Months of unrest in Congo's volatile but resource rich east is hampering an international push to curb the traffic of gold, tin and other metals by rebel groups, efforts which campaigners say are key to ending violence and encouraging legitimate mining.

International organisations such as the OECD and the United Nations, and pressure groups including the Enough Project and Global Witness, want to cut the rebels' access to funds by insisting that companies do due diligence on metals they buy.

Part of this effort is a campaign to "bag and tag" products at the mine, to certify their origins. But that push, which is still in its early stages in the North Kivu province that has seen heavy fighting, has stalled since clashes between the M23 rebels and government soldiers intensified this month.

One source involved in donor-funded activities to clean up the mineral supply chain said that "It's always been complicated, but it's been made even more complicated by the security situation.”

The source said the project was "stalled" in North Kivu.

Exports of tin and gold from North Kivu mostly from artisanal miners or informal operations that are targeted by the tagging schemes have dropped sharply as a result of campaigns and rules which require firms to control sourcing.

Without certification, campaigners and local groups say they cannot meet due diligence requirements and the North Kivu region cannot revive industrial scale mining.

So far only one potential industrial-scale operation is underway, led by Canadian-listed Alphamin, drilling in the Bisie tin deposit, one of the biggest in the region and a project which has long been fought over by the army and rebels.

Source - Thomson Reuters

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