A few headlines

Some of the news for the day.


On World Malaria Day, UNICEF distributes mosquito nets in DR Congo
The last time nets were donated to the country, a man made a lot of money off of the free nets - at least in Beni. 
And probably elsewhere around the country.
Noe said he's still in prison and also (others have reiterated this) - that however these nets make it to Beni, you can be sure that someone is going to profit in a big way, from these "free" mosquito nets.
So this problem isn't instantly "fixed" by this attempt of UNICEF to help people... At least not yet.


Freeport versus the People of Fungurume, DRC 
"The sad fact is that TFM could be the driving force behind economic growth and sustainable development in the area. In 2010 alone, the mine produced around 115,000 tonnes of copper and 8,000 tonnes of cobalt in 2010 – and an income of nearly US$1 billion. And with reserves estimated at 119 million tonnes, the mine should be transforming the lives of everyone in the area for the better."


Congo's "Papa Machete" sculpts life out of death - Reuters 

"People are asleep here," he said. "We have to shock them."

AFP - NBA star caught in DR Congo gold scam

NBA star caught in DR Congo gold scam

By Tim Witcher (AFP) - January 22, 2012

UNITED NATIONS — NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo fell into a gold smuggling trap that saw millions of dollars handed over to a notorious Democratic Republic of Congo warlord, according to UN investigators.

Mutombo, a 7 foot 2 inch (2.18 meter) All-Star who ended his 18-year playing career with the Houston Rockets, has made a name for himself since retirement in 2009 campaigning for good causes in his native DR Congo. He was mentioned in President George W. Bush's state of the union speech in 2007.

But Mutombo, 45, was just the latest of many gullible individuals to be tempted by the promise of riches dealing in the country's gold and other treasure trove of minerals.

The Mutombo case involves bags containing millions of dollars in cash, sacks of gold of dubious origin and intermediaries with false identities across East Africa.

According to a report by UN sanctions committee experts, all was seized at an airfield in DR Congo. The money ended up with Bosco Ntaganda, a militia leader wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, and the gold in government vaults.

"Our understanding was that Dikembe Mutombo's role was as an intermediary. We don't suggest that he was part of some criminal gang," said Fred Robarts, coordinator of the UN Security Council's sanctions committee experts for DR Congo.

"He thought that there was money to be made out of this deal and tried to set it up with a buyer to make a share of the profit; in that, he was probably naive," Robarts told AFP from Kinshasa.

Mutombo and relatives from DR Congo organized a meeting at a New York hotel in December 2010 in which he proposed the sale of 475 kilograms (1,045 pounds) of gold to businessmen Kase Lawal and Carlos St Mary, said a report by the sanctions experts.

Lawal is the Nigerian-American head of a Houston oil company, CAMAC. St Mary heads a diamond trading company. Lawal agreed to finance the deal and share the estimated $10 million profit with St Mary and Mutombo.

The gold was to be extracted in DR Congo and handed over in Nairobi. The sanctions committee said an initial $4.8 million was handed over to one intermediary who "disappeared."

Ntaganda presented himself as the owner of the gold when a handover was organized in February 2011 at Goma in eastern DR Congo -- where militias are in a murderous battle for control of the mineral wealth.

Twenty-five metal cases of gold were loaded onto a plane chartered by Lawal, but before it could take off, the oil mogul's representatives and St Mary were arrested by intelligence agents for money laundering and illegally transporting the gold.

St Mary said Lawal told him later "that he had lost a total of $30 million as a result of the whole ordeal, including transport fees, fines, bribes and payments made on the gold purchase."

Neither Lawal nor Mutombo would speak to UN investigators. Neither have spoken to media about the deal.

The sanctions experts said they were "concerned" at the growing number of such scam cases which have sucked in the likes of the former NBA center.

The UN investigators are meant to concentrate on tracking down the sources of finance for Ntaganda and other eastern Congo warlords.

