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Author: Aaron Hall

Will the EU Get Serious about Conflict Minerals?

Will the EU Get Serious about Conflict Minerals?
The European Union, or E.U., is finally starting to address the link between human rights violations and the conflict mineral trade in the Congo. While a handful of policymakers within the E.U. have voiced concern over the issue in the past year, meaningful action has yet to take place following on the efforts of the U.S. government and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD ...

Rwanda’s Gambit to Ban Congo Conflict Minerals

Rwanda’s Gambit to Ban Congo Conflict Minerals
The primary takeaway from Rwanda’s recent announcement that it would ban the sale of Congo conflict minerals is that since the international push for mineral certification has picked up momentum, Rwanda has been angling to paint itself as the source for conflict-free minerals in the region despite its unwillingness or inability to stop the flow of Congolese minerals across its borders ...

In ‘Dancing in the Glory of Monsters’ Jason Stearns Raises the Bar for Understanding Conflict in Congo

In ‘Dancing in the Glory of Monsters’ Jason Stearns Raises the Bar for Understanding Conflict in Congo
On a recent trip to the North and South Kivu provinces of Congo, I went to great lengths to go beyond the subject material I was there to research. I wanted to ask people—both Congolese and foreign—about their lives and experiences, and about their interpretation of the past and future for the families and communities of the people of eastern Congo. For a couple of weeks I bounced around in trucks and boats between Goma and Bukavu, and the myriad of different stories and historical interpretations became overwhelming. Just when I thought I understood “the real story,” someone would come ...

Congo to Lift Mining Ban in Eastern Region

Congo to Lift Mining Ban in Eastern Region
President Kabila ordered the lift of a six-month ban on mining in the three eastern provinces of Maniema, North Kivu, and South Kivu, effective March 10, a week from today. But the haphazard approach to addressing the conflict minerals trade has created more problems than it has solved ...

Cornell University Examines Congo Minerals Trade

Cornell University Examines Congo Minerals Trade
Cornell is on the verge of becoming the third university in the nation to pass a resolution aimed at making their campus conflict-free ...

Apple Making Headway on Mapping Conflict Minerals

Apple Making Headway on Mapping Conflict Minerals
This year, for the first time Apple tackled the issue of conflict minerals in its supply chain and released information regarding the presence of these minerals that goes beyond what any major electronics industry player has released thus far ...

Why U.S. Leadership is Critical to Reforming the Mineral Trade in Eastern Congo

Why U.S. Leadership is Critical to Reforming the Mineral Trade in Eastern Congo
During my recent visit to eastern Congo, President Joseph Kabila's ban on mining was a central preoccupation for most of the diggers, traders, government agents, and civil society representatives with whom I met ...

New Enough Report Asseses Corporate Action on Conflict Minerals

New Enough Report Asseses Corporate Action on Conflict Minerals
In a report released today, my colleagues and I from the Enough Project respond to the growing consumer demand for electronics free of the conflict minerals that fuel ongoing war in eastern Congo ...

As Ban Continues, Push to Formalize Mining in East Congo Hangs in Balance

As Ban Continues, Push to Formalize Mining in East Congo Hangs in Balance
As the expiration date for the mining ban in eastern Congo came and went, speculations abound on its potential duration and possible new regulations Kinshasa may mandate ...

One Step Closer to Certification, but U.S. Leadership Needed

One Step Closer to Certification, but U.S. Leadership Needed
In a conference that facilitated breakthrough dialogue, the 11 countries of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, donors, industry leaders, and NGOs met in Kenya last week to hammer out standards for an international certification scheme for tracking conflict minerals from Congo and its surrounding countries ...