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Activists Raise Awareness of Congo's 'Conflict Mineral' Industry
Most consumers do not realize that components in their cell phones, lap top computers and video games are produced from minerals that are often mined by armed groups in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. A new U.S. campaign has been launched to raise awareness about how the mining perpetuates violence and to urge manufacturers to buy only "conflict-free" minerals.
In the past decade, a campaign to raise consumers' awareness about the origin of diamonds mined in conflict zones has spurred the jewelry industry to take steps to buy only so-called "conflict-free" diamonds.
The Enough Project at the Center for American Progress in Washington is hoping its campaign will do the same for electronic items.
"It turns out the purchases of our laptops and cell phones and MP3 players and digital cameras, all these different electronics products, have inside them minerals that are sourced in the Congo that provide the fuel for the deadliest war in world," said John Prendergast, the co-founder of the Enough Project.
The main minerals mined by Congolese armed groups are tungsten, gold, cassiterite from which tin is produced, and tantalum that comes from coltan.
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