Tackling the tin wars in DR Congo

Abstract

Control by rebels and criminal gangs over the commerce in electronic metals originating in the DR Congo allows rebels to expand their control over mineral deposits, prey on civilians, and perpetuate conflict with considerable cost to civilians. International efforts to reinforce the DR Congo government's capacity to deal with the problem have had little effect. The tin industry has introduced its own certification scheme to keep conflict minerals out of the supply chain, to regulate the market, and to reduce the militarization at mining sites. The question is whether donors and international agencies will accept a partnership with the private sector for performing these essential public functions.

Mineral resources and conflicts in DRC: a case of ecological fallacy?

“…Congo's natural wealth in mineral resources has been consistently blamed as the main driver of the violence, either as a way to finance warring parties or as a warfare objective in itself (Congdon Fors and Olsson 2004, Turner 2007, International Alert 2010, Gambino 2011, Stearns 2011. Although Austesserre (2012) warns about the dangers of focusing exclusively on the role of mineral exploitation as a cause of violence in the country, it is hardly deniable that many Congolese mining locations have been looted and the minerals exported illegally over the years by both Congolese and foreign armed groups (Montague 2002, Congdon Fors and Olsson 2004, Prunier 2009, Freedman 2011.…”

An assessment of the potential for transformational market growth amongst the critical metals

“…Along with the platinum group metals both bismuth and rhenium seem constrained by geological abundance (Rudnick and Gao 2003). Beryllium (USGS 2014, 2015) and lanthanum (Gupta and Krishnamurthy 2005; Bradsher 2009, 2013; Massari and Ruberti 2013; Packey 2013; Wubbeke 2013; Campbell 2014; Golev et al 2014; Weng et al 2014; USGS 2014, 2015) seem processing constrained, whilst tungsten (Rudnick and Gao 2003; NRC 2008; Buchert et al 2009; APS and MRS 2011; Freedman 2011; USDOE 2011; BGS 2012; Bleischwitz, Dittrich and Pierdicca 2012; Schulz and Bradley 2013; White 2013; EC 2014; USGS 2014, 2015; International Tungsten Industry Association 2015) and to a lesser extent vanadium (NRC 2008; Buchert et al 2009; APS and MRS 2011; USDOE 2011; BGS 2012; Schulz and Bradley 2013; White 2013; EC 2014; USGS 2014, 2015) seem to present a complex picture of multiple minor constraints.…”

“…Rounding out Table 1, four of the rarest heavy rare earths: holmium, lutetium, terbium and thulium, in addition to tantalum score only 1 point. Not only are these metals rare (Rudnick and Gao 2003), and infrequently found in mineral deposits (White 2013), but they are often difficult to mine and process (Gupta and Krishnamurthy 2005; Bradsher 2009, 2013; Freedman 2011; Bleischwitz et al 2012; Massari and Ruberti 2013; Packey 2013; Tyrer and Sykes 2013; Wubbeke 2013; Campbell 2014; Golev et al 2014; USGS 2014, 2015; Weng et al 2014). All have developed only limited demand to date (Goonan 2011; Schwela 2012).…”

“…Finally, tantalum and tungsten (and the industrial metal, tin) would benefit from the resolution of supply chain transparency issues relating to conflict minerals (Freedman 2011; Bleischwitz et al 2012); however, the market growth potential of these markets is more limited.…”

“…Two of the most prevalent examples of this type are the presence of radioactive ores, which both make the ore technically more difficult to extract and potentially increase the likelihood of local socio-political problems (Weng et al 2014). The second is the ‘conflict minerals’ issue (Tshitereke 2003; Freedman 2011; Bleischwitz et al 2012; Geenan 2012; Kettle et al 2014b) which is restricting the mining of a number of metals in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo, and has echoes of problems that faced the diamonds industry in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century (Wright 2004). The presence of a major environmental or socio-political factor that is currently widespread across the mining industry of a particular critical metal reduces the score by 0.5.…”