Illicit Armed Group

18 Oct , 2019

An armed group, including a public or private security force, that illegally controls mine sites, transportation routes and / or points where minerals are traded, and / or illegally taxes or extorts money or minerals at mine sites, points of access to mine sites, along transportation routes, or at points where minerals are traded; and / or illegally taxes or extorts intermediaries, export companies or international traders; and / or is engaged or complicit in conflict. Illegal activity means activity that violates a country’s sovereignty, or its laws and regulations, or international law. ‘Direct or indirect support’ for illegal armed groups does not refer to legally required forms of support, including legal taxes, fees, and / or royalties that companies pay to the government of a country in which they operate. [References: OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, 2010; UN Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Letter 12 April, 2001]

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