Blood Cell Phone

Congolese refugees and college activists protested outside Sen. Patrick Leahy [1]’s Burlington office last Friday to call attention to a variation on the Blood Diamond dynamic. Mining of the mineral coltan [2] — used in computers, cellphones and game consoles — is fueling a conflict in Congo that has killed more than 5 million people in the last decade. Demonstrators marched down Main and Church streets, pushing carts loaded with computer parts smeared in fake blood.

Sen. Bernie Sanders [3], home from the health care debate in Washington, D.C., met with the group inside his Church Street office. Leahy and Congressman Peter Welch [4] sent staff aides out to meet the protesters, who want Vermont’s elected leaders to hold hearings on the war and sign on to a renewal of the Violence Against Women Act [5], among other legislation that would address the Congo conflict.

Related blog post: Demonstrators Press Sanders, Welch on Congo Crisis [6].