CONGO ON CAMPUSCell Phones, Conflict Minerals and You

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If you have a cell phone in your pocket or a computer on your desk, you are directly linked to the deadliest war in the world.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Background: A Brief History

Belgian King Leopold II took personal control of the Congo territory, exploiting its vast natural resources

1880s 1960 1965

The Congo was granted independence from Belgium, with Joseph Kasavabu as President and Patrice Lumumba as Prime Minister

Supported by the U.S. and Belgium, Colonel Joseph Desire Mobutu took power in a coup

Background: A Brief History

Following the Rwandan genocide in 1994, Mobutu sided with the remnants of the Hutu power regime that killed 800,000 people

1994

In 1998, Kabila breaks with Rwanda and Uganda. They reinvade Congo

1998

Eastern Congo AflameThe humanitarian crisis has deepened dramatically in the KivusIn the northeastern Orientale Province the Ugandan LRA continues brutal attacks on civiliansEvery day, 1,500 more Congolese—half of them children—die from hunger, preventable disease, and other consequences of violence and displacement

Key Players: Who Is Involved?National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP)Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) Mai-MaiArmed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC)Mission of the United Nations Organization in DRC (MONUC)

Congo and Rwanda: A Delicate Détente

In 2008, Rwanda and Congo struck an agreement that led to the arrest of Laurent NkundaRwanda and DRC reached an agreement in March 2009, between the Congolese government and the CNDPSeveral war criminals have been integrated into the government army command

Congo and Rwanda: A Delicate Détente

Whole units are deserting and abuses by Congolese forces are increasingMany intact CNDP elements take advantage of new mining, taxation, and smuggling opportunities

Kimia II: The Congolese-U.N. Offensive Against the FDLR

Kimia II is the ongoing UN-backed operation against the FDLRStarted in June 2009The three phases are 1) deployment of Congolese forces2) securing civilian areas 3) offensive operations against the FDLR

Kimia II: The Congolese-U.N. Offensive Against the FDLR

Problems:Government units actively collaborate in commercial dealings with FDLRTerrain size and typeFDLR’s reprisal attacks on civilians

The Creeping Toll of Sexual Violence

The United Nations estimates that over 200,000 women and girls have been raped since the beginning of the conflictSystematic rape is used as a weapon of war by armed groups to subjugate and humiliate populations they seek to controlThe main perpetrators are the government army as well as the FDLR

Conflict Minerals: Fuel for Unending War

Armed groups fight for control of the mines thatproduce the 3 T’s—tin, tungsten, and tantalum—and gold

The 3T’s are used to make our electronic products

Armed groups sustain themselves and buy weapons with the profits from mines, estimated at $180 million a year

Tin used inside cell phones and all electronic products as a solder on circuit boards

Tantalum (often called coltan) used to store electricity in capacitors in iPods, digital cameras, and cell phones

Tungsten used to make your cell phone or Blackberry vibrate

Gold used mainly in jewelry, gold is also a component in cell phones and other electronics

Conflict Minerals: Fuel for Unending War

Conflict Minerals: Fuel for Unending War

Gold first discovered in DRC in 1903

While gold is used in jewelry, it is also the most valuable metal inside cell phones and laptop computers

According to leading electronics companies, gold accounts for over two-thirds of the metal value inside both cell phones and laptops

Most of the gold exported from Uganda comes from Congo

Conflict Minerals: Fuel for Unending War

Mineral wealth did not cause the war in Congo, but it sustains armed combatants and fuels ongoing atrocitiesGrievances surrounding land and identity helpe organize the factions, but greed ensures the conflicts remain violent and unsettled

Having access to mines provides resources for self-defense or offensive actions to ensure their security

Conflict Minerals: Fuel for Unending War

The conflict minerals chain lacks transparency. Major problems are:No public map of mine locationsNo proper list of who trades in the mineralsLittle transparency around trade regulationOpaque pricing

Everyone wins except theCongolese people

Taking the Conflict out of your Cell Phone

A comprehensive policy to end the trade in conflict minerals must incorporate:corporate responsibility security measuresgovernance reforms livelihoods initiatives

Photo credit: Mark Craemer

Taking the Conflict out of your Cell Phone

Consumers and companies have a critical role to play, by demanding three steps to enable Congo’s minerals to benefit its people rather than the armed groups that prey upon them:TraceAudit Certify

Photo credit: Mark Craemer

Take Action Now!

Commit to purchase conflict-free phones, laptops, and other electronics.Urge your school, or other institution to go conflict-free. Join the conflict-free listserv!E-mail, call, or visit your Senators and urge them to support the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009. Grow the movement! Ask your friends to join you in coming clean for Congo.

Learn MoreBooks:

King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam HochschildAll Things Must Fight to Live: Stories of War and Deliverance in Congo by Bryan MealerIn the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz by Michela Wrong

Documentaries:Lumo: A documentary on one woman’s struggles and triumphs in CongoThe Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo by Lisa F. Jackson

Other:The Enough Project: Read strategy papers on the conflict RAISE Hope for Congo: Download educational resources and toolkitsRape of a Nation by Marcus Bleasdale