Manhattan —

For many, one’s cell phone has become a fifth limb. But, for Congolese lawyer Joseph Mbangu, it’s more a case of life and death.

The New York-based lawyer is trying to alert cell phone and laptop users that a key ingredient in their devices has been at the center of vicious struggles over natural resources between rebel and government forces in the eastern Congo.

“So many people have to die for us to be innocent users over here,” said Mbangu, who is also the outreach coordinator for the documentary, “The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo,” recently aired on HBO.

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