(6 May 09 - RV) A Belgium-based minerals merchant said yesterday it will stop purchasing
tin ore from violence-ravaged eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in response to
pressure from the United Nations. The minerals trade has long been a key source
of revenue for illegal armed groups in the east, including some fighters responsible
for Rwanda's 1994 genocide. The war and subsequent humanitarian disaster have killed
an estimated 5.4 million people over the past decade, while another 1.5 million are
displaced. Bruno Nyenge is the director of Caritas DRC. He says that while the Congolese
are open to sharing their resources, exploitation must stop.