Western mineral firms are fuelling violence in the DR Congo by failing to check where their raw materials come from, activists say according to BBC online Tuesday.
“Global Witness” says companies sourcing minerals used in electronic gadgets are buying them from traders who finance rebel and government troops. It calls for the UK-based Amalgamated Metal Corporation (AMC) and others to have assets frozen over the issue.
AMC, whose subsidiary Thaisarco sources tin from DR Congo, has strongly denied the claims, saying it is taking part in an industry-wide initiative started on 1 July this year to trace the source of metals. The firm quoted World Bank data suggesting up to 10 million people rely on mining in DR Congo.
The Global Witness report focuses on the troubled region of eastern DR Congo, where various rebel groups and government troops control large parts of the trade in minerals including coltan, cassiterite and gold.
They use the industry to fund conflicts which have seen some 100.000 people displaced from their homes in recent months, in addition to mass killings and rapes, mostly in North and South Kivu provinces.
Global Witness quoted a UN resolution as saying that anyone supporting illegal Congolese armed groups through illicit trade of natural resources should be subjected to sanctions including travel restrictions and an assets freeze.
Læs hele rapporten på http://www.globalwitness.org/fwag/
