Congolese Cobalt and Consumer Electronics Katanga Calling Published by Friends of the Earth Netherlands | SOMO | The Good Electronics Network Published by Friends of the Earth Netherlands/Milieu­ defensie, SOMO and the GoodElectronics Network. © May 2015 Some of the case descriptions in this brochure are based on ongoing research and have been anonymised pend­ ing further review. An extensive report on these cases is forthcoming (2015). Acknowledgement This publication draws from research by PREMICONGO and ACIDH, as well as from publicly available sources. The content of this brochure is however the sole responsi­ bility of Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie), SOMO and the GoodElectronics Network. Layout and printing: Ruparo, Amsterdam Cover image: Women at work between the residues (stériles) of the Kipushi zinc­copper mine in Katanga. © Gwenn Dubourthoumieu This document has been produced with the financial assis­ tance of the Ecosystem Alliance, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union. The content of this document is the sole responsibility of Milieudefen­ sie, SOMO and the GoodElectronics Network, and should under no circumstances be taken to reflect the position of the Ecosystem Alliance, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the European Union. 2 Katanga Calling INA CRANSTON INA G A young girl carries around 40kg GEOR of rocks from a mine in DRC. Contents Introduction 2 Copper and cobalt from Katanga 3 Mining sectors 6 Artisanal mining 6 Cobalt: A most valuable by-product 8 Fair devices? 9 Never consulted 10 The air we breathe 11 The tragedy of Basse Kando 12 The wasted waters of Kafubu 14 Exploited labour 16 Towards a hopeful perspective 17 From conflict-free to responsible mining 18 Katanga Calling 1 Democratic Republic Congo Katanga Province Katanga Congo River Katanga Province Katangan Katangan copperbelt copperbelt Kolwezi Kisanfu Likasi Nature Reserve Basse Kando Nature Reserve Lubumbashi Angola Kafubu River Zambia Introduction Copper and cobalt mining in Katanga urgently needs to evolve towards responsible practices. Responsible sourcing of minerals is increasingly consid­ Cobalt to gadget ered a desirable way of doing business: fortunately, as The cobalt taken from those mines is used in consumer resource extraction often still fuels armed conflicts when products like mobile phones and laptops, car batteries, no action is taken to prevent this. One of the best-known tools, lenses, jewellery and healthcare. Ethical sourcing of resource-funded conflicts is the war in the eastern prov­ minerals has been central to the debate about the supply inces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In chain responsibility of electronics companies further down the DRC, impunity and weak public institutions result in the line. Some specific steps have been taken regard­ recurring violence, in which control over Congo’s rich min­ ing conflict minerals. In the USA, the 2010 Dodd-Frank eral resources remains a central catalyst. Act requires listed companies to disclose the source of minerals in their products. The European Commission has Even in less violent circumstances, mineral extraction risks proposed a conflict minerals regulation currently under causing corruption, social problems issues and environ­ discussion in the European Parliament. mental destruction. The situation in Katanga, DR Congo’s southernmost province and home to large deposits of However, much more is needed in order to improve the copper and cobalt, is a poignant example. Although the human rights and environmental conditions in the mining security situation in Katanga is much better than in its areas of our world. This brochure reports on the human neighbouring Kivu provinces, mining takes place at a high and environmental costs of cobalt extraction in Katanga in human and environmental cost. Communities pay a bru­ the DRC. tal price when they lose their livelihoods to make way for mining projects. Workers risk their health and lives in Con­ go’s dangerous pits. 2 Katanga Calling Copper mine in Sakania, Katanga, GWENN DUBOURTHOUMIEU owned by Eurasian Resources Group. Copper and cobalt from Katanga Katanga province harbours some of the largest cobalt reserves in the world. The Democrati c Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the The mining sector in Katanga has long been a monopoly world’s largest cobalt producer. The country, nearly two- of Gécamines, the state­owned company that made the thirds the size of the European Union, is endowed with a DRC the world’s largest producer of copper and cobalt. In wealth of natural resources in almost all sectors, of which the 1990s, Gécamines faced numerous crises that eventu­ the mining sector is the most prominent. ally led to its bankruptcy. Internati onal fi nancial insti tu- ti ons such as the World Bank subsequently called for The province of Katanga, located in the south, has vast the privati sati on of the mining sector. During this