2026年6月10日
DRC: Major electronic firms allegedly sourcing conflict coltan
要約
Date Reported: 2026年6月10日
場所: コンゴ(民主共和国)
企業
Ericsson - Buyer , Toyota - Buyer , Microsoft - Buyer , Amazon.com - Buyer , NVIDIA Corporation - Buyer , Vodafone - Buyer , Sony - Buyer , Apple - Buyer , LG Corporation - Parent Company , LG Display - Buyer関連
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
労働者: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , 利性別は不明 ) , コミュニティ: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , 利性別は不明 )課題
共犯関係回答
見解が求められた : Yes, by Global Witness
External link to response: (Find out more)
取られた措置: "Toyota told Global Witness that it does not tolerate human rights abuses and aims to procure conflict-free minerals, referring to due diligence checks on suppliers and promptly addressing identified abuses. Sony wrote that it is committed to building a responsible supply chain and that it expects all suppliers to comply with its supply chain code of conduct and policy, which it enforces with corrective actions. Ericsson wrote that it collaborates with the RMI, that the smelters Global Witness refers to are RMI-conformant and that it will review the specific cases. Apple wrote to Global Witness that as the conflict in the region escalated, it notified its suppliers that their smelters and refiners must suspend 3T and gold purchases from the DRC and Rwanda, as it was concerned that industry certification mechanisms could no longer perform the required due diligence and that it has increased its support to organisations that help communities. Apple did not reply to Global Witness’s questions about why it stopped reporting processors in its supply chains in its 2024 report to the SEC, nor how it can avoid sourcing coltan from DRC and Rwanda given the importance of DRC as a coltan-producing country and the fact that smelters and refiners usually mix minerals from different origins. Samsung told Global Witness that, after reviewing, it had no concerns in its transactions with OTIC, referring to OTIC’s RMI audit. Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Vodaphone, Panasonic and LG Display have not replied to Global Witness’s requests for comment."
情報源のタイプ: NGO
要約
Date Reported: 2026年6月10日
場所: コンゴ(民主共和国)
企業
Ulba Metallurgical Plant JSC - Buyer , Ningxia Orient Tantalum Industry Co. (OTIC) - Buyer , Jiujiang Jinxin Nonferrous Metals Co. - Buyer , Jiujiang Tanbre Co. - Buyer関連
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
コミュニティ: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , 利性別は不明 ) , 労働者: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , 利性別は不明 )課題
共犯関係回答
見解が求められた : Yes, by Global Witness
External link to response: (Find out more)
取られた措置: "OTIC, Jiujiang Tanbre Co. and Jiujiang Jinxin Nonferrous Metals Co. denied having sourced material connected to conflict, referring to their due diligence which they told Global Witness is in line with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance. Ulba confirmed to Global Witness that it has bought coltan from East Rise Corporation but denies that the coltan is connected to conflict, referring to its risk monitoring through RMAP and its policy to suspend suppliers if they are linked to conflict. It also wrote that it stopped buying “from the region” in May 2024 including from East Rise Corporation. Taniobis told Global Witness it stopped sourcing coltan from DRC or Rwanda at the end of 2023."
情報源のタイプ: NGO
要約
Date Reported: 2026年6月10日
場所: コンゴ(民主共和国)
企業
Philbert Trading Minerals, - Buyer , Space Mining - Buyer , East Group Minerals - Buyer , East Rise Corporation - Buyer , Halcyon Inc - Buyer , Société Générale de Commerce Sarl (SOGECOM) - Buyer , Novacore - Buyer , Traxys - Buyer , Minterra - Buyer , Tawotin - Buyer , Kanzamin - Buyer , Boss Mining Solutions - Buyer , Rani Mining - Buyer , Sunrise Metals Company - Buyer , Better Off Equipment & Solutions - Buyer , African Panther Resources - Buyer関連
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
コミュニティ: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , 利性別は不明 ) , 労働者: ( Number unknown - Location unknown - Sector unknown , 利性別は不明 )課題
共犯関係回答
見解が求められた : Yes, by Global Witness
External link to response: (Find out more)
取られた措置: "Halcyon confirmed to Global Witness that it has bought coltan from Kanzamin but denied that the coltan came from Rubaya. It referred to KYC reviews, supply chain documentation, its announced and unannounced site visits in DRC and Rwanda in 2025 and risk mitigation measures, which included disengagement from Kanzamin until receiving evidence that its due diligence mechanisms have been strengthened. Halcyon wrote that Global Witness hasn’t provided transaction-level evidence demonstrating that material purchased by Halcyon originated from Rubaya. Halcyon denied it has had any contractual or commercial relationship with Boss Mining Solution and denied having sourced material from African Panther Resources in 2024. It also told Global Witness that it permanently disengaged from Philbert Trading Minerals in 2025. Furthermore, Halcyon denied having purchased any material from Rubaya in 2023, referring to geo-fingerprinting for coltan bought from North Kivu. SOGECOM strongly denied that the Kotecha family has profited from conflict minerals for three decades. It wrote that no evidence has been presented supporting the allegations against Ramnik O. Kotecha or against SOCOMI and that there are no disciplinary or legal rulings against SOGECOM or against any Kotecha family member for buying conflict