to look at why the democratic republic of the congo is vast, mineral resources have both it's mystery rather than well, i'm a little on sucka and for being a team harrigeville. and thanks for watching the, the untold story. i just want to point to the find it here repos every weekend on d w. did you know that there's probably a piece of this country in your smartphone? the democratic republic of the congo or the sea, could be one of the richest countries in the world. that's because of what lies

below the ground here. vast resources such as gold, cobalt and colton. but the dsp is not rich. in fact, many congress, these people a month, the world's poorest congo, is basically a resource endowed country. but it is also a resource coast country and it's home to possibly the deadliest conflict since world war 2 white people are distracted by the by the way, up to freaking from other natural associates. we're going to look at how the d. c became a looting ground to the power hungry and the culprit, and how even its neighbors have a hand in the exploitation. the . this is the democratic public up the congo, also known as the d. c. well,

sometimes just the congo. not to be confused with its neighbors. the republic of the congo, the d, i. c is the largest country in sub saharan africa and it's boarded by 9 countries. one of them rolanda actually plays a big role in this tragedy. we'll come back to that later. or an estimated a 110000000 people lives here in the deep sea. 3 out of 4 of them often don't have access to even the basics, shelter, clean drinking water and enough food. one and 12 children here dies before the age of 12. the dsp is among the 5 porous countries in the world. it's this misery, the tribes hundreds of thousands of companies to work in mining sites like this one . and that's why we want to start the story. this is dangerous work in dangerous conditions and for just a few dollars a day child labor threats and violence often reported not to mention the vast

environmental damage. all these things are happening because of the rush for which is under the ground. an estimated $24.00 truly in the us dollars worth of minerals live beneath the surface of a country that is effectively one of the richest countries in the world. certainly the wealthiest country now with all kinds of resources that you can imagine, some of which have not even been discovered. this is pulled down to yeah, he works at the african center for strategic studies in washington dc. you talk to any resource name, it does give a little in plenty for instance, gold for jewelry and electronics, cobalt use of batteries like an electric cause. the d. c has more than half of the world's cobalt visits. carpet vital for solar panels and colton. it's literally everywhere electronic devices, for example, in your smartphone,

an estimated 60 to 80 percent of global colton reserves are in the d. c. so you can imagine everybody wants a piece of this pie be they militia groups controlling and former mines or huge multinational companies that have set up massive industrial complexes. this map shows some of the d. s. these major industrial cobalt copper and gold mines. so who owns these mines? well, the i see has a minority set and many of them, but almost o a majority for an hour and somebody was company, glen call. then they're off ends from canada and the united arab emirates. but the most important play it here is china, the red dots, a majority chinese on to mines. since the 19 ninety's china has been forwarding ties with the d. c, gaining more and more control of the, the seas, valuable natural resources. by the way, this huge mine was owned by a us company until the 20 ten's was sold up to a chinese them

a step the us government never gets because it could really use those results as to build electric cause chinese companies control 70 percent of the cup of mining a 50 percent of the cobalt mining in the d. c. let's take this huge capa and cobalt mining site. it's been majority chinese zone since the d. c. and china struck a deal in 2008. the 2nd means agreement. the deal was about investment number 10, full access to the mine, china pledge to build roads, schools and hospitals. sounds like a win win situation. right? but not much of the promised investment has materialized companies. people still have to make do with roads like this. so where did all the money actually go? mostly last incorruption. a key reason for poverty in the country. the d. c is around a $162.00 out of a $180.00 on transparency international corruption perceptions index. this

basically means corruption is everyone in the country, including and deals with multinational companies, whether european or chinese. but it's not just outside us to blame. qualities people have had governments thrusted upon them a that's a really of the worst type that one can every much. it's been a 1960 that was hope for a new start. this was the year, the d. c. gain independence. and it's 1st prime minister, patrice, remember, even today, many in the d. c. c. him as the national hero. remember, had a vision for a just nation. the country is not true, results is, should be used for the benefit of its citizens. but just months later, the model was captured by his opponents, unmerited, with the tacit backing of belgium and the us. they wanted him out of the way, fearing he was getting too close to the soviet union during the cold war or so the congo has never recovered from that tragedy. and i think this is the 1st reason why

the country is in repeated cycles of trouble increases. what is the company name, telephone stability, and coming from the smartest, by successive problems. this is beverly a chain speaking a security expert based in the costs cynical when she says governments that haven't actually been many. that's because dictated. joseph does it remember to ruled for 32 years. members who with his distinctive left footprint hat, we names the countries that yet and he grew, i want to ring me rich looting the national causes at the people's expense. western countries including the us, were willing to turn a blind eye. they wanted to keep them close to them and away from the soviet union because you guessed it. they of course wanted priority access to the countries. the result is once the us even send member to several planes and a bit to secure mining rights, he demanded that one of them be loaded with $60000.00 us dollars worth of coca cola

