Illegally extracted coltan represents a source of financing for illegal armed groups, especially in Vichada and Guainía, where there are no laws or permits for its legal extraction.
Authorities in the department of Vichada carried out two important joint operations that resulted in the seizure of more than 23 thousand kilograms of coltan, a mineral of high value in the illegal international market, with an estimate that exceeds $6.6 billion.
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The operations were carried out by soldiers from the 43rd Motorized Infantry Battalion of the 28th Army Brigade unit and the 28th Combat Engineer Battalion. In the first of them, a truck loaded with 19,000 kilograms of Coltan-like material during a road checkpoint on Route 38, connecting Cumaribo with Palmarito (Vichada).
Later, in the municipality of La Primavera, also in Vichada, another 4,000 kilograms of coltan were seized. This discovery raised the total amount of coltan seized to 81 tons so far this year in the department.
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The Military Forces emphasized that this illegal activity seriously affects the ecosystems, water sources and natural resources of the region.
What is coltan and what is it for?
Coltan is a mineral composed mainly of columbite and tantalite. These minerals are important sources of niobium and tantalum, two metals of high strategic value due to their unique physical and chemical properties.
Tantalum, in particular, is essential for the manufacture of modern electronic devices, such as mobile phones, computers, tablets, and other advanced electronic equipment.
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Coltan is mainly mined in regions of Central Africa, South America, Australia and some parts of Asia. However, its extraction and trade have been associated with problems such as labor exploitation, armed conflict, environmental degradation and the financing of illegal armed groups in some areas where it is found.
Due to its importance in the technology industry and the growing demand for electronic devices, it has received international attention in terms of its ethical extraction, environmental sustainability and social responsibility in the mineral supply chain.
With information from Colpresa.
