In the lush hills of eastern DR Congo, where the trade in rare minerals has long fed unrest, miners complain that recent US rules against “conflict minerals” have bitten into their meagre income. “Since they brought in this law, things did get worse,” said miner Ombeni Chikala in South Kivu, the troubled mineral-rich eastern province … Read more
The European Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a law requiring firms to ensure they do not use so-called conflict minerals from Africa and other areas that end up funding warlords. The law will force companies to track their supply of tungsten, tin, tantalum and gold, which are often used in computers and smartphones. It was … Read more
The inauguration of Uganda’s first gold refinery sparked concern Wednesday over the possibility of dirty minerals from regional conflict zones making their way into the country. Transparency International’s Peter Wandera told AFP the country’s failure to regulate the mineral sector meant there were “high chances” the refinery could contribute to conflicts, such as that in … Read more