Conflict Minerals

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The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been and unstable area for decades. Between the wars, conflicts, and armed groups nothing about the country is safe. Armed rebel militias earn millions of dollars more than the country is worth every year by selling conflict minerals. Conflict Minerals are defined as minerals that have been retrieved from areas of war or strife. These minerals could be in our electronics devices, and other products we use everyday. Government troops and militias fight to control the mines, murdering civilians, fracturing the structure of society leaving the country weak. Locals in small, poor communities are exploited or forced into the gruesome mining economy. A statistic estimates that over 50% of the mines have rebel groups stationed in them. Money earned from the sale of conflict minerals is used for personal profit and to create more violence. Minerals are smuggled out of Congo through neighboring countries, then sold to smelters around the world for refinement. Once minerals are processed in this way, it’s difficult to trace their origin. Conflict minerals easily make their way to the U.S. and all over the world in consumer products. Companies need these minerals for as cheap as they can get them. There is no clear solution to the problem, and the issue could go on for decades. The country is weak and corrupted with no where to turn. The alleged Government has worked with the rebels, trying to get whatever money they can, even if it means their own citizens being slaughtered and forced to work. There are no good guy or bad guys, nothing is in black or white, just a murky shade of gray. The entire country is just trying to do whatever it can to survive.

The problem is simple, everyone wants money. Th...

... middle of paper ...

... secretive. They guard perimeters that stretch for miles around mines. The armies are highly hostile and want nothing to do with anyone. A solution that is practical for everyone has yet to be formulated. Hopefully one if found soon, because innocent people are dying at a rate of almost 4,000 every day.
This is the most important global issue of our generation. The entire country is killing itself, another war could break out at any minute. Civilians are dying, not the armies. Attacks from rebel groups spread diseases that plague the region. It is a crime to let this happen any longer but no one knows how to stop it. These rebel groups are making more money than the country is worth each year and that money is being used to fund their deadly campaigns. The rich countries are reluctant to do anything because they need cheap minerals for the products we use everyday.

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