"I'm 15 years old", says one boy, covered with dust, his hands studded with calluses, his skin cracked and torn. He is one of the workers in Congo's coltan mines. Demand for the metallic ore has soared, triggered by the production of electronics requiring high-performance capacitors, such as cell phones. Adults and children alike labor to chop it from the rugged mountainsides of eastern Congo. Most often, it ends up in the hands of General Laurent Kunda's rebels, who use it to finance their bloodthirsty struggle against the Congolese government. A correspondent follows the trail of this "black gold" through illegal channels, carrying it out of Congo and onto the markets of Asia and Europe.
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In Focus documentaries and reports cover business and science, culture and education, historical and present day events as well as sports and leisure. This wide variety of topics is investigated in depth and presented in an informative format, making for captivating television, courtesy of Germany's Deutsche Welle news network.
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