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Thirst For Coltan Fueling African Conflict

Posted by timothy on from the thirst-for-coltan-would-be-a-great-movie-title dept.

MetaPhyzx writes "According to an article put forth by the Toward Freedom website, the metallic ore known as columbite-tantalite or coltan for short is fueling conflict in central Africa. The relevance to us who read news for geeks: Coltan is in quite a few consumer electronics; the article references the Sony Playstation series." As reader fahrvergnugen points out in the comments below, there's reason to more than doubt the currency of the claims in the above-linked article, as outlined in a post at Joystiq.

46 of 252 comments (clear)

  1. Sorry to say but... by religious+freak · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Anything and everything fuels conflict in Africa. At most, this is throwing a match into a raging fire.

    --
    If you can read this... 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100101 01100101 01101011
    1. Re:Sorry to say but... by the4thdimension · · Score: 4, Interesting
      The movie "Blood Diamond" had it right when they showed the G8 conference and one of the reps said something like:

      "Anytime a material of value is found in Africa, the locals die in pain and in great number."

      Unfortunately for Africans, this is one of those movie parts we wish was just in a movie. It's much too bad that its actually true.

      --
      Crackin' Wise - Blogging about whatever we want
    2. Re:Sorry to say but... by dbrutus · · Score: 4, Informative

      Congo sourced coltan is less than 1% of the world market which is currently dominated by Australian production. How much better control do you want than sourcing 99% elsewhere?

    3. Re:Sorry to say but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Lord Apathy (584315):

      Really, who gives a shit anymore?

      Surprising.

    4. Re:Sorry to say but... by Hijacked+Public · · Score: 4, Insightful

      As with most generalizations, yours is too general. A great many regular Africans would be happy to get by not much above subsistence, if they could do it in relative freedom.

      The problem happens to be that while 'a great many' think a world of peace, love, and understanding would be a great place to live, there are a few who think it sounds like a great place to pillage.

      --
      "Sacrifice for the good of The State" - The State
    5. Re:Sorry to say but... by digitrev · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The real problem is that the few who think it'd be a great place to pillage also have the means to do so.

      --
      Cynical Idealist
    6. Re:Sorry to say but... by ivan256 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The real problem is that peace, love, and understanding don't defend you from guns, knives, and rocks.

      The parent is saying, essentially, that Africans, like the rest of us, live in the real world, and not fantasy hippy fairy land.

    7. Re:Sorry to say but... by JonTurner · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The means, yes, and the will. Either alone is not enough.
      If history teaches us anything it is that the world is, and always shall be, ruled by force. Those who are willing and able to use it shall have their way with those who cannot or will not.

    8. Re:Sorry to say but... by eln · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It might have something to do with the fact that throughout its history Africa has been repeatedly exploited by various foreign powers that considered its native inhabitants to be lower forms of life.

      I'm not saying Africa was a peaceful utopia before the Europeans got there, but centuries of exploitation certainly didn't do them any favors.

    9. Re:Sorry to say but... by LWATCDR · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Sorry but I am working with project in Nigeria right now. To say that things can not change is just wrong.
      My family is from Northern Ireland. I visited there during the worst of the troubles and I learned some important facts that I wish everybody would learn.
      1. Most people just want a future for themselves and their children.
      2. Most the problems in the world are caused by a few heavily armed idiots.
      3. It is a lot easier to be a hard core supporter outside of the war zone.

      Things in Northern Ireland have improved a lot. People have jobs and a future so they are not killing each other and they are not putting up with people killing each other.

      Oh the other lesson I learned was. When the IRA blows up a police station and you are a young man. RUN. The the British Army will not ask you for your passport before they knock you to the ground.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    10. Re:Sorry to say but... by jd · · Score: 4, Funny

      The Aussies have 99% of the world's supply of a war-fuelling substance, and it's not a lager?

