UN sees progress in ending Congo minerals trade ban

摘要

United Nations peacekeepers could nsoon end the conflict in the mineral-rich nDemocratic Republic of Congo despite nshortfalls in funds and military equipment nwhich is hampering their success, the UN’s nSpecial Representative for the Democratic nRepublic of the Congo, Roger Meece, said late Monday. Meece said that there are nshortfalls in financing and equipment, rang-ning from an insufficient number of military nhelicopters to ensure security to a lack of nfunding for judicial reform and the holding nof elections. “In fact, for the first time in my nexperience in the region, I believe the outline ncan be seen of an eventual resolution of this nlong-standing threat to the population. We nare not at the point of success, but there is nclear progress,” he said. In September 2009, nthe Congolese government banned trade in nminerals in eastern DRC in three provinces n-- North Kivu, South Kivu and Maniema. It ndesignated minerals from these provinces as n“conflict minerals.” The three provinces pro-nduce the bulk of Congo’s tin ores, gold, tung-nsten and tantalum. DRC is Africa’s largest tin nproducer. The provinces border with Uganda’s noil-rich Lake Albert Rift basin, where more nthan 2 billion barrels of oil have been discov-nered. Uganda has expressed concern that nthe volatile situation in Congo could disrupt nits own oil exploration and development.