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Article

22 Jun 2015

Author:
Carley Chavara, New Security Beat (USA)

UN report finds $13 million illicit natural resource revenues flow back to armed groups in Dem. Rep. of Congo

"European Parliament Passes Conflict-Minerals Bill; UN Releases Report on Money Flows in DRC", 19 Jun 2015

A new report prepared by the UN Environment Program and UN peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (known as MONUSCO) found that just two percent of the total value of illicit natural resources smuggled from the country comes back to armed groups...[and] allow[s] some 25 to 49 groups to continue operating in the country’s war-torn eastern provinces…[G]old revenues still constitute the largest share of criminal funding relative to other resources…The European Parliament recently passed major legislation that builds on U.S. efforts to prevent illicit conflict minerals from entering the global market…The law compels nearly 880,000 European companies “upstream” of the extraction process to disclose whether their supply chains contain illegally sourced tin, tungsten, tantalum, or gold and requires rigorous third-party audits of all metal smelters and gold refineries. It also includes provisions for on-the-ground capacity building for communities impacted by the regulations, including development aid and assistance in marketing non-conflict minerals.