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    11. Re:Sorry to say but... by gnick · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yep - That's all it takes. That's why, as soon as word got out about the horrors and hardships that blood diamonds were encouraging, the Congo immediately shut down all of its diamond mining capabilities. Just let the world know how ugly the situation is and they'll gladly give up their luxuries or pay a little bit extra to get them from somewhere a little more stable.

      What?

      They wont? The DRC is still exporting 8% of the world's diamonds and refusing to tell the UN where they're coming from and how they're attaining them? Well that's just sick...

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    12. Re:Sorry to say but... by Lord+Apathy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I would have to say that I agree with you but there is nothing we can do about that now. We tried to make up for that and it's pretty much made things worse. Africa will have to come to grips with it's own problems. That will involve a lot of fucking blood shed too.

      --

      Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification

    13. Re:Sorry to say but... by jd · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Peace, love and understanding has nothing to do with defending yourself. The martial arts are primarily a means of defense, not attack, and are said to be quite handy against guns, knives and indeed rocks. You can love your fellow man and wear body armour, to much the same effect. Peace does not require intimidating everyone else into cowardice. It is quite sufficient to make hostile intent completely ineffective.

      (Hell, most geeks already know this. Which is a more effective way to stop someone reading your e-mail? Threatening them or encrypting it?)

      Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, a wise man once said. I beg to differ. It is usually the first. It is the competent who defer it until all other options have failed, and even then the most competent would seek to find ways to not have to resort to it.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    14. Re:Sorry to say but... by Ares · · Score: 5, Insightful

      every so often i see a quote in someone's sig around here saying something along the lines of "a man with a gun is a citizen. a man without a gun is a subject." sad, but very applicable here.

    15. Re:Sorry to say but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Damn Skippy!

      Did i mention that i too am work in Nigeria? As matter of fact i has 10 million dollars worth of coltan that my uncle left me, and fortunate for me I sold it to wealthy european business man. But he pay in american cashiers check and I no can cash.

      My friend, this where you come in, I willing to give you 10% of money for you to cash check. All you need do is send me the 90% in cash then you cash check and make $100,000!

      What think you?

    16. Re:Sorry to say but... by steve_bryan · · Score: 4, Informative

      Are you kidding? It appears your "/sarcasm off" is about WMD. Nigeria has huge oil reserves and they are a major producer. Is it customary for your comments to be so ill informed?

    17. Re:Sorry to say but... by lee1026 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The martial arts is not effective against guns - there is a reason why the army issues its soldiers guns instead of martial arts training.

    18. Re:Sorry to say but... by gregbot9000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The problem with African tribes is they have too much freedom. They have the freedom to violate the rights of others without any consequence. This lack of law creates a rule by force in which the incentives favor violent force over non-violent competition. This means any new resource found will lead to bloodshed as the means of competing for them instead of market competition. I don't see that as being to general, since the entirety of history until constitutional monarchy was implemented is filled with the same pattern.

      I got assaulted with negative mods when I said the Burma junta was going to seize the aid as being ethnocentric and making over generalizations, a week latter they did. I was no more wrong about that than this because it is human nature to follow self interest, and the incentives as they exist in Africa now make the competition by force and the war of all against all it brings the most rational.

      The problem is Human nature is that it is very rational even in irrational situations. Africans may know that if they support co-operation today they might eat better tomorrow but they also Know that if they don't kill the other town they will probably not live to see tomorrow and will eat better today if they do. the option of furthering the system of violence in this case is the more rational. this is played out in movies, no one is going to be the first to drop the gun when they know the other will shoot them if they do.

      Africa has a great many regular Africans who WOULD be happy to get by not much above subsistence, if they COULD do it in relative freedom, but they opt instead to do it through organized violence.

    19. Re:Sorry to say but... by ivan256 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Your wise man was wise. Violence is sometimes appropriate, and a smart person would know when to use it. An idiot would say "it's the last resort", and try to reason with an aggressor rather than defend himself.

