness. Remember children are born each day and they are being fed by lies as they grow. How will they solve these issues of borders if they cannot be told the truth? The fact is that Rwand needs to survive and to so so, they always look for lands from neighbors by force byleing backed by their Western allies in order to get the free minerals from Rwanda. Rhe entire world knows this. It is not a secret. It’s time to say the truth. Thank you.
Denis
Does UN explain where the mineral taken by Monusico goes and why Italian ambassador who got shoots by fdlr in forster and am wandering if those mineral pass to Rwanda why the don’t close RDC Boards that they can reaming there ?
Dady Bayona
JOHNSON if you don’t know histories of Africa you have to keep your mouth shut than saying nonsense to world community, in1881 the name of country called rwanda were not existed on that times I was only Congo called Congo belge , after convention of Berlin the colonial systems they discussed and decided to separate countries Uganda rwanda Burundi. and Congo still keep the name name of congobelge
Chacha Makamba Wambura
Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki ilikimbia kasi mno kuiruhusu Rwanda na DRC kujiunga nayo, kabla hawajamaliza ukatili na uharamia unaoendelea Mashariki mwa DRC kuhusiana na maisha ya watu, uhai wa akinamama, watoto na wazee. Sidhani kama ni rahisi kwa sasa Jumuiya hii hii kuutatua mgogoro huu kiuendelevu. Tutakuwa tunakata matawi tu, shina linabaki bila kutikiswa. Kumaliza vita iliyoko upande huu baina ya nchi hizi lingetakiwa kuwa sharti la msingi kabla ya kuziandikisha nchi hizi kama wanachama wa Jumuiya. Nguvu yoyote itakayotumika iwe ya kijeshi itakuwa ya gharama sana mintarafu maisha ya watu na uchumi na ujamii na utamaduni wao. Njia ya kidiplomasia itakuwa ndefu na ambayo itapuuzwa na walioko madarakani kama tulivyosikia juzi Marais wa nchi hizi wamegoma kukutana na kujadili mgogoro huu. Pengine vikwazo vya kisiasa na kiuchumi kwa nchi hizi kutoka EAC, AU, UN na kwingine yaweza kuleta suluhisho, lakini mabepari wa nje ndio wanayoyatamani sana madini na rasilimali zinazoporwa kutoka DRC. Wanaweza kuendelea kuuziwa kwa njia ya magendo na maisha yao huko Ulaya yakaendelea vizuri huku Waafrika tukiuwana wenyewe kwa wenyewe. Labda nirejee kuwa nguvu thabiti ya kijeshi iliyopangiliwa kimkakati, jumuishi na ambayo inalenga changamoto iliko hasa yaweza kufaa, hata kama watakufa wachache wakati wa kurejesha amani ya kudumu. Mimi taarifa za DRC na Rwanda zinanitia kichefuchefu tangu nazisikia, nazidurusu kisomi na kiutafiti na kuzisoma hivi sasa mitandaoni na katika vyombo vingine vya habari. Ifike mahali, fujo, uharamia, ukatili na uhafidhina huu wa kipumbavu na kijinga ukome, Waafrika tuishi maisha ya utulivu na yenye kujali haki za watu na maisha yao kijamii, kiutamaduni, kisiasa na kiuchumi.
John Kagarama
Ndugu Chacha, inaonekana unatumia muda wa kutosha kufuatilia yanayotokea huko mashariki mwa DRC. Tatizo moja tu ninaloliona ni kwamba muda wako mwingi umekuwa labda ukiutumia kuchambua habari zenye vyanzo potovu (e.g. BBC, CNN, REUTERS, FRANCE24, so called UN EXPERTS, name it…). Na vyombo hivi havikuundwa ili visaidie jamii ya kiafrika kujua ukweli wa mambo yanayotokea katika sehemu moja au nyingine ya bara hili, kwa sababu mengi yanayotokea kwetu huku (vita, umaskini, magonjwa, etc…) yana mizizi ya kihistoria ambayo mabeberu wa magharibi wamechangia kwa asilimia zaidi ya tisini. Kuelewa vizuri yanayotokea mashariki mwa DRC na uhusiano baina ya DRC na Rwanda, inabidi kwanza uelewe vizuri haya matatizo yalianza anzaje…elewa mchango wa Ubelgiji kama mkoloni wa nchi hizi mbili na mambo aliyoyafanya wakati wa ukoloni, elewa tatizo la mipaka iliyochorwa na hawa wakoloni na jamii zilizoathiriwa na mipaka hii, elewa msimamo wa serikali ya DRC kuhusu jamii zilizoathiriwa na uchoraji wa mipaka hii, elewa mchango wa FDLR waliokimbilia DRC baada ya kufanya mauaji ya kimbari (genocide) Rwanda mwaka 1994, elewa FDLR walifanya nini baada ya kufika DRC, elewa M23 ni watu gani na wanapigana kwa sababu gani, elewa umoja wa mataifa una mchango gani katika yote haya zaidi mabeberu wa nchi za magharibi…..ukiyaelewa haya vizuri, nina uhakika taarifa za DRC na Rwanda hazitakutia tena kichefuchefu, bali utakuwa sasa mchambuzi yakini wa masuala haya.
Rukundo
MY Dear brothers and sisters of Africa who are busy conflicting with who is to have what and how to have what to have ,we are all Africans no matter the origin of the country .we should all be more intelligent than some of our leaders ,parents and grandfathers .we all believe that whites have done this several times ,The divide and rule policies and other ways .before they cames as colonists and now they are returning as investors to our countries bribing our leaders with the ideal of helping them build a strong nation .And with that they are persuded into working for them hoping that they will help .look at our African countries which African currency is prominent in any African country, to be honest none but then bring dollars or pounds everyone will definitely recognize it and do u know why ,its because our countries in Africa have given it platforms more than our 33 African currencies .personally i am a very young man who has got chances of meeting many great leaders and prominent personalities in Africa.
All of the activities have tried to promote unity but have not succeeded because they all speak and have no authority to act but the day our leaders like the presidents who have gone against the french and American influence into African matters is the day our continent will have stepped a foot outdoor.And the day our continent will have a common medium of exchange is the day we shall gain back our authority over our economy .But for as long as we are still given some money and wealth on our own money ,minerals and wealth we are still going to have more outbreaks of wars ,land conflicts,power struggles , recap of the mistakes of our forefathers .Yet we can correct their mistakes by working on the present to secure the future tomorrow .And in that i pray we stop fighting one another
And think of more peaceful ways to cease wars in our homelands .
In this all i stand by the names of Rukundo Hassan 20yrs And am proud to be an African .This is my first step to the African voice and am not hoping to stop because even myself i was not granted a perfect continent by my forefathers so i am to push this in gratitude of personalities like Nkuwame Nkuruma,Nelson Mandella,Patrice Lumumba,Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Muammar Gaddafi, steve biko, Mr .Bassirou Diomaye ,Mr Ibrahim Traore and many ithers who have tried thier best to support African development
And with this am going to open a media platform probably on YouTube and tiktok in line to our Africa