Fidel Bafilemba, Timo Mueller, and Sasha Lezhnev
June 2014
Executive Summary
Market changes spurred by the 2010 Dodd-Frank law on conflict minerals1 have helped significantly reduce the involvement of armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (“Congo”) in the mines of three out of the four conflict minerals. The law, in
addition to conflict minerals audit programs from the electronics industry and related reforms begun by African governments in the region but not yet fully implemented, has made it much less economically viable for armed groups and Congo’s army to mine tin, tantalum, and tungsten, known as the 3Ts. Minerals were previously major sources of revenue for armed groups, generating an estimated $185 million per year for armed groups and the army. 2
However, artisanally mined gold continues to fund armed
commanders. Further reforms are needed to address conflict gold and close loopholes on the other minerals.
Furthermore, initial military restructuring within Congo’s army has removed armed actors from many mines, and military operations undertaken by the Congolese army and the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade have significantly reduced the threats of
powerful armed groups such as the M23 and the Allied Democratic Forces. Neutralizing these groups – two of the biggest contributors to Congo’s deadly conflict in recent years – is helping improve the situation in the areas where they operated with impunity.
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