      You live in a peaceful society because we have chosen to apply violence when necessary to stop those that deviate from our generally agreed upon rules of conduct. If we instead chose not to use violence until the last resort, we would find ourselves constantly fighting for our lives against those who chose to exploit us; or more likely, we'd be dead.

    20. Re:Sorry to say but... by Belial6 · · Score: 4, Funny

      "The martial arts are primarily a means of defense, not attack, and are said to be quite handy against guns, knives and indeed rocks."

      Are you seriously going to go with this? Really?

    21. Re:Sorry to say but... by kabocox · · Score: 4, Funny

      (Hell, most geeks already know this. Which is a more effective way to stop someone reading your e-mail? Threatening them or encrypting it?)

      Um, I thought it was either boring them or annoying them with the content of said e-mail.

    22. Re:Sorry to say but... by atari2600 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Martial arts can counter small arms fire only when you have enough chi/energy/filled white bottle with filling at lower right hand corner of screen and you press B for bullet-time before the bullet pierces you.

      In all other cases as evidenced by Indiana Jones' handgun, guns win against martials arts.

      Sorry, couldn't resist.

    23. Re:Sorry to say but... by Burning1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Violence is an option best avoided, because violence almost always costs both parties. There is no economic value in producing a weapon. It does not enrich anyone's lives. It does not improve living conditions. There is no return on investment. It's merely a tool to destroy something. It certainly has it's place, and there is a need to be able to defend ourselves from other people's weapons. But it is not an ideal way to spend our money.

      Likewise, you don't have to negotiate with a man when his swing is mid flight to your face. But it's important to negotiate before things reach that point. You are a fool if you think that there is any absolute procedure to handle all situations - politics is an art, not a science. But there are still many important concepts to understand and apply.

      One other thought:

      Ultimately, even the smallest infraction (a speeding ticket?) is backed up by deadly force.

      - If I get a ticket, I can choose to ignore it, and to continue speeding. The state will suspend my license, and issue a warrant for my arrest.
      - If an officer tries to arrest me, I can run. The state will eventually setup trans, and a roadblock.
      - If I'm pulled over, I can refuse to submit. The state will use physical force to subdue me.
      - If I fight, I can be shot.

      All for a speeding ticket.

    24. Re:Sorry to say but... by xappax · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Uh, no. You have little to no knowledge of the conflicts over diamonds, and should learn some more before making such proclamations. The "gvmnt. of that country" is not the only party responsible for most resource conflicts in Africa. In many cases it's not even a significant player.

      We're not talking about Iraq here, a country which had a stable government until the US showed up. We're talking about a situation where various militant factions and warlords ally themselves with transnational export companies in order to fund their weapons and equipment, and in this case use forced labor to supply the export companies with what they want.

      So in short, it doesn't matter worth a damn whether you show them a better way and have them elect their own government, because their neighbors are members of an armed militia which operates completely independently of the government, and may someday decide to enslave them.

    25. Re:Sorry to say but... by RockDoctor · · Score: 3, Informative

      Violence is the last resort of the incompetent, a wise man once said. I beg to differ. It is usually the first.

      Wasn't that in the Foundation books? I think it was meant to signify that violence is such a worthless option that only the incompetent would use it at all, and even then it would be their last resort.

      Yes, that line is in the Foundations. The Good Doctor was tipping his literary hat to another Good Doctor, Samuel Johnson, the harmless drudge : "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  2. Something tells me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...That John Connor has something to do with this.

    1. Re:Something tells me... by gnick · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually... From here...

      In season 1, episode 4, "Heavy Metal", of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles , it is stated that the endoskeleton of the Terminator machines is made using alloys derived from coltan to make them hardened to heat.

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  3. Spread the blame by theelectron · · Score: 5, Informative

    Tantalum capacitors are used in a lot of electronics. While they are used in Playstations, that doesn't mean Sony (as much as I dislike them) are at the majority of fault. And now Sony doesn't use coltan from that region, so as not to support conflict. They just threw the playstation name around for publicity, I think they could have done better.

