conflict minerals

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(L-R) US Vice President JD Vance, US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio listen as Democratic Republic of the Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner during a meeting with her and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 27, 2025. Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed an agreement in Washington on Friday to put an end to a conflict in the eastern DRC that has killed thousands, although broad questions loom on what it will mean. Trump has trumpeted the diplomacy that led to the deal and publicly complained that he has not received a Nobel Peace Prize. But the agreement has also come under scrutiny for its vagueness including on the economic component, with the Trump administration eager to compete with China and profit from abundant mineral wealth in the long-turbulent east of the vast DRC. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Sanctions Removal on Mining Magnate Would Set Back Peace and Investment in DR Congo

The Trump administration and Congress can end the cycle of looting, smuggling, and violent extraction of raw materials from the DRC and provide a better footing for peace.
Granite being mined in Ukraine

The U.S.-Ukraine Agreement: Legality and Transparency

The recently announced mineral deal is likely a lawful “sole executive agreement” that the president need not submit to Congress, but subsequent implementing agreements are…
Aerial picture of dredges at an illegal gold mining area in the Madre de Dios department, in Peru's southeastern Amazon region, on May 31, 2024. Illegal exploitation is ruthless, despite law enforcement prosecution in Madre de Dios, in southeastern Peru. (Photo by ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty Images)

Transparency for Minerals is Essential, and No One Can Go It Alone

Despite efforts for transparency, the minerals trade still fuels conflict and corruption; only joint action and accountability can ensure resources benefit communities.
U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and Vice President JD Vance meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Negotiations at Gunpoint: Does U.S. Pressure on Ukraine for a Minerals Deal Amount to Unlawfully Procuring a Treaty by Use of Force?

Coercion leveraged by the U.S. to secure Ukrainian mineral resources could be deemed use of force, rendering any resulting treaty void.
A M23 soldier stands at the Coltan mining pits in Rubaya on March 5, 2025. He holds a gun. Many people seen in the background.

A Way Out of the DRC’s Proxy War

Today, ribs of gold and other essential treasures are a major driver of one of the deadliest conflicts in the world.
The photo shows two men, cropped to only their waists, one of them holding a gold bar between his hands.

Beyond ‘Critical’ Minerals, Don’t Forget Gold’s Role as a Driver of Economic Growth — and Conflict

The UAE has begun to take corrective steps to rein in illicit gold trade. The incoming Trump administration could find lessons there.
The three women wear head coverings and behind them hangs a banner that reads in part "Peace and Justice...Sudan." One of the women holds a sign showing a tank with the words "NO WAR" and a slash across a red circle.

To Challenge State Capture, the US Needs a Strategy of State Retrieval

The democratic world must side with pro-democracy, peace, and anti-corruption movements in Africa and act against corrupt networks.
Young boys on a rocky hill side under a blue sky with clouds.

How to Clean Up the Clean Energy Transition: Preventing Violence Over New ‘Conflict Minerals’

Conflicts between industrial and artisanal mining should be considered as the clean energy transition increases the need for certain minerals.
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