Background
Laurent Nkunda was an officer in the rebel Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD), Goma faction, in the Second Congo War (1998–2002). In 2003, with the official end of that war, Nkunda joined the new integrated national army of the transitional government as a colonel and was promoted to general in 2004. He soon rejected the authority of the government and retreated with some of RCD-Goma troops to the Masisi forests in Nord Kivu.
The organization Global Witness says that Western companies sourcing minerals are buying them from traders who finance rebel and government troops. Minerals, such as cassiterite, gold or coltan, which is used for electronic equipment and cell phones, are an important export for the Congo. A UN resolution states that anyone supporting illegal Congolese armed groups through illicit trade of natural resources should be subjected to sanctions including travel restrictions and an assets freeze. The extent of the problem is not known.
Read more about this topic: Kivu Conflict
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