“Next time you use your StarTac,

remember Patrice Lumumba.

The full story behind the Congo’s

bloody mineral trade… Tantalum – the refined extract of Columbite-tantalite (coltan for short)- is a hot product. It’s used in everything

from mobile phones made by Nokia and Ericsson to computer chips made by Intel, according to the Industry Standard. The

Congo supplies 7% of the world’s tantalum, and demand is only growing. Almost all the Congolese tantalum comes from

rebel-controlled coltan mines where they maintain brutal control over the local population. According to the Industry

Standard, the rebels have earned millions of dollars from western technology companies who have so far done little to

avoid purchasing “conflict” tantalum. A recent UN report called the companies trading minerals in the Congo ‘the engines

of conflict in the DRC.’ ” NoLogo