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The laptops, cameras, gaming systems, and other electronic gear that consumers eagerly buy often come with a hidden, painful cost. Many of these items, as well as pieces of high-price jewelry, contain minerals – gold, diamonds, tin, copper, and tantalum, among others – that have been illegally dug out from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Government officials, soldiers, and militia warlords fight over the spoils, killing thousands of people each year, most of them civilians. In the October issue of National Geographic, writer Jeffrey Gettleman and photographer Ed Kashi reported on the bloody business of conflict minerals – and on whether a budding campaign to stop companies from using ill-gotten resources will make a difference. (Photo by Marcus Bleasdale/National Geographic)
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