top stories. which. made him look forward to be held down say. the pain and suffering will never be forgotten. as well

as the joy of number ration. here a spring the nineteen forty five on our team. download the official auntie of location to your i phone i pod touch from the i choose apps to. watch on t.v. live on the go. video on demand r.t.s. my bold costs and r.s.s. feeds now in the palm of your. questions on the ati dot com hungry for the full story we've got it first hand the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the news makers. it's

now half past the hour here in the russian capital and you are with. the stories that shape the week. georgia's arrest of thirteen alleged russian spies is a political fox aimed at scoring political points. with mistrust. one of russia's top investigative journalists is severely beaten the. police say only questions professional activity was likely to be behind the time. with claims to territory that moscow says its ownership is beyond dispute and promises to invest in the region. and president obama's party suffers a defeat in u.s. midterm elections but many say it's ordinary americans who have lost out on this occasion as a big business played a big part in deciding the outcome. while the giant

a passenger ship. was the most comfortable vessel of soviet times many wanted to experience this floating luxury but only a few lucky few that is managed to get their hands on tickets the question is just how lucky were they find out next right here on our. since two thousand and one marc alleviate herman has been leading a powerful organization in a little known campaign a campaign involving a device that has become indispensable in our daily lives. simple stuff the cell phone this mobile phone is a remarkable piece of engineering but look inside yet there's blood in this machine there's blood in this device because your mobile contains tiny electronic circuits and they couldn't work without a mineral called coal turns its mind in the eastern congo.

yet the song there is blood here the blood of congolese who are dying in a terrible conflict. to learn more about coltan the precious metal at the heart of every mobile you must go to the congo fourteen hundred kilometers from the capital kinshasa near the rwandan border in south keep. this region is a geological miracle stuffed full of minerals and it's ravaged by war four million people have died in the past thirteen years the violence feeds off the abundance of natural resources. we're driving towards the mountains where the mines are it's a dangerous region the congolese army and not in full control here joseph is coming with us he's the mayor of a small town called z.

beera off of his municipality is occupied by guerrillas did not insist on it they came to this area and they never left. and that's a real problem for you isn't it whole communities of congolese have been driven out there have been skirmishes only if you don't what's going on of course the congolese population have suffered serious consequences yet there are killings massacres kidnapping that's in it it isn't. before reaching rebel territory we stop at the zone commander's checkpoint it's guarded by the congolese army. good morning coming down and though it's captain sorry captain one of the soldiers a suspicious they're not completely in charge here. how are you going now we going as far as the mines. follow and joseph introduces us to the officer he's the only person who can give us

a pass to let us go on. as you. know. now. a few kilometers of no man's land. pretty soon there's no one to be seen. the congolese are too afraid to come this far deep in the valley after the bridge the land is controlled by the rebel militias. this is the last outpost of the congolese army. a handful of soldiers hold the bridge we showed the pass given us by the zone commander. it's somewhat of a fall from here to two and a half kilometers do you ever see them when they come we see them. to say hello no we wave that then it's really you get on with them ok good luck see you later.

that's it after the bridge we're in the rebels are on the track is deserted but we sense that we're being watched from the hills. suddenly we have to stop. a small group of rebels has surrounded the car. recall of. the well. we're french journalists. they want to talk to an officer. and they come on announce that went because of all this is because of. the guerrillas the suspicious their leaders and the way to be seen for. these agendas from french television. we would like to meet one of your leaders to ask him to explain what's happening here and what your aims are . what kind of aims. and the situation in congo in

rwanda. that's why we'd like to meet one of the leaders. they're not here but go to the next village and wait first then. we went about to argue the rebels cut across the hills while we continue along the track. they told us to meet them in this village. no chance to get the camera out of the car. cook at the border and. the men are carrying sacks of minerals on their heads under the d.d.a. eyes of the rebel soldiers who were never far away. or right farai. come fall. yes we've come a long way a lot when history i'm a member of the f.t.l. i. forget everything quiet yes it's quiet no problems here.

the f.t.l. is the name of the rebel movement they come from neighboring rwanda and they've been here for thirteen years. a village agrees to tell us a little about the coltan mines. once he's safely inside our vehicle. we never stop digging. because he isn't close because. these people are afraid to dig because of the danger. but the minerals are still there but as soon as you mention the militias no one wants to talk. how do they live this is where they get their money how do they buy their weapons their ammunition to their connection with the mines. i can't say anything about that when it's. ok ok i don't see them i'll be back. the local chiefs agree to meet us but they

refused to be filmed. many of these men have international markets for their arrest they call these are wondering rebels the into ham wayne these are the people who committed the rwandan genocide in one thousand nine hundred forty eight hundred thousand tutsis were massacred by hutu militias. when the situation was reversed tens of thousands of hutus had to cross the congolese border for fear of being massacred by the tutsis. among them when militia men of the former rwandan regime and the soldiers who'd carried out the genocide and army in full flight crossed into congo with their weapons and supplies these are the people way meeting today we're carrying a hidden microphone or. whatever we have from french television we come from paris we're making a documentary about the mines what i mean. there are mines everywhere around here. they stretch from here to temple and. everywhere around here.

