AngloGold Ashanti has decided to continue operations in the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the gold mining company said in a statement on Tuesday.
It said a team of senior executives recently conducted a review of the company’s exploration activities in the DRC in the wake of a recent scandal that involved it paying ”protection money” to a local militia in violation of a United Nations embargo.
”The review included a visit to the DRC in early June. The focus of this review was to determine whether this activity could be conducted with integrity, that is, in compliance with the company’s values,” AngloGold Ashanti said.
The team held a series of meetings in the national capital, Kinshasa, the capital of the Ituri district, Bunia, and at the site of its exploration camp in Mongbwalu.
They met representatives of government, the state mining agency, OKIMO, the United Nations peace keeping force, Monuc, and representatives of the Catholic Church.
”Monuc has now established a substantial presence in Mongbwalu. We have been assured by Monuc that significant progress with the disarming of militia members has occurred and FNI militia have withdrawn from the town, AngloGold Ashanti added.
The review did, however, find room for improvement. – Sapa