period, deposits of high­grade copper and associated minerals there was a mining scramble in both the arti sanal (infor- such as cobalt, zinc and lead. These resources are con­ mal) and industrial (formal) mining sectors. Exploitati on centrated in the District of Haut-Katanga, in the citi es of was characterised by rampant corrupti on. Lubumbashi, Kolwezi and Likasi, and in the townships of Tenke and Fungurume. The reserves of these metals are Privati sati on of the mining sector did not bring about esti mated to be some of the largest in the world. improvements to the living conditi ons of the people near these companies, which remain precarious. Most of the local people sti ll have no access to drinking water, health care, educati on or electricity. Katanga Calling 3 Entrepreneurs in Katanga’s extraction business enjoy Lubumbashi’s golf course. GWENN DUBOURTHOUMIEU Human Development Profits for some Despite the export value of its minerals, which runs to bil­ While Katanga’s minerals are extracted and exported to lions of dollars, the DRC lags at the bottom of the UNDP’s the benefit of some, numerous communities have become Human Development Index (HDI). The index is a tool for the victims of environmental pollution associated with the assessing long­term progress in three basic dimensions mining. They have nowhere to turn for support. They have of human development: a long and healthy life, access often literally been raided by the mining companies. The to knowledge and a decent standard of living. The DRC right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is virtually is ranked 186 out of 187 territories, with a HDI value of non-existent. Most communities have never been con­ 0.338, just 0.002 points above its HDI in 1980. Of Con­ sulted in advance, let alone consented to these operations go’s estimated population of75.5 million people, 87.7 per­ in their villages. cent live in poverty. 4 Katanga Calling Mining activities have depleted water resources. The people of the village of Kawama, Katanga, GWENN DUBOURTHOUMIEU have to walk several kilometres to get clean water. Informed consent With Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) communi­ The reality in Katanga is very different. Villages are relo­ ties have the right to say yes or no to a proposed project. cated and agricultural land is often confiscated without The principle has evolved from the human rights position the community being consulted at al. Adequate compen­ that force or involuntary conditions imposed on impacted sation for confiscated land simply does not happen. These peoples are not legitimate development mechanisms. practices constitute violations of national and internation­ It demands that the community can make a choice on the al laws that are supposed to protect the affected commu­ basis of adequate information about the type, risks and nities. benefits of a potential project. FPIC would allow commu­ nities to negotiate a mutually satisfactory arrangement with a company or government. It is a process that would start long before mining operations commence, and that would not end as long as the operations continue. Katanga Calling 5 Lubumbashi, with the old Gécamines factory, its mountainous slagheap, and a new cobalt factory in the foreground. GWENN DUBOURTHOUMIEU Mining sectors For lack of other livelihood opportunities, thousands of Congolese resort to small-scale mining. Mining in Katanga takes place in both the formal and informal sectors, and the two oft en interact. Cobalt and Arti sanal mining copper mined informally is also processed in the refi neries It is esti mated that up to 20-30 million people in of the industrial business networks. According to the Min­ the developing world practi se arti sanal or small- istry of Mines, the industrial mining sector in Katanga has scale mining. The sector supports three to fi ve ti mes created 40,000 jobs. It is esti mated that a further 500,000 more people indirectly. Arti sanal or small-scale min- people are working as arti sanal miners in the province. ing is characterised by low levels of mechanisati on, unknown quanti ti es of ore deposits, few safety stan- dards, poorly qualifi ed personnel and low producti v- ity. Arti sanal mining is oft en undertaken informally or illegally, and with litt le considerati on of environ- mental impacts. The unemployed and underemployed in poor countries are increasingly resorti ng to such practi ces because to them it is a livelihood opportu- nity. Minerals become ‘the natural resource of last resort’, and off er a more secure income than farming. Source: ILO, IIED 6 Katanga Calling GWENN DUBOURTHOUMIEU Young children at work in Kipushi, Katanga. In Katanga, arti sanal mining exists in both formal and Informal arti sanal mining takes place irregularly in undes- informal setti ngs. Many mining companies source the ores ignated areas, but also within the concessions of mining for their processing factories from arti sanal sources, rather companies.