From The Khaleej Times:It is one of the world's most resource-rich countries, with huge deposits of diamonds, gold and copper. For a decade, the Democratic Republic of Congo was torn apart as factions backed by neighbouring countries wreaked murderous havoc on Africa's third-biggest country. Three million died.
As war subsided in all but the eastern region of this vast nation, a new regime led by Joseph Kabila signed dozens of valuable mining contracts with Western concerns based in the southern Katanga region. Only now are the implications of those contracts coming to light.
'The losers, of course, are not the companies who willingly entered into questionable arrangements, but the Congolese people,' says Patricia Feeney, executive director of Rights and Accountability in Development, a renowned expert in Congolese mining.
Read more ....
More News on The Congo:
Congo-Kinshasa: Humanitarians Pick Up the Pieces As Insecurity Persists in North Kivu -- All Africa
Boost UN force in Congo to tackle LRA rebels, US says -- Reuters Alert
International prosecutors press for Congo war crimes trial -- USA Today
My Comment: Africa's longest and bloodiest war is about to enter a new stage. With billions of dollars in resources up for grabs, and a climate where no one wants to discuss and negotiate a political solution .... this war is about to increase big time.