The Democratic Republic of Congo has extended for six months its ban on trading minerals from dozens of artisanal mining sites in the conflict-affected North and South Kivu provinces, the mines ministry said.
The extension adds compliance pressure on global supply chains for tin, tantalum, and tungsten, which are key inputs for the electronics, automotive, and aerospace industries.
Introduced in February, the ban remains in effect due to evidence that illegal mineral supplies are financing armed groups in the east, according to an order dated November 3 and signed by Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba.
The ministry posted the order on social media on Sunday. It applies to 38 sites producing coltan, cassiterite, and wolframite in Masisi territory in North Kivu and Kalehe territory in South Kivu, Reuters reported.
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Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and other armed groups have captured significant territory in mineral-rich eastern Congo.
An offensive by M23 this year has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
Mineral wealth has long been seen as fueling violence in the region, with combatants using coltan, cassiterite, and gold sites to fund their operations, according to U.N. experts and rights groups.
A U.N. report in December 2024 noted that revenues from smuggled minerals were sustaining a war economy, funding military operations, and prolonging violence.
The mines ministry order prohibits sourcing and exporting minerals from the designated sites and allows independent audits by the ministry or international bodies, including the U.N. and OECD.
In 2024, Congo filed criminal complaints in France and Belgium against Apple subsidiaries, alleging that supply chains included minerals taken from conflict zones, despite Apple’s disclosures under U.S. law.
Apple denied the allegations, stating it had instructed suppliers to stop purchasing minerals from the Congo and Rwanda.
U.S. courts have also heard claims against Apple, Google, Tesla, Dell, and Microsoft over alleged reliance on cobalt mined under abusive conditions in Congo, though these suits were dismissed.
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Image Credit: Reuters
