Grand Theft Congo - DRC

July 2005
The major problem facing Africa is corruption and control of resources. In the DRC, the military is stealing minerals to sell to Western companies.

At a remote mine in central DRC, workers with torches and pick axes hack at the ruddy earth. They are mining cassiterite, a mineral vital in the production of laptops and mobile phones. But dispersed among the miners are Congolese Government troops -- in plain clothes for the camera -- literally forcing most workers to work at gunpoint. 'The soldiers always steal everything. They even come to shoot people down the mineshafts,' complains Regina Maponda. Western greed for cassiterite is fuelling the boom -- at an airfield near the mine, soldiers jealously guard their loot as it makes it way to Japan and the West. Conflict mining is a curse, and it is difficult to see what the G8 leaders can do.

Category:

News & Politics

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• theft
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• DRC
• news
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• mining
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• current affairs
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[milele1000]

What a pity that Africa cannot unite and destroy the westerners greed.I guess it's the need for survival that makes them humble causing them to shut out the pain so as to get their next meal. What a shame for one to compare a cellphone to the life of a human being - nothing in this world could ever match up the value of life.I guess the comment was made by one who is oblivious/ignorant of what is going on in Africa or one who certainly selfish- what a sad being you are,I feel very sorry for you.

[TheBrradsullivan]

@zzulfiiio the natives are not responsible for their own behaviour?

[NewConcreteHouse]

@zzulfiiio It is capitalism.

[zzulfiiio]

west is destroying this beautifull planet

[Enoch2]

He says, "I'm not here to be some kind of moral saviour!"

"And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." Gen 4:9-10

[voacongostory]

The 'Congo Story' recommends this video. Please view our videos at youtube.com/voacongostory. Thank you.

[inricheetos]

@tattkitty1 Well people want cellphones and they want to kill each other. We buy coltan so we can own cell phones and then they can buy guns to kill each other. Sounds like a fair trade to me.

[tattkitty1]

The human price of greed and consumerist societies desire for the latest and greatest sicken me.

However, the irony that I am sitting at home watching this on a personal computer does not escape me.

[4113randy]

AFRICA UNITE- ALL THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA SHOULD GET TOGETHER AND FORGET THE WAYS OF THE WEST.PEOPLE OF AFRICA LIVE UR LIVES AS JAH INTENDED AND FORBID INTERVENTION FROM THE WHITE IMPERIALISTS....THEN STARVE IN YOUR MAN MADE HELL U BASTARDS....LOL

[AdeptusAntares]

fuck capitalism gone wrong in congo nid to stabilize the government and all of africa.. solve the problems inf africa we can solve the problem to the world