Conflict minerals ban discussed

Mar 05, 2014, 07:08 PM

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We all know the annoying noise a mobile phone makes when it's on "vibrate" but what actually makes it buzz? Apparently it's a highly sought after material called tantalum - just one example of a number of minerals mined in areas of conflict in Africa, and used in electronics and lighting. There are fears that proceeds from the sale of "conflict minerals" are being used to fund violent militias. Now the European Union has plans to crack down on the sale of what have been called "blood metals" - which also include gold, tin and tungsten. To discuss those plans, we brought together Sophia Pickles from the campaign group Global Witness and the EU's trade commissioner Karel de Gucht.