YOUR SMARTPHONE, THEIR BLOOD: THE HIDDEN COST OF CONFLICT MINERALS

Sat 15 March 2025:

Calls to boycott companies allegedly complicit in genocide

As you read this on your smartphone, consider this: the device in your hand may contain a fragment of metal that originated in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where armed conflicts have claimed more than five million lives since 1998.

The tantalum inside your phone, though weighing less than half of a garden pea, is essential for its functioning. Yet, its extraction is steeped in bloodshed, with mines in DRC—many controlled by the M23 rebel group—fueling violence and suffering.

The DRC is rich in minerals like coltan and cobalt, essential for modern technology. However, the scale of their plunder remains unclear. In December, the Congolese government sued Apple subsidiaries in Belgium and France, accusing the tech giant of sourcing conflict minerals.

Apple denied the allegations, asserting in a 2023 filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that its due diligence found “no reasonable basis for concluding that any of the smelters or refiners of 3TG determined to be in our supply chain as of December 31, 2023, directly or indirectly financed or benefited armed groups in the DRC or an adjoining country”.

Despite such assurances, the reality on the ground tells a different story. The city of Goma, a key trading hub for minerals, recently fell under siege by M23 rebels, highlighting the ongoing exploitation of the region’s resources to fund conflict.

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A Call for Accountability

Tech giants like Apple and Microsoft annually publish reports claiming they demand responsible sourcing of minerals. However, activists argue that these commitments are insufficient. Isaiha Mombilo, Chairperson of the Congolese Civil Society of South Africa, warns of our unwitting complicity in the ongoing atrocities:

“We are all participants in this criminality without knowing it. Mankind should be aware of this and we should understand that there must be social action to resist this murder,” he said in a recent interview with Salaamedia.

Mombilo drew a historical parallel to the exploitation of Congolese rubber during the colonial era, which claimed millions of lives.

“We started with the automobile technology where there was rubber, which killed half of the nation of Congo to improve the performance of the tyre … When we talk about the Fourth Industrial Revolution, then this is the blood of Congolese people.”

The solution, according to Mombilo, lies in collective resistance:

“If we can come in a very strong solidarity to resist against companies who are behind this killing and to resist against Rwanda, whose country they use to monitor this war which never ends.”

Consumers wield immense power. Just as past boycotts have pressured corporations and governments to change exploitative practices, refusing to buy products linked to conflict minerals could force the tech industry to take real action.