Rebels criminally laundering valuable minerals, UN hears

Rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have consolidated control over the Rubaya coltan-mining region, imposing a production tax estimated to generate around $300 000 in monthly revenue, the UN Security Council has heard. The M23 movement, a Tutsi-led organisation – purportedly backed by Rwanda – seized the area, which produces minerals used in smartphones and computers, following intense fighting in April, according to a report on the Club of Mozambique site. Bintou Keita, head of the UN mission in Congo, told the Security Council that trade from minerals in the Rubaya area accounts for over 15% of global tantalum supply. Congo is the world’s top producer of tantalum, considered a critical mineral by the US and the European Union. ‘This generates an estimated $300 000 in revenue per month to the armed group,’ Keita said. ‘This is deeply concerning and needs to be stopped.’ ‘The criminal laundering of the DRC’s natural resources smuggled out of the country is strengthening armed groups, sustaining the exploitation of civilian populations, some of them reduced to de-facto slavery, and undermining peace-making efforts,’ Keita added. The majority of Congo’s mineral resources are situated in the east, a region plagued by conflict over land and resources between several armed factions. Manufacturers are under scrutiny to ensure that metals used in products such as laptops and batteries for electric vehicles are not sourced from conflict zones like eastern Congo. Keita said that as profits from mining have surged, armed groups have become militarised entrepreneurs, making them stronger both militarily and financially. ‘Unless international sanctions are imposed on those benefiting from this criminal trade, peace will remain elusive, and civilians will continue to suffer,’ Keita said.