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Gold mining in West Africa (specifically Mali and Ghana) began in the 10th century when European traders became interested in Africa's resources (Kippenburg). The Congo was under the control of President Mobutu (Security Council).
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It was a law designed to start regulation of mining in West Africa, but it failed because several illegal gold mining operations sprung up as a result, much like bootlegging during the Prohibition Era in the US (Kippenburg).
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This law legalized small-scale mining operations in West Africa, but it failed to stop illegal operations called Galamseys (Kippenburg).
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Following the Rwandan genocide, many Hutus fled and set up refugee camps in Zaire; their original plan was to set up camp in Zaire for a future attack agaist the Tutsi-led Rwandan government (Security Council).
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Tutsis in Zaire, led by Laurent Kabila, and backed by an invasion of Rwandan and Ugandan forces, begin to rebel against President Mobutu (Security Council).
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This war replaced President Mobutu of the Zaire governments and founded the DRC with Laurent Kabila as its leader (Security Council).
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In May of 1997, the rebellion led by Kabila took the capital of Kinshasa, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo was founded, led by President Kabila (Security Council). This civil war resulted in 450,000 total refugees without homes (Security Council).
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Several surrounding African nations agreed to provide support against Rwanda and Uganda. Rebel groups against Kabila also were created. Rwanda, Uganda, and rebel groups all set up mining operations in the Congo to fund their campaign (Munn).
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This war was sparked by an invasion of the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwanda and Uganda and the rise of several rebel groups and it has taken 5.4 million lives since its start and even though it has officially ended, the violence continues (Congo's Gold).
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The 1999 Lusaka Agreement was a ceasefire agreement signed by DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda to bring peace to the DRC, disarming rebel groups, and bring the UN Security Council to regulate the area (Security Council).
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In 2001, Laurent Kabila was assassinated, likely by his own bodyguard (Security Council). This sudden change brought even more chaos to the area as it happened during the Second Congo War (Security Council).
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In 2003, Rwandan and Ugandan troops pulled out of the DRC, ending the Second Congo War (Munn). However, many rebel groups remained active in the DRC and without the support of Rwanda and Uganda, the rebels were forced to begin a heavy dependence on their mining operations (Munn).
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Fought between the DRC's military and a Hutu rebel group called the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda; it is more of a subconflict that resulted from the second Congo war (Security Council).
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It was estimated by the Ghana Chamber of Mines (GCM) that there is anywehere in bertween 300,000 and 500,000 illegal miners in Ghana alone (Kippenburg).
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This is just to confirm that this is still a current issue.
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Today there are an estimated 20,000 to 50,000 child workers in mines in Mali (Heilprin). The children work with mercury which causes brain damage (Kippenburg). The coltan mining in the Congo continues a conflict which has cause 5.4 million deaths so far (Congo's Gold). Prices are around $500 a pound and some schools have seen a 30% drop in attendance because kids go to work for more money (Munn).
