The Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Red Trail of Green Growth

By Umar Luqman, University of Virginia

The transition from fossil fuels to clean energy is a must; the impacts of climate change manifest every day, from rising sea levels to the hottest summers on record. But the matter of the execution of this transition is less clear. One idea that would help facilitate said transition is the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries, a rechargeable machine found in most electric vehicles. As lithium-ion batteries are made using coltan, a country with large coltan reserves stands to benefit from this change. However, this is not the case for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A nation that holds many of the Earth’s riches but has a GDP per capita of only $649, the DRC has seen its minerals stolen, and the promised prospers have not come.

The DRC’s history is steeped in centuries of colonialism. Following their independence, the DRC and surrounding countries were cut up by Europe without regard for tribal relations. There was a consolidation of power in the DRC, followed by almost 30 years of weak leadership and corruption. Two wars later, there is a new ruler, still facing the same corruption problems. Armed militias roam around, increasing instability.

One seemingly positive aspect of the region is the abundance of minerals, like copper, cobalt, coltan, and gold. The Katanga region of Congo, known for rich mineral resources, is part of a 450 KM “Copper Belt” of Africa. The region has been a copper producer for over a century. Cobalt is used in batteries and electronics. Coltan, short for columbite-tantalite, is used in lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles. And in the additional presence of a large gold reserve, the country should be retrieving a hefty profit. However, that is not the case. The profit that should be helping civilians is not realized at all. There is rather a great struggle translating those resources into a profit.

With large caches of copper, diamonds, tin, gold, coltan, and more than 60% of the world’s cobalt production, there are many who seek to take that profit for themselves. Armed gangs sell these minerals to corporations and wealthy states to make electronics, batteries, and increasingly, renewable energy technologies. Problems also arise from neighbors, like Rwanda and Uganda. They are failing in their customs and due diligence obligations, either not completing due diligence on gold imports and exports or completely ignoring them. This can be seen in 2018, when only 56 KGs were legally exported from the DRC—less than 2% of gold production. On the other hand, Rwanda’s official export tally was around 2,000 KGs of gold, while they were flagged for almost 13000 KGs just to the UAE. According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, over 90% of DRC gold is smuggled into neighbors like Rwanda and Uganda, where it is refined and sold to the UAE. All in all, almost 1 billion dollars are stolen from the DRC every year. The DRC cannot profit and help their civilians when there are such threats, both internal and external.

However, what happens because of the mines is more important. Not only are the citizens not receiving returns from their government, but they are also being abused. Amnesty international has published jarring reports of forced eviction, human rights abuse, and sexual assault. These are due to mass mining, which in turn is largely from a push for clean energy. While we need to transition to clean energy forms, the means through which we do so are also important, especially when such terrible abuses are coming from it.

We are living in an age where sometimes, a solution to one problem leads to its own issue. The need to move to clean energy is dire, but the cost of each solution must also be examined. In search of a green future, many are drowning in a crimson present.

Cover photo taken from Flickr.