The Democratic Republic of the Congo; Bloodshed in Lubumbashi over Minerals
On January 7, an early Tuesday morning in the city of Lubumbashi, one of the largest cities in Democratic Republic of the Congo was seized under violence and warfare. Lubumbashi is home to over a million Africans yet is nearly deserted due to the continuously aggressive conflict. Guerrilla group Mai Mai Kata Katanga attacked the region claiming to want independence and control over Katanga. Twenty-six people were killed in total in the eight hour long attack including Congo soldiers, rebels, and innocent civilians.
The Mai rebels are propelled by terrorism antics for the gain of the world’s richest province for mining Cobalt in Katanga. The Congo has long suffered the wrath of barbarity by independent militias who exercise grave human rights abuses through rape, terrorism, recruitment of child soldiers and mass genocides.
The violence is highly influenced by the coveted minerals that reside deep in the Congo and its adjoining countries. The raw materials, coined as Conflict Minerals are derived in unethical and disturbing practices as unpaid civilians and children must mine. Conflict Minerals are exported to almost all countries and play a big role in the products of U.S. manufacturing industries. As a result Dodd-Frank Consumer & Protection Act SEC 1502 was brought into legislation on August 2012. The U.S. federal law requires all publicly traded companies to report whether 3TG’s reside in their supply chains and if so to mitigate any trace of the minerals.
Conflict-Free disclosure is the key in industry reporting with the final deadline approaching on May 31, 2014. Industries who enact their Due Diligence will create a more transparent supply chain and support the demand for Human Rights.
In response to requests for a single source "news alert" on key events like this, in the areas of supply chain and regulated materials compliance, Source Intelligence is pleased to introduce "From The Source," a direct mail and web-based newsletter written to keep you informed at a glance.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, click HERE.
By: Jahara Singh
