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DR Congo Revokes Concessions for Richest Cobalt Deposits


East African Business Week (Kampala)


NEWS
3 September 2007
Posted to the web 4 September 2007
Kampala

The DR Congo has revoked mining concessions for the world's richest cobalt deposits.

The mining licences that have been revoked by the public prosecutor belong to CAMEC and Savannah Mining in the DRC's Katanga province.


The judicial decision has been taken to revoke and cancel the licences held for the area known as C19.

The current holders are Boss Mining (owned by CAMEC) and Mukondo Mining, itself owned by Savannah Mining and Boss Mining.

The cancellation of those licenses means the rights to mine the C19 area reverts to Gecamines, the state-owned mining company.

The Public Prosecutor's decision has been formally taken on a number of clear legal points, all of which relate to the serious irregularities in the original issuing of the licences.

They include improper issue of the licences, which put Gecamines in breach of the laws relating to the conduct of publicly owned companies and that the licences were never registered.

The licence certificates were issued without the fundamental articles of transfer, and without the required acceptance, by the licensees, of their obligations to the state.

"As such, they specifically do not comply with The Mining Code and the laws of the DRC. The allocation of the licences involved violation of the Mining Regulations 377 and 379," a press statement issued by the public prosecutors' office reads in part.

The background to the action is the DR Congo government's stated intention to review all mining licences held by foreign companies, to ensure that all are transparent, legally well-founded and based on international standards.

Independent legal and financial experts are reviewing each contract because many were arranged during the civil war and its aftermath, often in flagrant breach of procedures, regulations and laws.

"Such breaches cannot be allowed to continue," the statement said.

The government of President Joseph Kabila, who was elected in November last year, has expressed its determination to enforce internationally recognised standards of regulation and law, so as to attract and assist major international investors and operators in the DRC's mining sector.



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Copyright © 2007 East African Business Week. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

Enduring Images of Revolution

The General Ernesto Guevara. How many times have you seen this face? What does it mean to you? When he was assassinated, the killers thought that would be the end. How wrong are they? What was the price on his head? Talk about backfire. Now his face is everywhere and will not be forgotten. At his peak of militancy he was gunned down, fighting for freedom in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ernesto, we will never forget.



The Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Never has there been a Congolese man more outspoken against the atrocities of the Belgians, and colonialism as an instituion. For speaking truths and rights, Lumumba was also gunned down. And I believe he was gunned down by the same group that gunned down Ernesto. The DR Congo has been awaiting another Patrice. He was going to be the leader to keep the DR Congo, for the people. A man of the people for the people. That was too much for some to handle. Lumumba will forever be an inspiration to the children of the DR Congo. His image will not be tarnished, nor tainted. What was the price on his head? Our country has not recovered since his murder, but hope springs eternal. The DR Congo is easily the most wealthy source of natural resources in our world today, and due to that it has been and continues to be exploited by any and everybody who wants to downpress a nation. What the downpressors do not know is that we Congolese aren't and would not hide nor be miserly with the wealth. Congolese people want to lead proper lives and have a country to be proud of. We aren't aiming to take over the world, only to take back our land. And not to our benefit, we are very welcoming to outsiders, but this attitude continues today. Visitors are told to never go the the DR Congo? Why? To keep a nation down, to keep all the continual atrocites away from the public spotlight, to keep the corruption at an all time high. As long as I am here the DR Congo has hope, and our story will be told, without bias to the world.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

Alone In the Pub at 8:30am

It is confirmed. I am addicted to watching football matches. Alone in Kezar Pub with the bartenders. Alissa's first day was yesterday. I think she was astonished that I could be in the pub drinking Boddington's. She has no idea of the football watching culture. Needless to say, Manchester United got the win one to nil, over Sunderland. Twas a great day! No, I am not ashamed of being in the pub at 8:38am, and drinking ale. It's what you have to do sometimes just to get a match in.