During the COVID era, my family became obsessed with the board game, “Settlers of Catan.” The objective of the game is to get the most points by expanding influence through the building of villages, cities, and roads. Resources (and resource management) are the key, as gaining resources is necessary to build infrastructure, get points, and win the game. The more resources you have, the more successful you become. This principle should mirror real-life economies: countries rich in natural resources like oil, cobalt, and diamonds can use them to build infrastructure and trade for profit.
Surprisingly, countries flowing with the resources we need are often corrupt, and their residents face violence, poverty, and inadequate access to public goods.[1] This phenomenon is called the “resource curse.” A country’s possession of resources often makes them vulnerable to rebel groups, exploitation by other countries, and can make them reliant on a singular resource, which makes their economies incredibly fragile.
This, in some ways, mirrors Settlers of Catan. The game only has one winner, so cooperation is sometimes beneficial, but only if you are the one person that wins. Outside of the realm of Catan, the history of colonialism and exploitation has contributed to a “winner takes all” mentality. These systematic inequalities and centuries of exploitation, rather than consensual trade, have created problematic patterns in many nations.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has, arguably, been the most affected by this “resource curse.” Colonist King Leopold of Belgium “claimed” the Congo as his own in 1885, and killed millions of Congolese to extract rubber from the country and make himself wealthy.[2] Rubber doesn’t pull the same economic weight it once did. But the Congo finds an easy replacement in minerals we all rely on: cobalt and coltan.
Phones need cobalt and coltan to function, and we need phones to function. The high demand for cobalt has created serious problems in the DR Congo. The cobalt curse has several implications, but the rebel group M23 and its recent siege of Goma have especially salient ties to natural resources. 40% of the global supply of cobalt comes from the DR Congo, and Goma contains several key cobalt mining areas. [3]
M23 is a Rwandan rebel group that claims it is fighting to protect Tutsis (a Rwandan minority ethnic group) and Congolese of Rwandan origin from discrimination.[4] M23 originated shortly after the Rwandan genocide and civil war. It has since maintained its presence in the Congo, citing this protection as its justification.
These ethnic grievances exist, but fail to explain the increase in certain Rwandan exports. Rwandan exports of goods like coltan and gold have risen, while evidence supports the fact that Rwanda doesn’t have enough of these resources internally to account for the rise in exports. Coltan exports have risen by 50% between 2022 and 2023, and Rwanda’s export of gold rose from 1% in 2014 to 47% in 2020.[5] Mineral exports now account for over 1 billion dollars a year, which is double what it was two years ago. [6]
Essentially, Rwanda is exporting high numbers of resources that are found in the DR Congo, and we know that Rwanda does not have enough of these resources internally to account for the spikes. The claim that M23 exists to protect members of its ethnic group could be partially true, but it’s impossible to refute that M23, and Rwanda in tandem, have strong economic and extractive interests. Rwanda is smuggling goods from its DR Congo neighbor, with M23 being its own boots on the ground.
M23’s new capture of Goma is especially significant because it is an essential transport and trading hub for Congolese resources. [3] The captured territory also contains key mining areas. M23 is likely smuggling the goods, and the group itself is making 800,000 dollars a month from taxes on coltan production from its captured mines. [7] M23’s siege of Goma and other areas in the Eastern Congo has a high payout for them, but also for the Rwandan government and economy.
President Kagame of Rwanda has repeatedly justified the existence of M23 for security reasons, while denying its motivation in looting minerals. He conceded the point that Rwanda was involved in the smuggling by saying, “Some people come from Congo; whether they smuggle or go through the right channels, they bring minerals. Most of it goes through here (Rwanda), but does not stay here. It goes to Dubai, Brussels, Tel Aviv, (and) Russia. It goes everywhere.” [8] The growth of Rwandan exports, however, proves that the Rwandan government is profiting from smuggling, even if it denies instigating it. This smuggling is rewarded by nations that use smartphones and laptops, and buy products containing gold.
Rwanda has been accused of being a facilitator in the proxy war in the DR Congo in order to prop up their own economy. [9] M23 is a key actor in Rwanda’s ability to gain access to these resources. The leaders of M23 and President Kagame have denied partnership, but the numbers do not match up. Rwanda’s increased exports, M23’s tax profit, and the groups’ historical link has made collaboration undeniable.
Global trade can benefit countries, but when done poorly, it can exploit resource-rich nations. In an attempt to condone Rwanda’s actions, the U.S. and other Western nations have recently imposed financial sanctions on Rwanda. [10] Sanctioning countries that smuggle and create conflict across borders is one step towards breaking the resource curse. It is unlikely that we will all stop relying on phones and laptops, but we can hold other countries accountable for the issues they perpetuate.
Having resources shouldn’t give a country a disadvantage. Settlers of Catan, while less complicated than global trade, teaches us that principle. Human rights abuses would likely persist in the DR Congo surrounding cobalt and coltan mining, even if M23 somehow ceased to exist. Internal problems due to resources are just as real as the external ones. But continuing to sanction suspect Rwandan exports, and encouraging other countries to do the same, could reduce M23’s motivations for creating chaos in the eastern DR Congo. This is a step towards peace in the country. If money is the motivator, monetary punishment can be a part of the solution. Other nations stand in a powerful position as consumers to punish countries that steal and create problems with their neighbors. Congolese people should benefit from their resources, not be cursed by them.
