Minerals, Power, and Land

I have been following the Congo War closely as I have recently worked on projects from the region and possibly could have found myself within the boarders of the conflict not too long ago. First off the DRC is an amazing country. It is truely an anomaly as far as mineral wealth goes. It has so many possibilities for large deposits which could drastically change the face of the country and region. The more I study the geology of the Congo (it is hardly touched by geoscience, it reminds me a lot of pre-Civil War America or early 20th century South America) the more I want to explore it. The problem with mineral wealth is that it is an incubator for corruption, and greed (not just in the region but globally). Everyone feels that the deposits are theirs for the taking. Westerners may come in with good intentions, wanting the wealth to benefit the people of the region, but it somehow seems to bring unexpected problems as well. Take Ok Tedi for example in Papua New Guinea. As good intentioned as BHP was to mine the giant copper gold porphyry and benefit the country, the damage to the environment was emmense. It is considered one of the biggest environmental disaters of recent times, causing damage to the Fly river and surrounding ecosystem, and it is estimated it will take 300 years to repair. On the flip side it brings wealth and stimulates the economy and improves the standard of living.

Similar, the Congo sits on rare equatorial rainforrest with great biodiversity, but also has great mineral wealth in the same regions. It is essential that any mining in this region is handled with great care and planning. I feel it could be done with minimal impact, but at greater cost. The main issue though is that the instabillity of the region makes it a high risk endeavor (even more so than typical mining is) for larger companies who could tackle the problems. The war with the Tutsi and Congolese army is an old one and has been a continuing issue. I am not even going to pretend to know all the details of the conflict but it appears to stem from minerals, boundaries and power. I fear that many small mining operations are carried out with no regard to the impacts they might have. Not out of lack of morals, but lack of education and resources.

The crimes against humanity are alarming, and if they occured in the west would not be tolerated in the least. It is important to realize that many issues in other parts of the world need to be viewed from a different perspective. I would like to see peace return to the region. There is so much potential for economic and social growth in the region. I would love to volunteer in the region and hope I can donate time and resources to the region soon. I wish there was an easy answer, but the problems are complex. It is sad to see that there is great potential and opportunity that could change many lives for the better, and yet it can't be utilized because of the conflicts. It appears doubtful that a spirit of peace and cooperation will exist soon enough to lead to synergistic solutions for the poverty and disease that are sweeping the land now. It makes me sad, and has been on my mind.