“The Church cannot remain silent”: SECAM President Speaks Out against Exploitation of Africa’s Mineral Resources

He continued, “How long will our Churches, our Christian missions, leave unanswered in terms of solutions to the serious questions raised by the murderous logic that decimates civilian populations? We understand here the prophetic and pathetic appeal of Pope Francis during his visit to the DR Congo: Take your hands off the DR Congo! The Congo is not just a mine to be exploited!”

Cardinal Ambongo lamented that the minerals, which are essential for powering modern technology such as electric vehicles, smartphones, and computers, come at “a deadly price” for many African communities.

“The extraction and transport of these minerals dispossess and displace families from their lands. There is often violent demolition of homes, water contamination, air pollution with heavy metals, the release of cyanide into nature, with serious damage to agricultural, livestock or fishing yields,” he said.

Cardinal Ambongo further said, “The possible macroeconomic growth that this exploitation brings does not improve in most cases the standard of living of the communities concerned. Per capita income becomes significantly lower, while only a small group of people get rich.”

He said that the death toll from the exploitation of what he described as “blood minerals” is very heavy in Africa. 

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The Cardinal noted that the exploitation of critical minerals such as tin, tantalum, gold, tungsten, as well as minerals of the energy transition such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, gives rise to armed conflicts in several African regions.

“These minerals are present in batteries of electric vehicles, smartphones, laptops, etc. Indeed, under the instigation of Multinationals, armed groups locked in a vicious circle of financial logic, are fighting in several African regions. The war allows the control of the different mines, at the same time the sale of minerals is used to finance the war,” he said.

Particularly focusing on his home country, the DRC, where over 8 million people have died in resource-related conflicts over the last 30 years, Cardinal Ambongo outlined the dangers faced by people living in areas with rich mineral deposits.

“There are currently more than 100 armed groups sowing terror. Therefore, living in regions rich in mineral resources is fraught with great dangers: conflict, expropriation, respiratory diseases, illiteracy,” he lamented.

The Congolese member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) said, “The Church must courageously denounce these injustices, support the weak, and propose true reconciliation.”

“It is up to us as an outgoing Church, despite all these tragedies, to continue to constantly transmit the message of hope in the risen Jesus,” Cardinal Ambongo said.

He said, “Christian hope is inhabited by a simple conviction that the future has a face and a desirable face, even if we are unaware of its features. It therefore also holds that the form in which the present is given is not unique or closed in on itself.”

“Something else is possible, which must mobilize us to face the present time and its difficulties. Strengthened by this Christian hope, the Church plays its part in the transformation of our societies,” Cardinal Ambongo said.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.