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What Is the Human Cost of 'Conflict Gold'?

The Democratic Republic of Congo has some of the purest gold in the world. Mariel Müller writes for Deutsche Welle that Belgian businessman Yasin Karim Somji is convinced of the purity of the gold in Misisi and other places in the North and South Kivu regions. He plans to soon open the first gold refinery in the country and export the gold to Europe, Asia and America.

But it will be hard to make sure the gold that comes out of the region is not linked to rebels. Traders have said that tracing certificates that indicate the origin of the gold are already altered in the first city they reach - Bukavu, in the DRC's east. The vast majority of gold from DRC Congo is smuggled illegally across the border. When it reaches its final destination, it is virtually impossible to know where it originally came from.

Rebel-controlled gold mines force miners and civilians to risk their lives, while the wealthy buy gold in the global north, Müller reports for Deutsche Welle.

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(file photo).

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