Sunday, September 29, 2013

DR Congo seizes 375 kilos of coltan bound for Rwanda: minister



----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Clement Oginga
To: "wanakenya@googlegroups.com"
Cc: "wanakenya@googlegroups.com" ; Mabadiliko ; "jaluo@jaluo.com" ; Change Mombasa ; Uchunguzionline ; "wanabidii@googlegroups.com"
Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2013 3:12 PM
Subject: Re: Rwanda: Kagame, Kerry Discuss Regional Security


Judy,

You're very right; the whole war in DR Congo boils down to thevscramble for Coltan. It's probably the most valuable mineral in the world now and Congo has 60% of the world's supply.
 
Clement Oginga
 
 
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On 2013-09-29, at 3:23 PM, Judy Miriga <jbatec@yahoo.com> wrote:


 
Mambo kama haya ya wizi ndiyo mimi napinga..........sasa ona ameshikwa na ratili kadha za coltan...........Kagame anauwa ili aibe ajitajirishe..............dhulma kaka, ni dhulma haina baraka.
 
 
 
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
 



DR Congo seizes 375 kilos of coltan bound for Rwanda: minister

Sunday, September 29th 2013

AFP21 hours ago





Customs officers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have seized 375 kilogrammes of coltan, a precious mineral used in electronics, en route to Rwanda, an official said Saturday.

The seizure was made Thursday at the "Great Barrier" border crossing, the minister of mines in North Kivu province, Jean Ruyange, told AFP.

Officers stopped a jeep headed towards Gisenyi, across the border in Rwanda, because their suspicions were raised on seeing that the tyres were depressed even though no cargo was visible.

The following day "they noticed unusual work around the chassis, removed a metal plate and found a quantity of coltan, around 375 kilos (825 pounds)," Ruyange added.

The metallic ore is used in electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops.

Ruyange said the driver was taken away for questioning and an investigation was under way to determine the origin of the ore and whether other shipments have already crossed the border.

The minister lamented "fraudsters (who) develop sinister ways to distract our units."

"We have had a lot of cases where they empty the tank, fill it with minerals and devise another fueling system."

The DR Cong has large reserves of oil, copper, gold and diamonds as well as coltan.

On several occasions, Kinshasa has accused Rwanda of supporting rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23), active in North Kivu since May 2012, and financed with the support of Congolese minerals. Kigali has always denied supporting the armed group.

In November 2011, Rwanda returned to the DR Congo more than 80 tonnes of cassiterite, coltan and wolframite that had been smuggled out of North Kivu.





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PR Newswire (New York)

Congo-Kinshasa: EU Missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Extended


press release
Brussels — The Council today extended the two EU missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the EU police mission (EUPOL) and the EU advisory and assistance mission for security reform (EUSEC). This is the last mandate for both missions, which will hand over their activities by 30 September 2014.
EUPOL RD Congo helps the Congolese authorities to implement security sector reform in the fields of policing and its interaction with the justice system. It has 40 international staff from both the civilian and police sectors and Chief Superintendent Jean-Paul Rikir (Belgium) has been Head of Mission since October 2010. For the period from 1 October 2013 until 30 September 2014, the Council has allocated a budget of € 6.3 million to the mission.
EUSEC RD Congo provides advice and assistance to the Congolese authorities in charge of the defence apparatus while ensuring the promotion of policies that are compatible with human rights and the rule of law, as well as the principles of good governance and transparency. It has approximately 40 international staff from 14 member states. Since October 2012, Colonel Jean-Louis Nurenberg (Luxembourg) has led the mission. The Council has also provided a budget of € 8.5 million for the period from 1 October 2013 until 30 September 2014.
The two Common Security and Defence Policy missions are part of the overall EU engagement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In July 2013, the Council adopted conclusions recognising that security sector reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains of strategic importance. In this context, the EU will support the Democratic Republic of Congo in building on the achievements of EUPOL and EUSEC to ensure that the process of lasting stabilisation will continue after the closure of the missions.
SOURCE Council of the European Union
Congo-Kinshasa
UN Envoy Voices Concern At Escape of Two Convicted Army Officers
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