{"id":74334,"date":"2016-05-30T12:00:05","date_gmt":"2016-05-30T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=74334"},"modified":"2016-05-29T15:38:04","modified_gmt":"2016-05-29T14:38:04","slug":"the-paradox-of-congo-how-the-worlds-wealthiest-country-became-home-to-the-worlds-poorest-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2016\/05\/the-paradox-of-congo-how-the-worlds-wealthiest-country-became-home-to-the-worlds-poorest-people\/","title":{"rendered":"The Paradox of Congo: How the World\u2019s Wealthiest Country Became Home to the World\u2019s Poorest People"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"CREDIT:<\/a>

CREDIT: AP Photo\/Marc Hofer<\/p><\/div>\n

In this photo taken Aug. 16, 2012, a Congolese miner sifts through ground rocks to separate out the cassiterite, in the town of Nyabibwe, eastern Congo, a once bustling outpost fueled by artisanal cassiterite mining. Gold is now the primary source of income for armed groups in eastern Congo, and is ending up in jewelry stores across the world, according to a report published Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, by the Enough Project.<\/p>\n

28 May 2016 – <\/em>In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the vast majority of people live in extreme poverty, earning only around $400 a year.<\/a> The country is reeling from instability, hunger, and disease. One in seven children dies<\/a> before they turn 5 years old. And more than 5.4 million people<\/a> have died since 1993 because of armed conflict. But the issues plaguing Congolese citizens are in sharp contrast to the country\u2019s wealth. The DRC sits on untapped, raw mineral ores worth $24 trillion \u2014 money that isn\u2019t directly benefiting the people who live there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are we living through hell in paradise?\u201d Vital Kamerhe, a Congolese politician and leader of the Union for the Congolese Nation, asks in the film When Elephants Fight<\/em>, which details how foreign interests have ravaged the Congo region. \u201cThat is the paradox of Congo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foreign companies have made large investments in eastern Congo\u2019s mines, buying from suppliers funding armed groups within the country. This type of foreign investment in the Congo\u2019s extraction industry has led to a loss of at least $1 billion in resource revenue that could otherwise be used to reform the country\u2019s security, health, and education sectors.<\/p>\n

Now, two well-known activists have begun a campaign to pressure mining companies, the DRC government, and Western governments to disclose exactly what they\u2019re doing in the region. Alongside House of Cards<\/em> television star Robin Wright, JD Stier, the president of the social activism organization Stier Forward, created the #StandWithCongo campaign<\/a> to get mining entities to disclose the beneficial owners of offshore companies that are profiting from these mining deals.<\/p>\n

Why are we living through hell in paradise? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe #StandWithCongo campaign is addressing shady billion-dollar mining contracts \u2014 mostly relating to mining concessions in the south of the country,\u201d Stier told ThinkProgress. \u201cTransparency from technology companies to mining multinationals can ensure that the human rights of Congolese are respected and that more revenue can support development for Congolese people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The affected mines, mainly in Congo\u2019s Katanga and Kivu provinces, contain some of the world\u2019s largest reserves of cobalt, gold, copper, and diamonds, as well as tin, tungsten, and tantalum.<\/p>\n

These raw minerals have fueled one of the world\u2019s bloodiest conflicts globally since World War II<\/a> to an obscene degree: 48 women<\/a> are raped every hour in the Congo while 10,000 civilians<\/a> are estimated to die every month. Militia groups made an estimated $185 million<\/a> from conflict minerals in 2008, while gold remains a steady source of funding for them and for Congo\u2019s army.<\/p>\n

And, because the minerals mined in the Congo are used to make everyday objects like smartphones, lightbulbs, computers, and jewelry, nearly everyone reading this article is complicit in the ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n

At least some of the mines purportedly belong to Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler<\/a>, named more than 200 times in the Panama Papers<\/a>. An ally<\/a> to Congo President Joseph Kabila, Gertler allegedly had a hand in the mining deals in 2011 \u201cthat robbed the Congolese people of more than $1bn,\u201d The Guardian reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Congolese<\/a>

Congolese President Joseph Kabila. CREDIT: AP Photo\/Mary Altaffer<\/p><\/div>\n

The Africa Progress Panel<\/a>, a panel that promotes the equitable and sustainable development for Africa, estimated that the sale of mining contracts to five anonymous British Virgin Island companies deprived Congolese citizens of $1.35 billion, or about twice their health and education budgets combined. And while assets were sold at one-sixth their commercial value, these offshore companies bankrolled 500 percent in profits.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe DRC government should commit to immediate full disclosure of state-owned companies\u2019 revenues and spending, to the publication of all mining contracts, and to ensuring company compliance with Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standards on conflict minerals,\u201d Stier said. The OECD<\/a>, an international economic organization, has helped to issue due-dilligence guidance for companies to move away from the use of such minerals.<\/p>\n

