Rwanda plans scheme to avoid conflict minerals

Rwanda plans to introduce a scheme to help buyers certify the origin and supply chain of tin and other ores to ensure they were not from conflict zones, a mining official said on Monday. Rwanda said it would cooperate with ITRI, a global tin authority, in a scheme that it hopes will mitigate the impact of the United States' "conflict minerals" bill, which some in the industry called a de facto embargo.

The legislation passed by the U.S. Senate in July requires companies to prove materials extracted from Democratic Republic of Congo and its nine neighbours, including Rwanda, are not linked to conflict. Rwanda is an important conduit for Congo's tin, tantalum and tungsten trade. Rwanda re-exported material worth $11 million in 2009, according to central bank data.

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