Foreign companies funded Congo unrest

3 Sep 2009, 12:45 pm   -   Source: SBS staff and agencies
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Companies from Europe and Asia have been accused of supporting a bloody civil conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo by trading in minerals from a blacklisted African firm.

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Companies from Europe and Asia have been accused of supporting a bloody civil conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo by trading in minerals from a blacklisted African firm.

Watchdog group Global Witness says major European companies have traded with the blacklisted company, which trades with mines operated by rebels and government soldiers.

Read the full report here

The mines produce material including coltan, cassiterite and gold, used in mobile phones and other electronic equitment.

The watchdog claims the trade, while legal, is funding conflicts that have seen 100,000 people displaced from their homes, mostly from the North and South Kivu provinces.

Congo's militias and the army have also been accused of rapes and mass killings.

Global Witness has called for the UK-based Amalgamated Metal Corporation (AMC) and others to have their assets frozen over the contentious trade.

The organisation has also accused several companies of failing to check the source of metals that go to its smelters before they end up in electronic goods.
 
AMC has strongly denied the claims, saying it is taking part in an industry-wide initiative started on 1 July this year to trace the source of metals.

The company stated that "if the UN were to decide that a withdrawal from the trade is the most appropriate way forward, then Thaisarco would comply absolutely with their requirements."

It also quoted World Bank data suggesting up to 10 million people rely on mining in DR Congo.

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