Blood Coltan

Most Dutch people own a mobile phone, but few realize that the coltan metal necessary for mobile phones is mined by children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The profits from the coltan trade disappear into the pockets of local warlords. Patrik Forestier tracks the coltan trail from the mines to the European importers. Tradesman are not too happy about priers though.

Children as young as ten work in poor conditions to mine the coltan metal. The coltan trade benefits the warlords and finances the armed conflict. The consequences for the Congo are disastrous: in thirteen years, four million people have died in the fighting. In Blood Coltan, filmmaker Patrik Forestier visits many parts of the Congo, including a coltan mine and rebel controlled areas where Rwandese war criminals are in hiding. At times, tensions are extremely high. Many of those who are involved in Congo’s coltan-trade are not too happy about priers. Western companies benefiting from this trade prefer to conceal the dubious origins of coltan.