and that's as far as we get the rebels discover a microphone they are going to show us any mines we decide to leave. on the way back we passed people carrying minerals coltan. they want to get out of this is known as fast as possible to sell their merchandise for their own they especially want to avoid paying a few notes in taxes to the rebel militiamen. but that isn't the end of their troubles crossing the bridge should mean crossing to freedom but each barrel is shaken down as we watch. they don't want us to film they don't want us to record the congolese people being ripped off by their own soldiers. like . what joseph is disgusted by the situation he lectures the soldiers on the subject. of this.

and the mineral carriers take advantage of the moment to slip away. but this only checkpoint makes people pay to post and that's not allowed it's extortionate. the mineral carriers meet up a few kilometers for their own at this house in run this is the village where all the coal time in the region is gathered some of these men have worked for four days to get here. this. is a much to the sex way. forty kito forty. a barrel gets fifteen euros for this job. another to feel safe away from the militias joseph tells us the whole story. it isn't if you could get all the places where this or is

found are often occupied by foreigners and the mineral is a form of currency is ok that the problem abroad there are two aspects to the problem the political side and the economic side with the political side is the fact that there are always foreigners on congolese soils they should leave this land and return home. but in the meantime they're stealing from the congolese the foreigners are getting rich. but not the ordinary congolese. to get to a mine we have to travel a few dozen kilometers west to a region recently retaken by the congolese army. after three hours drive in a rough track we reach a plateau congolese soldiers go with us they're supposed to protect the mine from the rebels.

in fact the mine is a quarry the workers are adolescents who slave like convicts. and . this is colton the black gold of the congo pieces of rock attached to limestone just what you know what colton is used for no we don't really know we know it's a mineral it's quite a muddy. every able bodied young person in the village must dig the mountain they have no choice in the mine is the only way to earn a living. how old are you fifteen. someone just young children. as in a gold mine the earth is washed several times the impurities are washed away leaving grey sand dotted with little black pebbles. this is the coat and that the armed

groups want so much not long ago they came to get it with weapons as anatole the village headmen remembers. there were militia groups the f.d.a. allowed that they often attack just to get the cult. if they came when they knew people had. they came to steal it but they kill people to. never stop doing that oh they come into the area they steal the cows the goats. because they don't but they don't take the coltan anymore no they don't come here because we're well protected here. at home i know this is their protection a handful of civilians commanded by a soldier poorly armed and ready paid they too sometimes extort money from the miners. for the precious mineral is heated sifted and carefully packed before being

resold to local dealers. that would. discuss ten dollars yes. ten dollars for a small tin of colt and several days work for a minor. deal with. there are a few roads so arab planes are the usual way to take the cold hands of the town's. bukavu air. port is the hub of the region's mineral trade. going. inquisitive people are not popular here with filming with a hidden camera the planes make daily trips to the mining zones to supply them with food and equipment we joined one of the flights.

the pilots are well paid each flight costs two thousand five hundred dollars the shuttle missions are particularly dangerous. there have been many accidents crashes in the hills i'll show you a few wrecks. they were in the clouds and they didn't see the hills they were too heavy they couldn't climb. and. the other danger is the armed men who are everywhere around here. usually we know what's happening around here if there are any armed groups in the area. to have a turn back very often if we land and we see that an armed group has taken over the airport we have to take off again. has anyone ever shot at the plane many times. this is more along the strip five hundred metres of

hard a pocket handkerchief landing it's always scary here. you can't afford to make a mistake or the plane will end up in the trees. sacks of flour sugar cases of beer supplies to be sold on to the minus. but the most important thing is what they'll be taking back cult and. this is one week's production the sec's are not especially big but they weigh on average forty kilograms cult and is one of the most dense met. in the world i mean it. was eight hundred twenty nine kilos. this plane will be carrying about eighty thousand dollars with. the details on the manifest a very sparse just the amount in the recipient of the or nothing about its origin.

