Chapter 1.4

Chapter 5

After lunch Mercier took the newly”known Moliki aside on some fallen logs and began a long talk that grew more fluid as the African lost his fears and practiced his French. The visitor had displayed a large map of the North and South Kivu Provinces and asked his interlocutor to indicate the position of the coltan mines in the area of which he was aware. As the man had spent years touring the area, they practically surveyed all the existing production areas, in which several thousand quarries were deployed.

“ ... and in this mine here ... “ He said pointing with his index finger at a point on the map. “ ... There are thousands of men working.

“ From what you tell me most of the mines are in a state of semi”exhaustion.

“ That's right, at least with respect to surface ore, so they should dig tunnels like the ones you have seen today, but this lengthens their useful life for a certain time. They will eventually run out.

Romain made a worried gesture.

“This is in contradiction to the global demand for coltan, which is only growing at an increasingly rapid rate.

“This will shorten the lifespan even more. It will force to develop new sources of the product.

“All mines are on the border with Rwanda.” Mercier reflected.” Will there not be coltan in that country too?

“According to statistics, Rwanda is the largest producer of coltan in the world, but the truth is that it has no reserves of the mineral.

Although the Canadian knew the subject, he asked.

“How do you explain that?

“It is mineral produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo and then smuggled into Rwanda.

“Why do they do that?

“Because the United Nations and countries like the United States have enacted laws for the use of minerals from countries at war, which have already caused more than four million deaths in Congo. When buying

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a product with a fictitious origin in Rwanda, which is not at war, the companies get rid of the closure and the problem.

“But everyone knows that there is no production in Rwanda.

“But companies should ignore this information and continue buying coltan from the Congo, which is the richest in the world, with more than 40% tantalite. They don't care as long as they have a piece of paper that says it doesn't come from war zones.

The stranger knew this reality and grimaced at the hypocrisy not only of companies but of governments that accepted this state of affairs. He asked later.

“What do you know about the armed groups that dispute this wealth?

“There are more than a hundred groups including all ethnic groups in the Congo, plus those supported by the Rwandan government and even the Ugandans. Among them they dispute the booty with massacres and massive displacement of settlers. There are more than four million displaced in the Congo.

“Who finances them?

“The coltan.

Mercier shifted once more in his seat on the trunk and after meditating asked finally.

“Are you aware of other areas of deposits that have not yet been exploited?

This time it was Moliki's turn to stir uneasily at the question. Urged on by his interlocutor he finally spluttered.

“Nothing concrete. Only gossip of escaping peasants.

“Tell me anyway you heard. I will know how to reward you for useful information. You have nothing to lose anyway.

Moliki approached the large map and scanned an area. He followed the outline of Lake Kivu with his finger to the city of Goma, located north of the lake and where Mercier had already been, then his index continued his journey north along the border between Congo and Rwanda to the National Park from the Volcanoes and beyond. His hand traveled tens of kilometers to the north and east, crossed Lake Mutanda and finally landed in a jungle called Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. There he struck with his fingernail, smiling at the Canadian.

“Here. –He said.” This is where there would be unexploited reserves of coltan and other minerals.

"But that's Uganda territory!" Exclaimed Romain in amazement.

“So is.

Mercier was a geologist by profession; He reflected on Moliki's statement and found it made sense. The indicated site was not more than a hundred kilometers from the main known deposits of the mineral and the place where they were found at that time. In addition, it was on the same geological structure that included the great lakes of Central Africa from Albert and Edouard lakes to the north and Tanganyika to the south, of which Lake Mutanda was only a small exponent. Despite his depressed mood due to all the injustices that were evident to him, he smiled. It would be paradoxical if Uganda, involved as Rwanda in the looting of the Congo, harbored the same wealth in its territory. This could become a blessing or a curse, given what happened in the neighboring country.

Moliki, who watched him in silence, guessed the geologist's mental process.

"Too much blood," Mercier said to a stranger.

“How? What do you mean?

“Too much blood shed in Africa.

His interlocutor nodded silently and rose from his precarious seat.

“Come join me.

They both approached the camp that Yusuf and Jerome had established and Romain motioned them to approach the burning fire while waiting for the preparation of lunch. There he spoke in a low voice to prevent someone outside the group from listening.

“ The first thing I want to tell you is that Moliki, if he accepts my offer, will join the group from now on.

All eyes went to the aforementioned who just felt with his head.

“The second thing I tell you is that we will return to Goma and then to Bukavu, in South Kivu. There we

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We can host in a decent place. My purpose in both cities is to get up close and personal with the clandestine coltan marketing circuit, as we will then need to negotiate with it. You Yusuf, you will be in charge of establishing the necessary contacts.

“I already have part of them. “ Answered the aforementioned