On Monday, May 5, 2025, reports were made that European tantalite prices have reached a 2-year high of about $105 per pound. This is a 25% increase since January and is caused by the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the Rwandan-backed M23. The DRC is the world’s largest producer of tantalite, accounting for 40% of the world’s global supply. Due to safety issues in the eastern region, the M23 rebels have disrupted supply chains, making it harder to secure tantalite. The M23 has taken over the Rubaya coltan-mining region in the DRC. Coltan is the primary ore of tantalite. The UN expresses concern that the exploitation of the natural resources by the M23 is strengthening their military and financial capabilities. As a result, Western smelters are turning to Burundi, Mozambique, and Ethiopia. However, their combined output only accounts for 4.6% of global supply compared to the DRC and Rwanda, which combined account for 56%. The Congo and Rwanda are submitting a peace agreement draft that could restore stability and attract Western involvement and investment into the countries again.
These resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been driving the M23’s attacks. This article shows how valuable the minerals in the DRC are to the world. This situation will make it even more important to the DRC and Rwanda in strengthening their peace agreement, since the conflict is pushing away foreign investment and spending. The surge in prices of tantalite will also make some Western powers help in the conflict due to how rare it is outside of the Congo and Rwanda.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be forced to work together on their peace deal because neither country can go without its foreign investors and funding. However, this will make Burundi, Ethiopia, and Mozambique work on their tantalite and coltan mines to bring in these Western countries. Countries relying on coltan and tantalite from the DRC will be more willing to work with the Congo to end the conflict because of how few of these ores exist outside the DRC.
This article directly connects to what we have learned in class by discussing shatterbelt regions. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda are both located in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is one of the two existing shatterbelt regions. The other shatterbelt region is the Middle East. These regions are deeply divided and are constantly unstable, which then leads to struggles for power. These regions are located between realm powers or emerging regional powers.