Yaoundé, Cameroon – Cardinal Fridlin Ambongo of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, who is also President of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences on Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), has made harsh accusations regarding the exploitation of Africa’s mineral resources.
Speaking at a webinar held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the canonization of the Ugandan martyrs, Ambongo said it was paradoxical that a mineral-rich country like the Democratic Republic of the Congo was also home to some of the world’s poorest people. Ta.
The country is rich in cobalt, lithium and coltan minerals needed to power what analysts call the “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” driven in part by artificial intelligence and advanced robotics. . The DRC accounts for approximately 71 percent of the world’s total cobalt production and 35 percent of coltan.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that the Democratic Republic of Congo has untapped mineral reserves worth $24 trillion. The country also owns half of Africa’s water resources and forest area, as well as 80 million hectares of arable land that could feed the entire continent.
In 2022, copper and cobalt exports generated $25 billion, equivalent to more than a third of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s GDP in that year. In the same year, the World Bank revealed that approximately 74.6 percent of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s population lived on less than $2.15 a day, and approximately one in six Congolese lived in extreme poverty. did.
The exploitation of mineral resources in Congo and across Africa has led to war, death and destruction, Ambongo said, calling those who suffer and die in conflict “modern-day martyrs.”
“The Church cannot remain silent in the face of the illegal exploitation of mineral resources that is creating war and violence, tearing apart the social fabric of our country and endangering its future,” the Congolese cardinal said in a statement titled: This was stated at a meeting held. Modern-day martyrs, victims of Africa’s mineral resource exploitation: The reality and prospects of the sending church. ”
“For more than a decade, our country has been the scene of conflict and war that has brought destruction, chaos, tearing, suffering and death,” Ambongo said. “In the face of this devastating and murderous violence, how can we celebrate the great anniversary of the 60th anniversary of Uganda’s martyrdom with joy and joy without reflecting together on this tragedy?”
“How could I not see the faces of so many who have aged prematurely due to subhuman living conditions, see the faces of refugees disfigured by hunger, and hear the shrill cries of those who have been raped? Can we think about the future of our churches without hearing the cries of children working in the mines, of young people slaughtered for free by warlords seeking wealth and aided by international lobbies? What about the women?” he asked.
He said the exploitation of critical minerals such as tin, tantalum, gold and tungsten, as well as energy transition minerals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt, was sparking armed conflict in some parts of Africa.
“These minerals are found in the batteries of electric cars, smartphones, laptops, etc.In fact, armed groups, at the instigation of multinational corporations and trapped in a vicious cycle of financial logic, have “The war allows control of various mines, and at the same time the sale of minerals is used to fund the war,” he said.
Father Stan Chu Illo, research professor at DePaul University and coordinating officer of the Pan-African Catholic Theological and Pastoral Network, spoke to Mr. Klux about the exploitation of Africa’s minerals by foreign conglomerates and industries, a reality that began with the slave trade. ), there are other issues as well, such as: “The rape of African resources by African officials through exploitative leadership seen in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Central Africa, Cameroon, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and many other resource-rich African countries. .”
He argued that while it may be convenient to blame foreign companies for “extracting African resources and offshoring,” Africans also need to start taking responsibility for these problems.
“There is so much greed on our continent, it runs deep and across the board from top to bottom. But those who run African countries and their religious accomplices and cheerleaders should bear the greatest responsibility for this client-patron exchange relationship that has caused so much poverty, suffering and suffering to the people of God in Africa,” said Chu Iro. core.
He pointed out that the situation will not change because of those profiting from the unregulated exploitation of Africa’s minerals. On the contrary, the situation could change if the church confronted “the scandal of poverty in the midst of wealth in Africa.”
Cho said African youth need to heed Pope Francis’ call to “unite against social ills in their own countries” and that African theologians should make this issue a central focus of their writing, teaching and advocacy. He said it was necessary to do so.
“In the face of the structural violence that is destroying the lives of our people, especially the poor and vulnerable, we must, as we all do, grapple with the growing violence and resentment among our people. “It is no longer possible to continue with ‘paper theology,'” he said. Said.
“I believe that the time is ripe for a new historical consciousness in Africa, which will give rise to evangelical theology and pastoral life, bring about social change in Africa, and bring about a people who have suffered enough. It can give us hope,” Cho said.
Mr Ambogo said the church must denounce injustice, support the vulnerable and offer genuine reconciliation.
“Despite all these tragedies, it is up to us as a sending church to continue to share the message of hope through the Risen Jesus,” Ambongo said.
“Christian hope involves a simple conviction that the future has certain aspects and desirable features, even if we do not know its characteristics.The form in which presents are given is therefore not unique. , nor is it confined to itself,” he said.
“There must be some other possibility that inspires us to face the current times and their challenges,” Ambongo said. “Strengthened by this Christian hope, the Church is playing its part in the transformation of our society.”
