In the last two weeks, more than 3,000 people have died in conflicts in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the CNN’în, the conflicts between the rebel group Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and the Congo forces affected important mineral towns such as Goma and source rich Nyabibwe, the largest city of the region.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, a country of more than 100 million inhabitants of Central Africa, has been struggling with bloody militia violence for decades, including ethnic and resource -based armed riots of the M23 and dozens of other armed groups. Roughly Western Europe -sized country has a wide range of mining richness, including the world’s largest cobalt and armchair reserves, which are critical for electronic production. Cobalt is used in the production of batteries that provide power to mobile phones and electric vehicles, while the armchance is also refined and turned into a tantal with various applications on phones and other devices.

Conflicts are concentrated in mining regions

These conflicts are intensified especially in the mineral areas where valuable minerals (cobalt and arms) used in phones and other electronic devices are used. The M23 armed group finances their wars by controlling these resources. According to the World Bank, most people living in the Democratic Republic of Congo do not benefit from this wealth, and the country is considered one of the poorest five countries in the world.

Most of the mineral wealth of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been shared between the government and the armed groups that control the welding rich Eastern regions.

Jean Pierre Okenda, an analyst specialized in mining industries management management, says, “Access to natural resources is at the center of this conflict” and continues: “It is not a coincidence that the regions occupied by the rebels are mining areas. . Global demand for Cobalt and Cossible is fueling the crisis. You need money to run a war. Access to mining sites finances the war. ”

The United Nations states that M23’s association in Rubaya meets more than 15 %of global tantalum production and provides approximately 300,000 dollars per month to the rebel group. While regional and global leaders are looking for solutions to end this crisis, experts emphasize that the government should change the management model.