WASHINGTON, July 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. financial reform bill has a provision that would target so-called conflict materials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a review indicated.

The language in the measure getting President Obama's signature Wednesday will require thousands of U.S. companies to disclose the procedures they're taking to ensure their products -- such as laptop computers, cellphones and medical devices -- don't contain so-called conflict minerals from the Congo, The Washington Post reported.

While the "conflict minerals" issue wasn't discussed much during congressional debate, it attracted growing concern from an unlikely alliance of conservatives and liberals -- from Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., to Eve Ensler, author of "The Vagina Monologues," the Post reported Wednesday. Activists said they hope to see an international system for curbing the trade, such as the one that has slowed the sale of "blood diamonds" from West Africa. Profits from conflict materials, including diamonds and strategic resources such as tin, tantalum and tungsten, are used to finance violent groups.

"This is one of those issues that is below the radar for about 99.9 percent of Americans," Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., said. "Everyone has their cellphone up against their ear, nobody is thinking of Congo or conflict minerals. But everybody's got some, potentially, right next to their ear."

The provision would apply to electronics companies, major users of Congolese tantalum, and all publicly traded U.S. firms that use tin and gold.

"This is a law that is going to affect virtually the entire U.S. manufacturing sector," Rick Goss, vice president of environment at the Information Technology Industry Council, told the Post.

The provision is the first of its kind in the world, Goss said. European governments are considering a similar step.

The war in the Congo, which began after the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda, killed an estimated 5 million people in mineral-rich eastern Congo, the Post said. Hundreds of thousands of women have been sexually assaulted in what U.N. envoy Margot Wallstrom once called the world's "rape capital."