IS YOUR CELL PHONE A MURDER WEAPON?

1
IS YOUR CELL PHONE A MURDER WEAPON? Western
Consumers v. the People of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Research By Mariam Abuhaideri Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Aran MacKinnon, Director of Interdisciplinary
Studies
The Link
The Actors Who is to Blame?
Regional Focus The DRC The region is
known for its abundant wealth of natural
resources. Despite this, the
people of the Congo have been
driven deeper into poverty and
vulnerability because of regional wars, internal
conflict, environmental degradation and
disease. International competition for scarce
resources in general, and for coltan in
particular, is a key factor in the lack of
stability and continuation of the war in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. The DRC has 80
percent of worlds known coltan reserves.
Although ethnic tensions existed prior to the
war, escalation of the civil conflict is a
by-product of this trade. (3)

• Western Consumers?
• Manufacturing Companies?
• Rebel groups of Rwanda,
• Uganda, Burundi?
• Government of DRC?
• Consumers in Developing Countries?

Technological boom in the west led to an increase
in the demand for cell phones, computers and
other gadgets. The DRC provided low cost coltan
for the global market. Affluent consumers and
technology companies exploited the weak
region. Militia in Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi
clawed out much of the profit from the wealth
generated from coltan to intensify the conflict
by purchasing arms on the international market to
further their movements engagement with regional
conflict. Profits do not benefit local people or
development plans. Farmers have been forced off
their land or into mining as war has ravaged
their land. Miners threaten the environment of
eastern lowland gorillas. Miners are killing
elephants and gorillas on wildlife reserves and
national parks.
Coltan
Columbite Tantalite is one of the many lucrative
natural resources that is illegally mined and
exported to industrialized regions for profit.
Once refined, this high heat-resistant mineral,
is used as a key component in cell phones, PDAs
and laptop computers. Mining and selling Coltan
is not illegal. Most worldwide supplies of
tantalum come from legitimate mining operations
in Australia, Canada, and Brazil
Historical background