They see other scam cases through their detective work, said Robarts.

"They don't always come to light because the buyers are often aware they are only operating semi-legally and they might not have all the right paperwork and they are just embarrassed. They don't always go to the police."

Kenyan authorities have investigated a number of cases. Some of the names are in Uganda and other east African countries, the investigator said.

Targets are shown real gold with certificates of origin. Lawal, however, made no inquiries into the real origin of the gold he was planning to buy, the UN report said.

"It is all an elaborate scam involving a lot of different people. And it seems to convince buyers to the point that they don't give up easily. They want to know what has happened to their gold rather than realizing that they have been duped," Robarts said.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.

Silence is "not" golden...

This is an interesting opinion piece on Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-otis-moss-iii/congo-breaking-the-silenc_b_1003431.html

I love when I find articles about Congo... Most aren't good or positive, but hearing and knowing people are talking (even if just a little) about this country, is so important!

Silence Is 'Not' Golden When It Comes To The Congo

Rev. Otis Moss III
Senior Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago

The ancient proverbial statement says, "Silence is golden." But how can a person, especially a person of faith, be silent when a woman is raped every minute and 45,000 children, women and men are dying in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the one of the most mineral-rich countries in the world. 64 percent of the world's reserve of Coltan, the mineral that allows you to read this on your iPad, laptop, desktop computer or cell phone -- comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The commercial sale of cell phones and computers is a $1 billion dollar per year global industry. But 80 percent of Congolese women, men and children live on 30 cents or less per day. At the July 2011 "Voices from the Congo" Conference at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) , who has traveled to the Congo twice said, "It is a nation of breathtaking natural beauty, rich in natural resources. It is also a badly broken country dominated by relentless poverty, war lords, pillaging soldiers, and horrific, almost incomprehensible violence."

The national and global politics of Blood Coltan mining includes the minute-by-minute rape of women and the deaths of children every day. The six million deaths caused by Blood Coltan mining exceeds the number of people who have died around the world in any war in the history of humanity. Why is the world silent? Why is the Christian community silent? Why is the interfaith community silent about this indescribable human tragedy?

Like the Bible, each religion's source of truth emphasizes that love, righteousness and justice are guiding principles for human beings. Yet, silence is offered instead of an interfaith clarion call for justice on behalf of our beloved Congolese sisters and brothers. Are we not our brothers' and sisters' keepers?

We must break the silence about the daily child deaths, rape of women and economic and human exploitation that is occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo and around the world.

Trinity United Church of Christ and the rest of the global "Breaking the Silence" community will participate in the Blood Coltan "Cell Out" Awareness Campaign, October 16 -22. While the challenges seem overwhelming, we can stop the maiming, rape and exploitation of children, families and communities. It's critical that even after this campaign we continue to nonviolently protest the Blood Coltan mining tragedy. By not using your cell phone every Wednesday from noon until 1:00 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. you can show your solidarity with those being exploited. I also encourage you to email and call members of Congress with a clear moral message: stop the exploitation, and protect the people of the Congo.

Silence is not golden when 45,000 people die every month and innocent youth are forced to be child soldiers. How can we as a nation and a faith community ignore these horrific injustices? Silence to wrongful death is not golden. Silence to exploitation of the poor is not golden. It is time to "Break the Silence." The sins of racism and oppression in the Congo and around the world must stop.

"Blood and Gold"

A friend shared this with me... Check it out:
Blood and Gold - A Foreign Policy photo essay:

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/05/12/blood_and_gold?page=0,0 

 

Be sure to click through the slideshow... there are about 15 photos.

The things we have

Sometimes I really think that ignorance is bliss. It's better to be unaware than to know, and be responsible for the knowledge that I (could) have. If I don't know, I won't worry, won't think about or talk about it. 

I think at one time that had been my attitude about some things... Some things just seemed far enough removed from me, my family, friends, life - that it didn't really matter. To me. 

