Vatican newspaper laments plight of M23 movement's 'slaves of war' (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))

The Vatican newspaper devoted prominent front-page coverage in its August 20 edition to the plight of workers in coltan mines in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in areas controlled by the M23 paramilitary movement.

In an article entitled “Schiavi di guerra” [Slaves of war], the newspaper reported that “thousands of miners are forced to work in harsh conditions just to bring home something to eat. Many of them are minors, some just children.”

Citing a Human Rights Watch report, the newspaper reported that “in July alone, M23 rebels killed 140 civilians in eastern Congo. This innocent blood undermines the path to peace, as necessary as it is difficult in this region, a crossroads of too many conflicting interests.”