The illegal plunder of Congo’s mineral riches by the government’s allies and opponents is continuing unabated and criminal networks based outside Africa may be using Congo’s resources to launder money, a UN-appointed panel said in a report.
The exploitation of Congo’s natural wealth by foreign armies and their rebel supporters has resulted in ”widespread conflict, indiscriminate arming of large portions of the population and considerable insecurity” -and battles are still being fought for control of areas rich in gold, diamonds, coltan and timber, it said.
The interim report to the UN Security Council on Thursday was a follow-up to a report last November that said some of Congo’s allies and opponents were using security concerns as an excuse to maximise control over Congolese territory and exploit the country’s mineral riches for their own profit.
The exploitation involves ”a large number” of government officials, rebels and foreigners who are using the three-year civil war ”to amass as much wealth as possible,” the panel said in the November report.
Based on a two-month fact-finding mission earlier this year, the panel said in Thursday’s report that it believed ”that the illegal exploitation of Congolese resources is continuing, and that it is being consolidated in many areas.”
For example, it said, despite the sharp decrease in the price of coltan last year, commercial operators linked to parties involved in the war in Congo have continued to export a substantial volume of the mineral, which is widely used in high-tech equipment.
”Another example of the continuing exploitation is an increase in licensing fees, taxes and customs levies, apparently to compensate for decreased revenues from the trade in coltan,” the panel said.
The immediate impact, the panel said, has been ”the further collapse of most local economies and the deepening impoverishment of most Congolese families.”
The five-member panel said it has been attempting to piece together the commercial chains for specific commodities to determine where they end up and where they’re being processed. The panel has determined some countries, including some in western Europe, that are end users or transit points for the commodities. Although the report didn’t identify the countries, the panel said it visited Britain, Belgium, Germany and France to discuss the implications of the exploitation of Congo’s resources.
The panel said it submitted questions to 11 African transit countries about measures to curb the illicit flow of commodities – Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Kenya, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
There are also indications that criminal networks are moving into the region, the report said. The panel said it is looking into alleged money-laundering by criminal networks based outside Africa using Congo’s resources.
Other organisations have reportedly begun to use precious gems for transactions instead of cash, which is more easily traced, it said.
The Congo panel gave no details but another UN panel focusing on Afghanistan said on Wednesday it is investigating allegations that the al-Qaida terrorist network has converted some assets into gold, diamonds and other precious stones.
The Congo panel said it is also following up on the activities of an organised crime network purportedly selling Congo’s resources for arms, and an African network financing criminal activities from smuggling. – Sapa-AP