DRC: Kabila wants to end the military business in minerals

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, has decided to suspend mining operations for an indefinite period in three provinces in eastern DRC, North Kivu, South Kivu and Maniema. The decision was taken during a visit by the President in North Kivu, the scene of mass rape, by armed groups, of 240 women.

The Head of State also denounced the clear involvement of some government authorities, local, provincial and national, both civilian and military, in illegal logging and illegal trade in minerals. The Provincial Minister of Mines of North Kivu, Assisi Masika, declared that the objective aimed is to clean up this sector and provide better living conditions for people plunged in poverty and insecurity. The North and South Kivu are very rich in minerals, mainly “cassiterite” (tin ore), used in welding, and the “coltan” used in cell phones and computers, game consoles. There are also deposits of gold. Illegal logging is undergone in many careers under the control of active armed groups in the two provinces, mainly by the Hutu rebels, called the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (DFLR). But also by Some regular army officers, former Congolese rebel members of the National Congress for the Defence of the People who have rallied Kinshasa in early 2009, and have been integrated into the army, also benefit from the operation of some mines. The security situation has worsened in recent weeks in North and South Kivu, where, according to UN figures, over 500 women and children were victims of systematic rape, committed in late July to late August, mainly by armed groups.