By: Sarah Katz-Lavigne

It's admirable that you're trying to raise awareness about the situation in Congo, but as a PhD student who did my fieldwork in the cobalt-mining region, I have to say that it's unfortunate that even the most basic research didn't go into this piece. The armed groups you're presumably referring to are in eastern DRC or the Kasa? region (or in Orientale, if you want to go further afield). The cobalt mines are in a different region altogether. If you're going to make a point about the importance of armed group control of mines for conflict (which many others have already debunked), your basic facts should at least be there.