Sasha Lezhnev's blog

Apple released its 2012 Sustainability Report last Friday, and it showed that it is doing some things very well on conflict minerals and other things not very well.  Read More »

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Congo wrote to the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, last week supporting strong regulations for the Dodd-Frank legislation on conflict minerals and combating the notion that the bill is bad for Congolese livelihoods.  Read More »

The United Nations Group of Experts on Congo wrote to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday to say, in sum, “Since the signing into law of the Dodd Frank act, a higher proportion then before of tin, tungsten and tantalum mined in the DRC is not funding conflict.” This is a significant statement, coming from an internationally mandated group that has done in-depth research at hundreds of mines across eastern Congo over the past year.  Read More »

Following calls to action from advocates from many corners, USAID has just announced a $20 million livelihoods project in eastern Congo. It is a request for proposals for a four-year program in the Kivus and Orientale provinces, focused on people affected by sexual violence and the conflict minerals trade. Because grassroots communities bear the brunt of the violence in eastern Congo, Enough has called repeatedly for such a project, and we applaud USAID for this initiative.  Read More »

The notion that minerals stopped fueling war in eastern Congo does not square with the facts on the ground, and a broad consensus has agreed on this conclusion—from regional heads of state, to many local civil society groups, to the United Nations Groups of Experts, to the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, to investors, to electronics companies.  Read More »

Ending the world's deadliest conflict is no easy task, but a growing consensus of Congolese civil society, electronics and metals companies, investors, and governments are now taking action to do so. A chief driver of their work is the Dodd-Frank legislation on conflict minerals, which is why a coalition of 40 Congolese human rights groups called it "the leverage needed to instill and impose ethical business practices in the Great Lakes region."

David Aronson's op-ed "How Congress Devastated Congo," misses the critical link in eastern Congo: the continuing role of the minerals trade as a fuel for violence and a major source of revenue for armed groups and military units responsible for atrocities.  Read More »

The United Nations Group of Experts on Congo issued their latest report this week, highlighting that the Dodd-Frank legislation on conflict minerals is spurring reform in eastern Congo. The U.N. experts group is normally one of the best sources of information on eastern Congo, as they dig into the roots of the conflict and are not afraid to name officials who are helping perpetuate the war. This interim report, which will be followed up by a full investigative report in November, brought out several key issues regarding both eastern Congo and the LRA conflict.  Read More »

Amidst bitter political fighting on the U.S. budget, a bi-partisan Congressional coalition came together today to unite on a solution to the crisis in eastern Congo.  Thirty-five members of Congress from both parties, led by Don Payne (D-NJ) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), wrote to President Obama today to urge the administration to appoint a Special Envoy for Congo and the Great Lakes region. This letter comes just at the right time.  Having just returned from Congo, I saw that the need for an envoy is greater than ever.  Just four days ago, Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson stated that “We have heard numerous calls for the appointment of a roving special envoy, but we believe for a variety of reasons that our ambassadors and their embassy teams in Kinshasa, Kigali, and other capitals are in a strong position to tackling these problems."  Read More »

The Congolese military will set up a military justice mobile court next week in Walikale, the most mineral rich area of eastern Congo, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Mines. “Any soldier caught trading minerals is breaking the law and this means he should be punished,” said Mining Minister Martin Kabwelulu, as quoted by IRIN.  Read More »

This week the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted an all-day public seminar for policymakers and academics entitled "Economic Dimensions of Peace Negotiation." I presented on Congo’s conflict minerals.  Read More »