There’s a high chance that your smartphone contains a tiny amount of tantalum, a rare metal extracted from the mineral-rich lands of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where an ongoing war is deeply intertwined with the mining industry.
The M23 rebel group, which recently made headlines with its offensive on the key city of Goma, controls significant mining areas where coltan—the ore from which tantalum is extracted—is produced. This mineral is essential for making capacitors that power smartphones and other advanced electronics.
At least 40% of the world’s tantalum supply comes from DR Congo, and the current conflict has placed key mining sites under M23’s control. The rebels have turned mining into a major revenue source, imposing taxes and monopolizing trade to fund their operations. The United Nations (UN) estimates that M23 earns approximately $800,000 per month from coltan taxation in the region.
The mining process in DR Congo is vastly different from large-scale industrial operations elsewhere. Instead of multinational corporations, thousands of miners work in dangerous, makeshift pits, extracting coltan using basic tools. Once M23 took control of Rubaya, the country’s coltan hub, it implemented a system of permits, fees, and taxes, ensuring that only its approved traders could operate.
The UN has raised concerns about how these minerals enter the global supply chain, pointing to Rwanda as a key transit point. Although Rwanda has its own coltan mines, experts suggest that minerals from M23-controlled areas are mixed with Rwandan production, making it difficult to trace their true origins. Official figures show that Rwanda’s coltan exports rose by 50% between 2022 and 2023—an increase that experts say cannot be solely attributed to domestic production.
Efforts to prevent conflict minerals from reaching global markets have been in place for years, including the US Dodd-Frank Act and an EU regulation requiring companies to source responsibly. The International Tin Supply Chain Initiative (Itsci), which tracks mineral origins, has been criticized for loopholes that allow illicit coltan to enter the system. Reports indicate that some state agents sell traceability tags to traders, enabling them to falsely certify minerals from conflict zones.
Although Apple announced in early 2024 that it had ceased sourcing tantalum from DR Congo and Rwanda due to escalating conflict and certification challenges, other tech companies have not been as transparent. The Congolese government has filed lawsuits in France and Belgium against subsidiaries of Apple, alleging they used “conflict minerals.” Apple has denied the accusations, highlighting its recent supply chain adjustments.
As M23 expands its territorial control, more tantalum extracted from conflict-ridden mines could still find its way into electronic devices worldwide. The war in eastern DR Congo is not just a regional crisis—it’s one that may be connected to the very device in your hand.