. just have to punch a group that was a refined affected by moving to unfortunately it became part a parcel of the countries. and so it continued long after another to test on the long cubby that then under his son, joseph, who was notoriously corrupt. again, the seas, mineral wealth was sold off to foreign investors and lots of li, low prizes. when current president felix t. so k d took office in 2019, he pledged a crackdown on corruption. but both his elections were marked by fluid allegations . and so many people, not enough, has changed to have in some small story whether that the government has actually met some of the campaign injectors and they have put in place even the question. so

we've seen how corruption and exploitation stand in the way of a brighter future will come galleys people. but there's another major huddled. the peak is the reason of the silver tea in the cool, especially in the eastern part of the democratic republic of congo. he's you to the war, this is ruth, a longer dw corresponded and government. the complex she's talking about is happening in her region in the east of the d. c. more than a 120 different militias active here. yes, you've heard right? 120. some of them are small, local groups, others elijah militias with foreign backing. like the m $23.00 and the fcl will come back to them. these militias have different names and agendas and one way of financing those goals. exactly. we're back to the minerals look at the provinces west hit by the conflict. dettori north, keep you on south, keep it. that's also where many of the,

the sees valuable natural resources are found. it's a conflict built, but it's also a resource to build the minerals and sounds don't end up feeding it to come close to that and groups, antique territories, make them that old and run an entire operation that which then undermines the possibility of that being used for the measurement of the community, but that's much more to this complex the middle have to be added to it. but the fact of even the kind of most useful way back from the picture. i'm not the signing minerals. and so those just fuel the situation, but not to unpack that we need to go back in time and head. so one of the d. c is neighbors. rwanda. what and 1994, a brutal genocide was unfolding. one ethnic group had turned against another who to majority against the ruling tootsie minority. in the end extremist who twos killed

around $800000.00, to seize and moderate to twos. during that time, many vermont and split across the board, and that the se among them. some of the who to perpetrate is the aftermath of the rwandan genocide, still influenced as the conflict in east and d. c. today and the blame game that surrounds it. 2 of the biggest militias of proof of that the, the law started with those who to extreme is linked to the genocide. then does the m, $23.00. its members are mainly ethnic tutsis. so the victims of the genocide, the d. c accuses rolanda of supporting the m 23. and the other way around, rolanda says the d. c is working with the f d a law. both governments denied that it's messy, but bear with us. that is another key, good. the adf. it's very difficult to find pictures of them just of what they need behind a trail of destruction. the estimates melisha originated in uganda and has changed

the circled as i'm extinct, decades of fighting by these group it's and many of us have left around 6000000 people dead since 1996 today. so the 7000000 people in the d. c, internally displaced the un reports. those people have lost everything to companies . i mean, it's supposed to contain the conflict, but they like it seems everyone else have faced allegations of human rights abuses and corruption and maintaining an ami it's costly was up to say, naturally. so see if that could be useful. maybe the developing express drug try education, and s get and so on. so many people keep on suffering while others profit. all of us have neighbors that have nothing good neighbors, naples, that's how the exploits at home goes governance gaps.

that is no doubt that rolanda benefits must have faith from the instability in the d. c. most of the gold rolanda exports is believe to become the least gold smuggled across the border. while the d. c is the world's biggest colton producer, the biggest cold on export to is rolanda. but despite the smuggling, the european union struck a controversial mineral deal with for wanda local and you say this deal even fuse the complex. rwanda is not the only place these results is get to you and act books, found gold and other minerals from the d. c will also banks level to you kind of burn the tons in it. and even the united arab emirates from the, you know, they make their way into international markets. so each of the international block market, again, possibly into your smartphone. so where are we in international efforts to tackle these problems? haven't worked, seats by agreements have broken into pieces,

do you ins. biggest at a peacekeeping mission has logically failed the and the menu, the initiative for the time being just to ensure a level or level to keep on coming on each and every time means that there are the prospect. so is the, at least a little hope for the congo, who needs a democratic, legitimate government that is respected and given legitimacy by the team is still yeah, and i've been, you'll need to help for a better future, a bright future. the government has to involve the local population in managing these resources to the city school. so that seems like wishful thinking for no one else. the longest running conflicts on uh, looks set to continue and others won't stop processing from the countries, which is the

democracies on the ballot. this november, we elect donald trump again. i am scared for the future of our democracy and the, the a lot of people saying president trump the threatening democracy. i feel like because of that we've had the assassination attempts on in the country is deeply divided. it's highly polarized along partisan lines that handle our country with.