Scrubbing Our Cell Phones of Conflict Minerals
Nicholas Kristof.

"My Sunday column is about the campaign to eliminate “blood minerals” from cell phones, lap-tops, digital cameras and other cool devices. I’m actually mildly optimistic that Congo is gaining traction on the international agenda, and that progress is possible after a pretty bad half century for Congo.

After all, for all the attention on the warfare in eastern Congo, most of the rest of Congo is doing better than before. And in the East, there are some hopeful signs. In particular, there has been more pressure on Rwanda, which is becoming less obstructionist than before. Rwanda has done a fabulous job of development at home, not least in empowering women, and so it’s sadly ironic that Rwanda is partly responsible for the atrocities and mass rape next door in Congo. Rwanda’s very success makes it vulnerable to international pressure, however, and I’m hopeful Rwanda is going to do better for Congo in the future.

Likewise, the conflict mineral issue is gaining attention, and the upshot is likely to be more auditing of the origins of minerals coming out of Congo. In the end, companies dealing in Congolese tin and tantalum want to keep that business — and so there will be added pressure for more peaceful mining in ways that doesn’t enrich militias. After all, the mining itself can be a source of income for impoverished Congolese, and it’s good if our phones have Congolese minerals — as long as the minerals aren’t buying guns for thugs.

Consumers are naturally focusing on electronics companies that sell consumer products, like the iPhone. But we also can’t forget the international mining companies whose involvement in Congolese conflict minerals has been known about for years. They are less public and thus perhaps a little harder to embarrass, but their feet also must be held to the fire. And the Congolese army itself needs to be pushed out of the mining business.

Incidentally, one of the people pushing this grassroots campaign on conflict minerals is Lisa Shannon. She’s the quite extraordinary woman I wrote about in January after meeting up with her in Congo. She saw an Oprah show on Congo — and now her life is about making a difference for Congolese women. She heads Run for Congo Women and her book, A Thousand Sisters, came out this spring. She reflects one of the paradoxes that the people making the most difference in Congo are often quite ordinary individuals who don’t initially have the platform or the expertise, but who are equipped with a powerful conscience — and that makes the difference.

My hope is that public pressure will shame the electronics companies into scrubbing their supply chains of blood minerals, providing a bit more pressure that creates some space for a broader peace drive in Congo. And if the price is a penny in the price of a cell phone — sure sounds worth it to me. I’d welcome your comments".

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Apple's classic publicity campaign 'Get a Mac', and the recent mock remake 'I am mac ...and I have got a dirty secret'.

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