Congo prelate: push for ‘clean energy’ damages Africa, spurs conflict
November 10, 2023
» Continue to this story on Fides
CWN Editor's Note: The demand for minerals used in the transition to “clean” energy sources is causing great harm to both the people and the environment of the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports the president of that country’s episcopal conference.
Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa of Kisangani tells the Fides news service that the rush to mine resources such as cobalt (of which his country has most of the world’s reserves) leads to environmental problems, particularly because “the extraction of these minerals is often not carried out legally and in accordance with bilateral and multilateral rules.”
Moreover, the archbishop says, “the Congolese population does not benefit from the exploitation of these resources.” The profits, he reports, flow to political and military leaders.
Finally, the archbishop observes that the fierce competition to exploit natural resources has fueled the conflicts that have caused thousands of deaths, the displacement of families, and the massacre of civilians in conflicts over land rights.
To environmentalists and human-rights activists, Archbishop Utembi Tapa suggests: “Come to Africa.”
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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