Copper and Cobalt. It is in every cell phone you used, and if you have a mobile device of any kind then you contribute to the current civil war destabilizing the Democratic Republic of Congo that has left 100,000s of women, girls and boys traumatized from a war culture in which they have been subjected to rape.
The conflict in the Congo is about the control of its opulent natural resources and minerals. Some call it the "Cell Phone War," and the re-colonialization of Africa to others.
It is not just cell phones, but it is a fact that half of the products in your house have a raw material from Africa; especially if it is "Made in China" because China is the #1 trader with Africa.
Lemme give you an example. In 2008, the Congolese government agreed to a trading deal with China in which it would ship 10.6 billion tons of copper and 626,000 tons of cobalt. To harvest these natural resources not only are bodies used, but the removal of people from land is necessary, and the fight of over who gets the profits has been a huge contention.
Women, girls and boys are fodder for a war where the real players have never set a baby toe on any African soil.
With a GDP that totals $13.1 billion, Bill Gates can buy this country by the second round of golf on lazy summer morning in Georgia.
Let me restate that, the whole country of the Congo supplies every cell phone in the world, but grosses $13. 1 billion a year.
Natural Resources of the Congo
Cobalt
Copper
Niobium
Tantalum
Petroleum
Industrial and gem diamonds
Gold
Silver
Zinc
Manganese
Tin
Uranium
Coal
Hydropower
Timber
1 ish talking intellectuals holla at a sista:
Thanks for this post.
This along with the political troubles has created profound suffering and real evil.
Will be interesting to see what the conflict free mining movement yields.
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