DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the primary geographic focus of global conflict minerals regulation. The DRC is rich in 3TG minerals and has experienced decades of armed conflict in which mineral revenues have funded armed groups. Under U.S. Dodd-Frank Section 1502 and SEC Rule 13p-1, the DRC is the central ‘covered country.’ Under EU Regulation (EU) 2017/821, the DRC is a primary conflict-affected and high-risk area. Both frameworks aim to prevent minerals extracted in the DRC from financing armed conflict.

Dodd-Frank Act Section 1502; SEC Rule 13p-1; Regulation (EU) 2017/821; UN Security Council Resolution 1952 (2010).

The DRC is often the starting point of conflict minerals supply chain risk assessment. If any 3TG in a company’s supply chain may have originated in the DRC or an adjoining country, due diligence is required. The eastern DRC provinces (North Kivu, South Kivu, Maniema, Ituri) are particularly high-risk. Smelters sourcing from eastern DRC without robust chain-of-custody controls will typically fail RMAP audits.

A tantalum capacitor manufacturer’s CMRT data shows its primary tantalum processor sources a portion of ore from the DRC. The manufacturer must verify the processor is RMAP-conformant and determine whether the DRC ore comes from responsible mining operations verified through ITSCI or similar regional certification.