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Article

1 Apr 2009

Author:
Joe Bavier, Reuters

Rights group wants Congo 'conflict mineral' tracing

Electronics manufacturers should trace the minerals they use in order to prove they are not funding fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, campaigners said on Wednesday, but critics said the scheme could do more harm than good..."None of the big electronics companies want to fuel the deadliest war in the world," said an Enough Project strategy paper by John Prendergast, the U.S. based group's co-founder."But at a time of financial crisis, when every penny of profit counts, corporations may continue to turn a blind eye toward Congo's conflict mineral trade," it added... However, mineral dealers and experts worry the initiative could make business in Congo uncompetitive, forcing tens of thousands of small-scale miners out of work and into crime.