How Advocacy Gave Trump Ammunition on Conflict-Free Minerals

Apr 6, 2017 | Emmanuel Freudenthal
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US President Donald Trump has signalled his intention to suspend the world’s first conflict-free minerals law, much to the consternation of advocacy groups and others who argue it is vital for addressing the deadly conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A months-long IRIN investigation involving dozens of interviews with insiders unearthed evidence not only that the law has impoverished Congolese communities but also that its well-meaning proponents have obscured this reality and stifled a proper debate, allowing Trump an easier opportunity to quash it.

For several years, leading academics and independent journalists have criticised Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act, bemoaning its negative impacts on Congolese livelihoods and questioning its effectiveness in bringing conflict to an end. IRIN published its own in-depth report in February that showed how a monopoly on conflict-free production in some of Congo’s main mining areas has adversely affected communities.