Along with 70 other Congo leaders and experts, MSU assistant professor Ashley Leinweber signed an open letter that has been reported on by several international news agencies in recent weeks. For example, see the final paragraph in this Washington Post Monkey Cage blog entry – http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/09/10/in-eastern-congo-economic-colonialism-in-the-guise-of-ethical-consumption/
The letter asserts that “conflict free” initiatives will risk contributing to, rather than alleviating, the very conflicts they set out to address. The full text of the letter can be found at DRC Conflict Minerals Open Letter