Mineral Certification in Great Lakes: Fix for Conflict Minerals or Placebo?

A researcher at the French Institute of International Relations argues that overlapping mineral certification schemes in the Great Lakes region have not stopped conflict minerals from being traded. Thierry Vircoulon points to uninspected mine classifications, smuggling through Rwanda and auditor conflicts of interest as persistent weaknesses. He concludes certification is at best one tool of mining governance, not a remedy for the conflict minerals problem.