minerals from the DRC or any related offence. It told Global Witness that Ketankumar Kotecha has been a stakeholder of SOGECOM and its predecessor SOCOMI but has not been operationally involved. SOGECOM denied having sourced conflict minerals from the Rubaya mines, referring to its active monitoring of the area, site visits and “geo finger printing”, a technique involving chemical and mineralogical signatures of minerals. SOGECOM denied having bought coltan coming from the two main concessions in Rubaya after late 2021 but confirmed having sold coltan to Halcyon in 2023. Novacore replied to Global Witness's request for comment to say that after a visit in Kigali “to familiarise … with the activities of Boss Mining Solution” it “found no anomalies” in Boss Mining Solution’s export volumes and that “shipments originated in Rwanda and comply with ITSCI program requirements.” African Panther Resources has previously denied having sourced conflict coltan from Rwanda, referring to its due diligence procedures, but did not reply to Global Witness’s request to comment on allegations that it continues to buy conflict coltan. Traxys confirms having bought coltan from African Panther Resources, Rani Mining and Hillside Mining, but strongly denies that the coltan was from DRC and connected to conflict. Traxys wrote to Global Witness that the mineralogy of the bought coltan was different from that in DRC, that the minerals it bought were traced back to specific mine sites in Rwanda and that a Traxys representative regularly monitored the operations at the premises of African Panther Resources. Traxys also wrote that it signed contracts with Hillside and Rani before the temporary suspension of African Panther Resources, that both companies have been active in the local market for some time and that Traxys has not ignored red flags but instead enhanced its due diligence by sourcing from specific mines instead of aggregators in Rwanda. Traxys wrote that it is swift to disengage from problematic suppliers and said it had ceased sourcing tantalum from Rwanda in May 2025. Minterra wrote to Global Witness that it found no indications of sourcing or trading of smuggled or conflict minerals by East Group Minerals, referring to its ITSCI membership and monitoring. It also mentioned that all ITSCI incidents were resolved. Minterra wrote that “increases in exported quantities should be viewed in the context of starting from relatively low base” export volumes. Minterra did not disclose specific mines and the quantities it sourced from each of them, as requested by Global Witness. Tawotin denied having sourced conflict material from DRC in recent years and previously denied having done so in the 2010s. It told Global Witness that its coltan exports increased in 2024 because in 2023 it was not active during half of the year. Tawotin also wrote that it follows sanctions regimes and therefore had to find another buyer after East Rise Corporation was sanctioned by the US. Tawotin and Chris Huber both deny being connected to each other and Huber denies that he is or has ever been a beneficial owner or member of Tawotin. CDMC denies having traded conflict minerals from the Rubaya mines, referring to “verification and control measures” and temporary suspension after alerts. CDMC and Crawley both deny being connected to each other. Kanzamin, Boss Mining Solution, Rani Mining, Sunrise Metal Company, Better Off Equipment & Solutions, Philbert Trading Minerals, Space Mining, East Group Minerals and East Rise Corporation have not replied to Global Witness’s request to comment."
情報源のタイプ: NGO
"Who buys Rwanda’s smuggled coltan? The global journey of conflict coltan from DRC to the world's electronics" 10 June 2026
'Conflict coltan smuggled from the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is finding its way into global markets and popular consumer products, despite due diligence systems.
Where have over 2,000 tonnes of smuggled conflict coltan gone?
These looted minerals come from mines in Rubaya in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which produce 15% of the world’s tantalum, a key ingredient for electronic products found in smartphones, laptops and cars around the world.
The Rubaya mines have become a main revenue source for M23’s brutal warfare in DRC. Seizing vast areas of territory, the armed group backed by Rwanda’s military has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians, abducting and torturing with impunity.
But once the coltan is smuggled to Rwanda, little is known about who buys it or where it goes.
In a year-long investigation, Global Witness followed the DRC’s conflict coltan from the mines across the border and into global supply chains. We established the complicity of Rwandan officials, as smuggling reached “unprecedented” levels.
With Rwanda’s coltan exports more than doubling over the past three years, we identified the seven companies that exported 85% of the coltan.
Through interviews with coltan smugglers, we found that at least five of these seven companies buy conflict coltan from DRC, selling it on through middlemen to smelters in China and Kazakhstan.
In the smelters, the coltan is processed into tantalum. From there, it is used to manufacture the capacitors that are essential components in electronic devices.
We found that conflict coltan may have unwittingly found its way to global brands including Microsoft, Vodafone, Sony, Amazon, Nvidia, LG Display, Ericsson, Toyota and Apple – and into products we use every day.' (...)