Conflict in the Congolese region may only accelerate as the country\u2019s term-limited president, Joseph Kabila, appears poised to extend his incumbency into a third term. Though he is bound by the DRC\u2019s constitution to step down after two consecutive terms, Kaliba \u2014 under whom many abuses in the region, particularly those against women<\/a>, have gone unpunished \u2014 has not categorically said that he will not seek a third term. In order to stay in power, Kabila could delay the November 2016 elections or change the constitution.<\/p>\n

Kabila\u2019s cling to power has so far resulted in the arrest and detention<\/a> of opposition supporters. As many as 40 people<\/a> were killed last year during protests opposing a draft law<\/a> that would have extended his term. And on Thursday, peaceful protesters who took to the streets in Goma, an eastern city in the DRC, were met by armed security personnel who used tear gas<\/a> to disperse the protests. As many as six people were shot, including a 12-year-old boy<\/a> and 6-year-old child<\/a>, according to a Human Rights Watch researcher.<\/p>\n

Although the use of conflict minerals is unlikely to completely halt, Stier is hopeful that the DRC and Western governments may be able to follow other countries\u2019 example to implement sustainable, peaceful trade \u201cthat fosters human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>

In this photo taken Aug. 17, 2012, one of the few remaining miners digs out soil which will later be filtered for traces of cassiterite, the major ore of tin, at Nyabibwe mine, in eastern Congo. Gold is now the primary source of income for armed groups in eastern Congo, and is ending up in jewelry stores across the world, according to a report published Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, by the Enough Project.
CREDIT: AP Photo\/Marc Hofer<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIn recent years, activist efforts have led to significant reforms in the technology sector,\u201d Stier said. \u201cTech giants Apple and Intel acknowledged their products contain minerals linked to the financing of rape and war in eastern Congo, and have since invested significant resources in tracking their supply chains \u2014 moving in the direction of a closed loop, traceable minerals supply chain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apple Inc. announced in March that it would now audit 100 percent<\/a> of its suppliers sourcing minerals from the DRC. Intel Corp., the world\u2019s largest chip maker, said in 2014 that the company was \u201ccommitted to using only conflict-free mineral resources<\/a>\u201d and would track raw materials, though it appears to be a work in progress<\/a> as evidence of fraud, smuggling, and a lack of oversight has plagued the current audit system.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also been some legislative movement here in the United States. Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act<\/a>, companies using gold, tin, tungsten, and tantalum are required to make efforts to determine whether those minerals came from the DRC and whether those mineral purchases are funding armed groups in eastern DRC.<\/p>\n

According to the policy organization Enough Project<\/a>, \u201c216 out of approximately 324 smelters and refiners worldwide (67 percent) have passed conflict-free audits and an additional 50 smelters\/refiners are in the process of being audited, for a total of 266 participating companies (82 percent).\u201d A 2014 International Peace Information Service study also found that \u201c70 percent of tin, tungsten, and tantalum mines surveyed in eastern Congo were no longer controlled by armed groups, and 204 mines in Congo are now officially certified as conflict-free.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the biggest myths about the DRC is that it is hopeless. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe may not have serious strategic interests in this region, but that doesn\u2019t mean we don\u2019t care,\u201d U.S. Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa Thomas Perriello told ThinkProgress. \u201cOne of the biggest myths about the DRC is that it is hopeless. While that\u2019s a convenient excuse for inaction, we have seen major progress from constitutionalism to conflict-free mineral programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Stier believes the momentum will only continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people in the West feel detached from Congo and the conflicts there,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, Millennials get it. They are Skyping with people around the world\u2026 and have the pragmatic idealism to act when they see some of the greatest unaddressed injustices on the planet. Further, they recognize that Congolese will ultimately create peace in their country but that we can help support these efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 thinkprogress.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the DRC, the vast majority of people live in extreme poverty, earning only around $400 a year. The country is reeling from instability, hunger, and disease. One in seven children dies before they turn 5 years old. And more than 5.4 million people have died since 1993 because of armed conflict. \u201cWhy are we living through hell in paradise?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[127],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74334\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}