The world’s supply of tantalum, an essential component in most computers and mobile phones, is under threat as armed rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have encircled a key trading hub.
Tantalum is on a list of mineral resources that have raised international red flags for helping to fund years of conflict in Congo. For over a decade, industry groups that include companies like Intel Corp. and Apple Inc. have made efforts to ensure their mineral supply chains are conflict-free. Congo and Rwanda were the world’s top two sources of tantalum in 2023, according to US Geological Survey estimates.
Most mining at Rubaya and nearby tantalum sites is done by hand and is currently overseen by a loose coalition of armed groups known as Wazalendo, allied with Congo’s army, according to a United Nations experts’ report. However, the output now ends up in areas controlled by the rebels they’re fighting, Congolese officials say.
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