    1. Re:Spread the blame by SlashWombat · · Score: 3, Informative

      Tantalum capacitors are expensive, and tantalum is said to be a poison.

      There are now better, and cheaper alternatives using ceramic capacitors. Ceramic capacitors in the 1 uF to 470 uF range are now MUCH smaller than their tantalum equivalents, have far superior characteristics (almost ideal) and are cheaper. In fact, these newish ceramic caps are so good, that in some applications a resistor is required in series with the device if they are being used to replace a tantalum capacitor. So, in the end, it doesn't matter if the source dries up.(From an electronics viewpoint)

      (In fact, tantalum caps have increasingly become more expensive for many years now, to the point where most designers tend to avoid using them as there are many other options that have become available due to the shear cost of tantalum capacitors.)

      Ceramic caps also avoid the deterioration over time that electrolytic capacitors "enjoy", so your equipment should last longer. (Without leaking their contents all over the other electronics on the board!)

    2. Re:Spread the blame by homer_ca · · Score: 3, Informative

      It wasn't Sony forcing coltan prices up, it was total industry demand for tantalum capacitors. I know Sony sold a lot of PS2's, but how many tantalum caps go into a PS2 anyway compared to a mobile phone? Spread the blame around to Nokia and Motorola too.

  4. In other news.... by johnny+cashed · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Thirst for oil is fueling middle east conflict. News at 11.

    1. Re:In other news.... by Bombula · · Score: 4, Interesting

      True enough. Interesting how being willing to pay for something without asking any questions about where it came from hasn a way of creating problems, isn't it? Clothes sold everywhere from Wal-Mart and the Disney Store to Oscar De Larente boutiques are made in sweatshops by 'sub-contractors' so the buyers can retain plausible deniability. Same goes for electronics parts - like the iPod and the iPhone. More personally, say your child needed a kidney, for example. It'd be easy to not ask where a donor organ came from.

      So the question is, who draws the line - and where - when it comes to the supply of goods or services whose origins are mired in strife? We regulate the donor organ market pretty heavily. We consumer products like apparel and electronics moderately. And we don't regulate diamonds or oil at all.

      I don't have any answers, mind you. (Well, maybe I do - but the cat will stay snug in the bag until after I'm published). For now, I'm just saying there are important questions here that have gone unasked and unanswered for too long.

      --
      A-Bomb
  5. Not quite so much by Ancient_Hacker · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Tantalum is used in small quantities to make high-performance and compact electrolytic capacitors.

    Typically a tantalum cap will have lower leakage current and be about 1/4 the size of a aluminum electrolytic, at about twice the cost.

    As an electronics repair guy, I just *love* tantalum caps, as they quite often short out given an opportunity. Most repair places won't even try to do component-level repairs anymore, so that leaves lots of nice equipments for me to fix.

    1. Re:Not quite so much by seanadams.com · · Score: 3, Informative

      Although not as dense, newer conventional electrolytics, as well as higher capacity multilayer ceramics, seem to be increasingly preferred to tantalums in new designs due to their improving density and decreasing cost. Eg you can now get X7R ceramic 22uF in 1206 packages - once exclusively the realm of tantalums, and with better ESR and temperature stability. So are tantalum's days numbered anyway?

    2. Re:Not quite so much by pz · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Tantalums have a bad reputation for unreliability. They are less forgiving to overvoltage than electrolytics. My father, who designs some of the most reliable instrumentation I've seen anywhere (he estimates a 30-year lifetime for his devices, and that's with 100% duty cycle, continuous use), derates tantalum capacitors by a factor of 2 and has no problems with them failing. (Eg, if you have a max expected voltage of 5 V, use a tantalum that's rated at for at least 10 V.) Electrolytics, on the other hand, have well-known lifetime issues, even when run conservatively, because the electrolytic chemistry is inherently corrosive.

