by Julia Beirut

Created on: May 18, 2008

You probably have a tiny bit of the Congo in your pocket, purse or on your desk. Your cell phone, computer, camcorder and stereo most likely contain the mineral coltan. Much of the world's supply of this mineral is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire). Coltan and other minerals such as cassiterite are very lucrative and the DRC is rich in them. This abundance of minerals that are lucrative in the world market is one of the reasons peace is elusive in the DRC. The conflict may also involve the DRC's resources of diamonds, copper, and water.

Greed of nearby countries such as Rwanda and Uganda has led to illegal mining in the DRC. The illegal mining is done under the cover of civil strife in the DRC. Neighboring countries supply arms and funds for the conflict and then use the chaos in the DRC to mine minerals that are very valuable. Coltan sells for about $100 a pound.

The United Nations has recommended that the United States step in to help the DRC by prosecuting countries that illegally mine natural mineral resources in the DRC. Urgent action is needed. Despite a peace agreement signed on January, 23, 2008, mandating a ceasefire and removal of forces from the front line, a campaign of murder and rape continue. As chaos still rages, many countries have called for the United Nations to assign a special adviser to the DRC.
Since the 2006 election, the Tutsi have become violent. Thus, 800,000 DRC citizens have fled the violence. Refugees are suffering from malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, malnutrition and other disorders. The overall death toll since the civil war in 1996 may be as high as 4 million. About 47% of the deaths have been children. Approximately 45,000 people die due to the conflict each month in the DRC. The DRC conflict is the deadliest since WWII.

The soldiers in the DRC war too often use rape as a tool of violence. Women are raped by soldiers who utilize guns and molten plastic as tools of rape. There is a huge stigma to rape in the DRC. Thus, women often do not seek medical care unless they develop a fistula which requires emergency care.

Children are common victims in the war. They are raped and they are also sent to work in the mines. In the coltan mines child labor makes up a large percentage of the workers. Children who are refugees due to the conflict are missing valuable education and are in urgent need of stable medical care.

The DRC is a new democratic state. The Congolese people are eager for peace. That longing has increased since the president, L. Kabila, was assassinated. To promote the peace process the United Nations has proposed a trade embargo on export and import of coltan from Rwanda and Uganda.

Many large companies use components in the technology devices they manufacture made from coltan that is probably, at least in part, from the DRC. Companies are very vague about the country of origin of the coltan they use and state there is no possible way to track where the coltan was mined. Companies believed to use coltan in their products include: Alcatel, Compaq, Dell, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Lucent, Motorola, Nokia, and Solectron.

The DRC is a land of astonishing beauty, with tropical forests, exotic flowers and rich mineral resources. Yet the country has massive debt and chaos reigns due to civil conflict. The world has not paid very much attention to this country and its massive war death tolls. The United Nations must make the DRC's plight a more urgent cause for action. Also, it is crucial that businesses worldwide stop buying illegally mined coltan from Rwanda and Uganda. That practice just prolongs the war in the DRC and ensures that the Congolese will continue to suffer as war rages on.

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