Conflict Minerals: Sourcing Practices Changing as US Law on Mineral Imports Takes Hold

Oct 3, 2014 | Anine Vermeulen, Mining Weekly
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For decades, the trade in tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (also known as 3TG), along with various other minerals and resources, has played a central role in funding and fuelling some of the world’s most brutal conflicts.

According to international nongovernmental organisation Global Witness, revenues from the extraction and sale of these natural resources, also known as ‘conflict minerals’, not only provide armed groups with the means to operate but also provide State security forces and corrupt officials with off-budget funding.