But that is irresponsible. That is neglecting my neighbors, my brothers and sisters. It's not right. Although it's easier, it is not right. 

It seems to be common for people to think: If someone has a phone which has certain components in it that were taken at the expense of others, at the cost of people's lives - ok. If someone wears a sweater that was made in a sweatshop by poor starving children. Or enslaved women - ok. 

A boy pans for gold in a river in Iga Barriere, northeastern Congo.

Because we don't think past what it is that we have, we just see our new toy. Not the expense with which it came. 

I don't need to know about it right? I mean, it's their lot, their fate, their choices which put them in those places anyway... Isn't it? 

This is something that we need to talk about. We need to be aware of what is happening to those around us... What our desires, obsessions, WANTS are doing to others around the world. We need to take responsibility for our own actions. My want of a new camera - who does that impact, and how? Do I have to buy Cannon? Is there another brand that can make a good camera, without using minerals that were taken from conflict areas? What about my cellphone, computer and mp3 player? 

"Although Congo's conflict stems from long-standing grievances, the trade in conflict minerals provides the primary fuel for the conflict," according to the Enough Project - Taken from the article which I believe everyone should read, IS YOUR CHRISTMAS GIFT FUELING WAR, by Tristan McConnell. http://www.npr.org/2010/12/16/132089765/is-your-christmas-gift-fueling-war

What does it really cost to get the latest computer you've been drooling over? The incredible cell phone that does exactly what you want? The mp3 player that I think I need?

What are the things that we have, our possessions, doing to contribute to the pain, suffering, torture and loss of live, of others? Who and what should we be focused on, instead of ourselves and the newest gadgets that we long to have? Not just at Christmas time (although it's a good time to start!), but throughout the year? 

As we quickly approach Christmas... What can I do to help someone else? The money that could be spent on gifts for me, what else could be done? Do I really need much more? And if I don't buy that mp3 player, could I be helping someone who is trapped in the conflict surrounding these sought-after minerals? 

Congo Minerals Provision Becomes Part of Financial Bill

A step in the right direction. We were excited to read this news the other day!
The article is pasted below. - Bethany 

Congo Minerals Provision Becomes Part of Financial Bill - NY Times
by: Edward Wyatt


WASHINGTON — During their long effort to pass a financial regulation bill, senators cited many causes for the housing crisis and the financial market collapse that led to the recession.

The mining of minerals in Congo was not one of them.

Nevertheless, tucked into the bill passed by the Senate on Thursday is a provision that requires any publicly traded company that uses certain minerals to file reports annually with the Securities and Exchange Commission certifying whether the minerals originated in Congo or neighboring countries.

It also requires them to report what steps the company took to ensure that the purchase of these minerals did not benefit armed groups in Africa. Minerals trading in Africa is often used to finance military activities.

These are not just any minerals, however. Columbite-tantalite, cassiterite, wolframite, gold and metals derived from them are widely used in the manufacture of cellphones, laptop computers, MP3 players, digital cameras and all sorts of other consumer electronics. Thus, the regulations could affect hundreds of companies.

Wolframite, for example, is a source of tungsten, which is used in integrated circuits, light bulbs, and computer and television screens.

The measure calls for any company using the minerals as a primary ingredient in its products to file the reports and to describe the steps taken to ensure that its mineral procurements did not benefit armed groups in Africa.

Senate leaders had vowed that the financial regulation bill would not be weighed down by amendments favoring the pet projects of lawmakers. But the Congo mineral amendment has been a project of Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, for years. The amendment was approved by a voice vote.

Mr. Brownback, who argued strongly for the need to exclude auto dealers from the regulations the legislation imposes on them by a new consumer financial protection bureau, said he was “hopeful that this amendment will bring accountability and transparency to the supply chain of minerals used in the manufacturing of many electronic devices, without placing a disproportionate burden on publicly traded companies.”

Come Clean for Congo: Life Should be Free