      --

      Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
  6. Overblown handwringing based on outdated data. by fahrvergnugen · · Score: 5, Informative

    Joystiq has posted an excellent refutation of this tempest in a tea-pot.

    --
    Even Jesus hates listening to Creed.
  7. 2001 called... by Diego_27182818 · · Score: 5, Informative

    And it wants its story back.
    http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE1D7113CF931A2575BC0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

    --
    Warning, cape does not enable user to fly
  8. Consumer Electronics? by Hektor_Troy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Consumer electronics my ass - it's being stockpiled for Terminator endoskeletons

    --
    We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.
    1. Re:Consumer Electronics? by MBGMorden · · Score: 4, Funny

      Speak for yourself. I think a Terminator version of Summer Glau (programmable, of course) would be one hell of a big seller at Best Buy. I know I'd buy one.

      If they had a Kristanna Loken on sale I'd probably pick up one of those too. Depends on what type of rebates they were offering.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
  9. Wait, what did that say? by techpawn · · Score: 4, Funny

    Thirst for Coltrane Fueling African Conflict?
    See there is a place for Jazz in the world... But liked him before he got clean man... No junk... No soul...

    --
    Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what your country did to you
  10. Re:Text from TFA by X0563511 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is there a <br /> shortage?

    --
    For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  11. Disappointed to see this story here by Pheidias · · Score: 5, Informative

    This was already ancient news when a nearly identical story came my way nine months ago.

    Here is Nokia's statement from 2006 (one of many companies to establish a policy regarding tantalum sourcing as a result of the Congo conflict), sitting in plain sight on their website:

    http://www.nokia.com/A4230065

    "Our position: Tantalum / Coltan

    "Nokia is not buying tantalum or other raw materials but processed components and assemblies from suppliers around the world. Suppliers' activities account for a substantial part of the life-cycle environmental impact of Nokia products. Nokia has a comprehensive set of global Nokia Supplier Requirements. These requirements also include environmental requirements. It is an integral part of Nokia's supply chain management to ensure that the suppliers comply with the requirements. To ensure compliance, trained Nokia personnel conduct regular assessments as part of normal supplier assessment.

    "Nokia does not use any endangered species for any business purpose and furthermore requests that its suppliers avoid raw material procurement from an origin where there are clear human or animal rights abuse, or the method of procurement or distribution is illegal. In marketing and other company activities, Nokia will depict animals in a dignified manner.

    "Nokia has sent a notification of the Congo situation to its suppliers using Tantalum asking them to follow the situation, and to avoid purchasing tantalum from Congo. Nokia is also reducing the use of tantalum in its products."

    --
    811.29.3.2
  12. Re:Text from TFA by Emperor+Zombie · · Score: 3, Funny

    Didn't you hear? More than 70% of the world's supply of /> tags are mined in Africa. The GP is trying to prevent further bloodshed by boycotting their use.

    --
    I'm so excited I just made water in my pantaloons!
  13. Hmmm by copponex · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Here's one way to do it.

    Stop selling weapons to Africa. Join the ICC to put those in jail who do sell weapons to Africa. Help them become self sufficient instead of just sending them cash. The US Economy alone could cut it's war budget by 10% and feed the whole continent. (I factor in nuclear research, the Dept of Homeland Security, and all other actually war related expenses for a total of one trillion dollars per year.)

    The reality is that we don't want to help Africans because we don't care about Africans. Rwanda? Darfur? Give our leaders a call when you can find some better natural resources to exploit, and then our march of freedom will spread southward. Otherwise we'll keep people like Nelson Mandela on our terrorist watch lists along with anyone else who dares to oppose pro-American governments.

  14. violence by falconwolf · · Score: 4, Informative

    There is no economic value in producing a weapon.

    Sure there is, it makes defense contractors lots of money. But it is a drain on the economy, there's the opportunity cost, money that could have been used more wisely.

    Falcon

    --
    Should there be a Law?