Amnesty International and Global Witness accuse western companies of trading with armed groups that terrorize and kill civilians in Africa.

Amnesty International and Global Witness representatives claim, that despite new trade regulations, many companies refuse to disclose whether their supply chains include minerals from war-torn parts of Africa, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries, including Rwanda, Central African Republic, and South Sudan. Trade of gold, tin and other minerals from these parts of Africa contributes to fuelling conflicts and supports armed groups responsible for murders, rape and terror against civilians.

“Companies that shed light on their supply chains help prevent a harmful mineral trade that contributes to a conflict devastating Central Africa,” said James Lynch of Amnesty International.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that obliged companies to disclose the origins of minerals used by companies in their productions, last June for the first time collected reports of more than 1,000 companies on that issue.

However it turned out that vast majority of companies aren’t doing enough to disclose whether the materials they use come from war zones in Africa.

Having analyzed the reports of 100 companies, NGOs representatives came to a conclusion that only 15 per cent of the companies tried to contact the suppliers of minerals they use in production to find out their real origins. In some cases it turned out that companies even used gold from North Korea and that violates current international sanctions against Pyongyang.

READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/426919-western-companies-trade-with-militants-amnesty-international.html