tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post8177934952709027180..comments2024-02-24T06:10:42.255-08:00Comments on Congo Siasa: What did Kagame and Kabila talk about?Jason Stearnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11454449854081540397noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209670742820403516.post-12511951453227363432010-09-10T16:26:48.854-07:002010-09-10T16:26:48.854-07:00"President Joseph Kabila ordered the indefini...<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7vseY2mYrQ5Qry9qa4_28fulD7gD9I55EA80" rel="nofollow">"President Joseph Kabila</a> ordered the indefinite suspension [of mining operations] Wednesday near the mining hub of Walikale, where more than 240 people were treated for rape last month. <b>Kabila says authorities want to weed out what he says is 'a kind of mafia involved in minerals exploitation' that he accused of fueling conflicts.</b><br /><br />"Local rights activist Jason Luneno Maene said Friday he supports the suspension and would like to see them in three mineral-rich provinces."<br /><br /><a href="http://rnanews.com/regional/4162-congo-president-kabila-halts-all-mining-in-east-/" rel="nofollow">RNA:</a><br /><br />"DR Congo President Joseph Kabila has ordered a suspension to mining in Walikare area of Eastern Congo – <b>with a possible military offensive planned in the area</b> . . ."<br /><br /><a href="http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2010/09/10/walikale-joseph-kabila-suspend-lexploitation-miniere/" rel="nofollow">Jason Luneno, quoted directly</a> (& identified here as 'provincial president of the North Kivu civil society & a Walikale native'), says:<br /><br />"Il est inadmissible que les militaires des FARDC envoyés sur le terrain pour protéger la population exploitent et commercialisent les minerais dans des carrés miniers. Le président de la République a eu du mal à supporter cela et la société civile est d’accord avec lui. Malheureusement, la population civile tire sa survie quotidienne dans l’exploitation artisanale de ces minerais."<br /><br />(roughly: 'It is unacceptable that the FARDC soldiers, deployed in the field to protect the population, continue to exploit and commercialize the minerals of the mining districts. The president of the republic has struggled against this & civil society agrees with him. Unfortunately, the civil population's daily survival depends upon the artisinal mining of these minerals.')<br /><br />& from the same Radio Okapi report: ". . . les opérations de ratissage des groupes armés y seront lancées après l’évacuation des civils et avant toute levée de la mesure. . ."Arcturushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07060173224625105511noreply@blogger.com