Comment: 鈥楥onflict-free鈥� minerals used in waging of modern wars Published on: 20 October 2025 Writing for The Conversation, Mark Griffiths and Mohamed El-Shewy discuss how many of the 鈥渃onflict-free鈥� minerals sourced in Africa are likely to have at least some connection to war. , and , Minerals such as cobalt, copper, lithium, tantalum, tin and tungsten, which are all abundant in central Africa, are essential to the comforts of everyday life. Our phones, laptops and electric vehicles would not function without them. These minerals are also tied intimately with conflict. For decades, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and on its borders 鈥� 鈥� has been shaped and financed by control over some of these sought-after commodities. Many of these minerals, including those that have supposedly been sourced responsibly, are linked to violence at the other end of the supply chain too. As we found in our , minerals sourced in central Africa play a crucial role in the waging of modern wars. The eastern provinces of the DRC hold large mineral reserves, but mining there remains fraught with the involvement of armed groups. Extensive campaigning and lobbying over the past two decades has focused on the idea of 鈥渃onflict-free minerals鈥� as a way to address links between extraction and armed conflict in mining regions. This has resulted in a suite of legislation in the EU and US obliging tech manufacturers that use and surrounding countries to submit so-called 鈥渃onflict minerals reports鈥� to national authorities. In the US, for example, tech firms file what is known as a 鈥渟pecialized disclosure form鈥� to the Securities and Exchange Commission detailing all sources of four key minerals commonly associated with conflict in Africa: tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold. The form requires a declaration that trade is compliant with the set by the OECD on responsible supply chains in the DRC and neighbouring states. This guidance has, in turn, given rise to an industry of regulators that seeks to ensure minerals connected to conflict do not enter supply chains. Tech companies worldwide 鈥� big and small 鈥� now comply with conflict minerals policies. The fact that these firms can be held under a critical spotlight, and that attention is falling on how bloody wars are connected to consumer products, is a positive development. But there to this system of accountability. One issue is the difficulty in proving that mineral supply is truly conflict free. Many of the 鈥渃onflict-free鈥� minerals sold through Rwanda, for instance, are very likely to have at least some connection to war. In the early 2000s, when Rwandan forces were involved in armed conflict in the DRC, the UN estimated that the between 60% and 70% of all the coltan (tantalum ore) produced there. It is that Rwandan influence has persisted in the DRC since. Another issue is that, under conflict-free mineral legislation, 鈥渃onflict鈥� is associated with minerals only at source. There is no oversight on how minerals are connected to conflict at the other end of supply chains in modern weapons of war. Conflict minerals Weapons are no longer fashioned only with lead, iron and brass. They now depend on a range of advanced technologies: lithium batteries, cobalt cathodes, tantalum resistors, nickel capacitors, tin semiconductors, tungsten electrodes and so forth. In fact, everything advanced militaries do nowadays 鈥� whether it involves a fighter jet, drone, guided bomb, smart bullet, night vision or remote sensing 鈥� utilises these components. As we outline in our study, conflict-free minerals are essential to the waging of modern wars. We traced the movement of ores from the DRC into Rwanda, from where they are then sold to some of the world鈥檚 largest weapons makers as 鈥渃onflict-free鈥� minerals. A coterie of defence contractors source minerals via this route. These minerals, as shows, are used as 鈥渧olumetrically minor yet functionally essential鈥� ingredients of the products these firms sell to militaries worldwide. To draw focus on two 鈥渃onflict-free鈥� minerals traded through Rwanda, tin and tantalum are vital to the function of a wide range of military wares. According to the US defence department, tin is present in . It is crucial in compound forms to defrost screens at high altitudes and to deflect radio waves to enhance stealth. Tin is also used to power the guidance kits that improve the accuracy of bombs. Tantalum-based semiconductors comprise the basic circuitry of drones. And among other things, tantalum is the active adsorbent material in the infrared camera tubes that make night vision possible. High-tech wars cannot be fought without these minerals, which are traded under conflict-free mineral legislation. Researchers that minerals can never be conflict free at source. But our findings now turn attention to the other end of the supply chain. If it is to have any purchase at all, the idea of 鈥渃onflict-free鈥� minerals must be entirely refigured. Virtually all commentary by journalists, lawyers and scholars focuses narrowly on consumer technologies, with the injustices faced by mining communities in central Africa contrasted with phones and electric vehicles. The source of minerals is the sole focus of ethical scrutiny. This is an important aspect of minerals supply chains. But there is a growing prominence of other tech companies, in the form of modern weapons manufacturers, whose customers are not the global masses but the militaries of the world鈥檚 most belligerent states. Companies like Elbit Systems 鈥� which did not respond to The Conversation鈥檚 request for comment 鈥� present themselves as complying with ethical standards. In its 2020 , Elbit declared a corporate stance against 鈥渉uman rights abuses and atrocities鈥�. It also expressed a commitment 鈥渢o sourcing materials from companies that share our values with respect to human rights, ethics and environmental responsibility鈥�. Yet, as our research shows, some companies are sourcing minerals from one war zone and then making profit from another. It should be recalled that Elbit, for example, supplies to Israel鈥檚 defence ministry. There needs to be more scrutiny on the use of minerals 鈥渄ownstream鈥� to stem the flow of the raw materials that propel wars in Gaza and beyond. , Reader in Political Geography, and , Lecturer in Political Geography, This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the . 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