Judith Prat

80% of the world’s reserve of coltan is found in the east of the DR of Congo, a
fundamental mineral for the development of the new technologies such as mobile phones, the production of computers, smart weapons and in the aeronautical industry.

There is a complex network of international interests plundering resources from the area. Neighbouring countries such as Rwanda, through which coltan leaves the DR of Congo; multinationals from all over the world, the final recipients of this illegal loot; and the Congolese rulers themselves, who are corrupt, unable to tackle the problem and responsible for country’s having to suffer through years of conflict with a multitude of armed groups operating in the area, financed by and at the service of these interests.

The miners’ working conditions are extremely tough and dangerous. Many miners, internally displaced within the conflict, come to the mines leaving other more violent zones. They must face a 15-hour working day, for hardly seven dollars a day.