The Conflict Minerals of Congo
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The conflict minerals of Congo are mines that are taken over by armed groups. These rebels force the workers to work in disgusting and dangerous environments for little or no money. These harsh environments often result in a death of workers. These mines produce many minerals such as: diamond, gold, cobalt, etc... These are minerals that are worth a lot of money. If they are finding such worthy materials what are they doing with it? Well, militia groups such as the FDLR are selling these precious minerals for a lot of money , and what are they doing with the money? Well, they are buying better guns and weapons to keep the fighting going. Many if these materials include coltan. Coltan is used to build a portion of our smartphones. In order to find better mines, the militia do deforesting and kill animals like gorillas that are in their path just to buy more weapons and keep the war on. Did you know that 75% of the money that the militia uses for the war comes from conflict minerals!!! You may have heard of conflict diamonds, also know as blood diamonds. Many groups and activists have tried to stop this process by telling them to stop buying them but it is hopeless. These conflict mines are located in many cities in the Democratic Republic of Congo such as Goma, Rwanda.