By Lucas Eaves
Independent Voter Network
Over the past few months, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been in the spotlight because an armed rebel group, M23, took control of the regional capital of Goma. It is the latest reminder of the instability in a region that will become more important in the years to come.
The DRC is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources but is classified as the poorest country in the world by the International Monetary Fund. Congo mining resources are estimated to be worth $24 trillion and include the biggest gold reserves in the world, five percent of the world’s copper, fifty percent of the world’s cobalt, diamonds, oil, tar, and uranium.
However, it’s because of its immense reserves of mineral used in tech industries that Congo’s strategic importance for the world will rise in the coming years. Congo possesses an estimated eighty percent of the world’s supply of coltan, when refined as tantalum, is a vital component of computers, personal electronics, and mobile phones. The significance of this mineral can be illustrated by the fact that a shortage of coltan led to an abrupt halt in the sales of the popular Sony Playstation 2.