Global brands ‘likely’ using mineral that funds rebels accused of atrocities in DRC, investigation finds

M23 militiamen at the mining pits in Rubaya, in DRC’s North Kivu province. Much of the coltan extracted there is smuggled into Rwanda. Photograph: Camille Laffont/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen M23 militiamen at the mining pits in Rubaya, in DRC’s North Kivu province. Much of the coltan extracted there is smuggled into Rwanda. Photograph: Camille Laffont/AFP/Getty Images Global brands ‘likely’ using mineral that funds rebels accused of atrocities in DRC, investigation finds Amazon and Sony among firms that may have sourced coltan, used in phones, from supply chains controlled by the M23 rebels, says Global Witness Leading global brands including Amazon , Ericsson and Sony are “likely” to have sourced minerals linked to a militia accused of widespread sexual violence, summary executions and torture, a new investigation claims. The companies allegedlybut unknowingly, acquired coltan smuggled from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that are occupied by the M23 militia , which has committed myriad atrocities in eastern DRC. The coltan, vital for the production of mobile phones and computers, is smuggled across the border to Rwanda and moved on by coltan exporters used by large firms, according to a year-long investigation by Global Witness . It alleged that the crucial mineral will probably have also found its way into the products of international brands such as Microsoft, Toyota, Nvidia and Vodafone. Alex Kopp, senior policy and advocacy adviser at Global Witness, said: “Behind our everyday tech lies a supply chain tainted by violence, exploitation and human suffering .” View image in fullscreen Labourers work at an open-shaft coltan mine near Rubaya, North Kivu province, August 2019. The region holds about 15% of the world’s coltan. Photograph: Baz Ratner/Reuters He urged government intervention to hold companies accountable and for sanctions to be imposed on those whose financial activities enable M23’s brutal occupation of a significant swathe of eastern DRC. The looted minerals come from a vast site known as Rubaya, situated in DRC’s North Kivu province, and which holds about 15% of the world’s coltan . The M23 militia, backed by up to 7,000 Rwandan troops deployed within the DRC, captured the mines two years ago and charges a levy on each kilogram of coltan. The UN’s group of experts have estimated that M23 gathers almost £600,000 a month from coltan taxation in Rubaya, an income used to fund the militia’s operations. Seizing vast tracts of territory, M23 has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians, raping and abducting with impunity. Rwanda denies backing the militia. Coltan, however, has become an important revenue stream for the east African state, with the mineral becoming one of its largest export earners. Until now, little was known about who bought the smuggled coltan. After interviewing coltan smugglers, Global Witness says that five of the seven largest Rwandan exporters of the min