Mennonite Weekly Review

At the heart of Congo’s conflict are the natural resources needed to make cell phones, computers and MP3 players, a Christian Peacemaker Teams group in the eastern Congo province of North Kivu learned.

A lawyer for Mining Processing Congo in Goma, center, whose name is withheld for privacy reasons, shows tin ore to Rosemarie Milazzo, left, and Cliff Kindy, right, of the Christian Peacemaker team in Congo. — Photo provided by CPT

The conflict, in which 5.4 million people have died since 1998, involves battles over natural resources — not only diamonds and gold, but also tin, coltan and other minerals crucial to the world’s technology production.

The conflict is focused largely in the eastern part of Congo, where much of the country’s mineral wealth lies.

Mineral traders, the Congolese military, rebels and importers “don’t want to end the war because they profit from it,” Justine Masika Bihamba said. Bihamba coordinates Synergie des Femmes pour les Victimes de Violence Sexuelle in Goma, a coalition of 35 organizations supporting survivors of rape and other sexual violence in the Congo.

CPT’s Goma headquarters is just up the road from a mining processing facility called Mining Processing Congo. MPC is a tin processing facility. One of the most valuable cassiterite (tin ore) mines in the Congo is Bisie, northwest of Goma.

The MPC engineer spoke to CPT of their planned $50 million project to improve safety and sanitation at the Bisie mines, as well as build schools and a hospital for the local population.

However, according to a report on ZNet, a Web site of independent political analysis, this deal was struck to gain leverage over Bangandula Mining Group, another mining company with which they had a legal battle. It appears that MPC has since won this battle.

An MPC engineer told CPT Dec. 16 they refuse to accept any cassiterite mined from Bisie now because, as he said, “Global witness will probably show you about the slave labor” adding that it’s called “blood cassiterite.”

The Congolese army’s non-integrated 85th Brigade, run by notorious Col. Samy Matumo, controls access to the mine. According to human rights and news sources, military and civilian overseers have committed serious human rights abuses at Bisie, such as forcing miners to carry 50 kilos of cassiterite for 45 kilometers, forced prostitu-tion and rape, and dangerous mining conditions. Purchasing minerals from Bisie supports human rights violations by the 85th Brigade.

Three military heads in the 85th Brigade have become incredibly rich from the Bisie mine, Bihamba said.