What happens when our desire (and need) for cell phones lead to the death and suffering for millions of Congolese people? That's the problem! Everyone wants their cake and eat it, too. That's our human nature.
What's the solution? Because Congo has the resources and money to take care of its people.
Metals for mobiles funding DR Congo conflict
Metals used in mobile phones are financing atrocities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a London-based lobby group alleged Monday.
In an appeal coinciding with the start of the world's biggest mobile phone conference, Global Witness called on mobile manufacturers to "audit their supply chains in order to exclude minerals financing the armed conflict."
"There is a direct causal link between the metals trade in eastern DRC and atrocities perpetrated by armed groups against Congolese civilians," said the non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Reasearch by Global Witness and UN experts had suggested that "all of the main armed groups involved in the current fighting in eastern DRC finance themselves through the trade in high-value minerals.
"These minerals are processed into metals such as tin and tantalum, which are used in the manufacture of mobile phones," it said.
The mineral-rich eastern DRC region has been plagued by a series of conflicts since the 1990s. The exploitation of its resources by warring factions has regularly been denounced by the UN and NGOs.
The appeal came as the Mobile World Congress opened in Barcelona, bringing together some 60,000 industry insiders from 1,200 companies.
"The surging global demand for mobile phones has been helping to bankroll armed groups in eastern Congo's conflict," said Global Witness's Annie Dunnebacke.
"Mobile phone manufacturers need to undertake checks all the way up their supply chains to make sure they are not buying from mines controlled by militias and military units," she added.
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