The search for tantalum has become so fierce that people in the African Congo are fighting over this rare metal called tantalum. In the Congo there are reports of forced labor, illegal monopolies, and murder in the name of tantalum mining. With people being forced off their farms and the exploitation of children to mine the mineral. Tantalum is little known, but very important as it issued in microelectronics such as PalmPilots, cellular telephones, etc.
As the world demand for high-tech products took off, so too did the price for tantalum. Since the demand for tantalum has increased, more stable tantalum markets other than the Congo have become more appealing. For instance, Canadian tantalum exploration companies like First Narrows Resources (UNO) trading on the Canadian Venture Exchange (CDNX) www.firstnarrows.com/s/Home2.asp and Commerce Resources www.commerceresources.com/s/Home2.asp are exploring tantalum without the violence and bloodshed that is occurring in the Congo.
