{UAH} Kagame Funds, Uses Militias To Loot Congolese Minerals

_{Congolese gold and other minerals have become a profitable source of foreign currency for Rwanda, with devastating and bloody consequences for the people of DRC.}

_{Africa's second-largest country, the DRC, is home to one of the world's largest reserves of minerals, including gold, very much prized by the electronics industry. Estimated to be worth $24 trillion that's almost twice the GDP of the EU-27 these reserves are of immense global importance}

_{The recent UN report also pointed to the complicity of the Rwandan authorities in the illegal looting of Congolese resources by armed groups active in the territory.}

_{The Group of Experts recounted a case from January 2020, in which Mines Propres SARL, a gold exporting company based in Bukavu, transferred 11,071 kilograms of gold to Tasha Gold and Jewels Trading LLC in Dubai (UAE). Arab Emirates) by a RwandAir flight.}

_{According to a Fizi assayer, a truck driver and a trader close to the case, 6.5 kg of this gold was sold by representatives of Mai-Mai Yakutumba, a very violent Congolese armed group.}

_{Rwanda has also on several occasions been accused of disguising its export figures. In the 2019 report, the Group of Experts explained the inconsistency of Rwandan gold export figures.}

_{In 2018, Rwanda reported total gold exports equivalent to 2,163 kg to the United Arab Emirates.}

_{While the United Arab Emirates officially declared to have imported no less than 12,539 kg from Rwanda during the first nine months of 2018.}

_{In its last annual report, the Banque Central Rwandaise announced that Rwanda's gold exports had increased by 754.6% . An extraordinary figure for a country whose gold reserves are known to be insignificant.}

_{The report also shed light on the clandestine collaboration between the Rwandan authorities and the NDC-Rénové, the main Congolese rebel group in eastern DRC.}

_{According to him, in May and June 2020, armed NDC-R fighters taxed coltan and cassiterite mines in Kibanda, Rubonga and Maboa, which were classified as free from any armed control according to government lists.}

_{The unlabelled tantalum extracted from these sites was smuggled into Goma through routes that had already been detailed in the previous report drawn up by the Group of Experts and then transported to Rwanda.}

_{This means that unless the international community interests its self in punishing the backers of the Congolese militias, innocent civilians will continue to die as Rwanda uses their country as a cash cow.}

--

"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"

--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ugandans at Heart (UAH) Community" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ugandans-at-heart/CAFxDTfpFcn1aAtT5m8dUdvaOW0SZnaL_UznLssHkr35r8RMT2g%40mail.gmail.com.