The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has extended for six months a ban on trading minerals from dozens of artisanal mining sites in conflict-affected North and South Kivu provinces, the mines ministry announced. The move increases compliance pressure on global supply chains for tin, tantalum, and tungsten, critical components in the electronics, automotive, and aerospace industries. Introduced in February, the ban remains in place due to evidence that illegal mineral supply from these mines is financing armed groups in eastern Congo, according to an order dated November 3 and signed by Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba.
The order, shared on social media by the ministry, covers 38 sites producing coltan, cassiterite, and wolframite in Masisi territory in North Kivu and Kalehe territory in South Kivu. These areas have seen significant territorial gains by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and other armed groups, whose offensive this year has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Mineral wealth in the east has long fueled violence, with combatants using coltan, cassiterite, and gold mining operations to fund military activity, according to UN experts and rights groups. A UN report in December 2024 noted that revenues from smuggled minerals sustained a war economy and prolonged conflict.
The ministry’s order prohibits sourcing and export from the specified sites and allows for independent audits by either the ministry or international bodies, including the UN and OECD. In 2024, Congo filed criminal complaints in France and Belgium against Apple subsidiaries, alleging that their supply chains included minerals extracted from conflict zones, despite Apple’s disclosures under US law. Apple denied the allegations, stating that suppliers had been instructed to cease sourcing minerals from the Congo and Rwanda. US courts have also seen claims against Apple, Google, Tesla, Dell, and Microsoft over alleged use of cobalt mined under abusive conditions, though these lawsuits were ultimately dismissed.
