DRC: DRC Marred by Blatant Failure in Coltan Traceability, Essential for Smartphones

Aug 31, 2024 | Sonia Rolley, Le Monde
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In the hills of Masisi, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the guns have fallen silent. Rwanda and its allies, the Congolese rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23), now control this territory, including the Rubaya mining area. However, the Rwandan military is not officially present, and Masisi no longer exports minerals. Yet, almost every day, under the watch of armed men, motorcyclists head for the Rwandan border, carrying packages of colombo-tantalite. Better known as coltan, this mineral extracted from tantalum is crucial to the manufacture of cell phones.