the plane comes to malone who just once every ten days without it the village would be completely cut off. there's been no road since one nine hundred sixty eight so there are no trucks nothing you get here on foot and you carry things on your back up yesterday my that's what it says. to me how many days it take to get to book of you almost a week. this is our office and this is where we have the radio let it go to the control tower that's the control tower called. the tower and it's equipment above the base of. this is the v.h.f. transmitter that goes in the control tower it helps the pilot to land safely. if you're sunk in. the radio can be used to warn pilots if rebels have taken over the zone that hasn't been peace in this region since one thousand nine hundred forty

four democracy but it's a many people have died here and maybe thirty the fighters wanted control of the minerals like colton and. now we have protection and security there's trouble elsewhere we've heard about it there are still rebels where are the rebels you have to see them yes they ransack some of the villages around here. it will take less than an hour to get to the town. this is book of the capital of south kivu where in the cathedral. we've come here to meet john both school a follower of liberation theology he's one of the leading critics of the blood trade and colton. says that people ever get bored of talking about natural

resources things like that. as that's exactly what has caused the problems here how do you expect to stoop. it's as if by giving us natural resources the lord has trapped us because other people come and take them from us and instead of improving our lives they've made us much more unhappy than it was. for john bosco his work is a celebration every believer is waiting for a single moment his son. may the peace of the lord be upon you. and upon me i needed as much as you. want to be a difference why doesn't our country function proper magically disappear because many of the people here want to play before they have worked that's cheating that's

corruption if they are prepared to sell themselves to foreigners and that's why we have the war in the congo they on the hutus and tutsis fight each other you fools they give them all weapons bang bang they fight and while they fight the cult time is mind colton gold's done ones. that have to see this gesture. the n.b.a. is popular in this town he's warning cry finds an echo with the poorest of the poor . who only they open. as the war so they can carry on pillaging it but i say it's not a good thing for the waste the west would earn much more here if they stopped draining the country dry and started to help the congo to take off economically. the congo's riches would do more good for the world without this greed the western state should take another look at this system and crack down on the traffickers and

the other modern pirates who are behind this war. to come with them something to consider give us. the base closest allies this woman christine discreet she's the daughter of a belgian planter and the congolese teen picker i would jump she runs an association for women who've been victims of the violence here she attacks their wenden rebels who control the mines. these women have had a miraculous escape they just got away from their hutu torturers they've been raped several times by rebel soldiers. cecile was sixteen years old they kidnapped her and have been. illegal for you know. they held her in the forest for a year and a half using her as a sex slave six yeah and one day she managed to escape i think she was pregnant and she is the little result of the rape little sylvie.

they took my mother and my two brothers my two brothers were taken to work in the mines they were cotinine. did you work in the mine you know the men did they were taken to work in the forest like slaves. and when you were too exhausted they cut your throat. that's how your life ends. either they burn you alive or they cover you up with a machete so far if you're lucky they shoot you in the head. so yes they have lots of mines. and there are people in the town who bring the money. those people leave with the minerals from which they sell in the town. ok. christine is often their only hope in a region where terror is everywhere she gives each one of them ten dollars

a month that's a lot of money here. you can manage you know. abidjan bosco does more than denounce this situation he records the crimes hoping that one day the torturers will be punished by divine justice and by human justice for the barbarous acts they are still committing. so what keeps these armed groups going is the knowledge they can get money for the minerals they dig up and selling it to bargain of and when you see things like this if you ask yourself it shows to the people who buy their minerals it's the product of their rapes do they have a conscience called you their happiness schemes all look at the kinds of things they didn't before. the problem of bukavu is that money and conscience don't go together there's no bank here no industry but people

are building everywhere they call these houses in. this town is full of small air freight companies and as specialists transporters. hypocrisy is everywhere everybody makes money from the mineral trade john b. and the c. kill afraid taken c. they supply the miners with basic goods. such as these are the products so much is batteries and so on it's own people use it for support for the clients. see what the plans are clients of the traders who transport their stuff to the interior. possible to limit funds on it yet one of the ones i love when you do one is you going to eat by the even go to radio to communicate with them and while they're in the forest. they arrange the transport of coke time and other minerals

for the businessman in the town and they also buy call time to resell on their own account about one hundred dollars a kilo that's the export price of contacts. in the business we do business business. and we make a small commission if you do and who sets the prices you see the pretty who sets the prices you do. the white set the prices. but still it's the world market it's you if you're the one to make the telephones it's if i think. it's. as for knowing where the money they pay the producers of the cult and ends up they prefer to be careful. as you do whether it goes to financing the bennion we don't know. that it is.

and yet today and money set in the does finance the gorillas in this region. on the other side of lake kivu we visit goma capital of the neighboring province of north kivu. this region is full of minerals too and racked by rebels. the moment when the world has changed forever. thousands pounced to nothingness. thousands wounded. nursed her hand doomed to suffer to the end of the land. it was the first but probably not the last military uses of this weapon.

how many more will be come. show one common get on in the future. colony colonel wouldn't dare to swim so deep. a tourist would be scared of such cold water. and would never die if not soon within arm's reach. but they are not tourists they are researchers. and feel worse on land than in deep water.