The role of minerals and tech firms in the DR Congo conflict

A file photo of miners working in a coltan mine in Birambo, Masisi territory, North Kivu Province of Democratic Republic of Congo. United Nations experts, rights groups and analysts say Rwanda smuggles vast amounts of coltan – as well as gold and other metals – out of eastern DRC and sells it as its own. — Reuters

NAIROBI: The conflict between Rwanda-backed forces and the DR Congo is often presented as a struggle to control the valuable minerals that power global electronics.

But the focus on “conflict minerals” may obscure other drivers of the violence in one of the world’s most volatile regions.