Congo's bloody conflicts are often dubbed "resource wars" - wars that are fuelled and motivated by control over the country's vast natural mineral deposits.

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, armed groups responsible for vicious rapes and other atrocities against civilians are reported to use revenues from illegal taxation of minerals to fund their activities.

So surely any attempt to choke off the economic drivers of the war should be applauded.

Some say it's not quite that simple, however.

Two blogs on AlertNet take differing views on how best to tackle a conflict that has killed more than 5.4 million people in the past decade, more than any other war since World War Two.

Anti-genocide group Enough argues that cutting the cord between the minerals trade and local rebel groups is essential to undermining the economic base that keeps the eastern Congo's conflict running.

With sufficient consumer demand on electronics manufacturers to account for where minerals used in mobile phones and laptops originate, financing of the most flagrant rights abusers could be stemmed, Enough says.

And creating transparent supply chains and reforming the mining sector are the first vital steps towards altering the conflict economy in Congo, it argues.

Taking a somewhat different view is consultancy group Resource Consulting Services, which argues that such well-intentioned steps could do more harm than good to Congo's poor.

They say some rebel groups have adequate economic alternatives to continue their campaigns of violence even without profits from minerals.

Further, they argue that efforts to regulate the minerals trade would be a logistical nightmare that could hurt desperately poor Congolese miners with few other ways to make a living.

Both blogs raise complicated and important issues. Tell us what you think. What's the link between minerals and Congo's conflict? Who would be hurt most by attempts to regulate this trade - armed groups or Congo's most destitute?

And what exactly needs to be done to stop the bloody cycle of violence that has plagued the country for years?

Please leave your thoughts at the bottom of the page.

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