Posted on 03/09/2007 12:29:49 PM PST by Enchante
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they have dismantled an international network set up to illegally use uranium mined there.
Scientific Research Minister Sylvanus Mushi said DR Congo's top nuclear official and a colleague were being questioned in connection with the case.
The official, Fortunat Lumu, and the colleague were arrested on Tuesday.
The move comes amid reports that a large quantity of uranium has gone missing in recent years in DR Congo.
State prosecutor Tshimanga Mukeba earlier told the BBC that an "important quantity" of uranium was taken from the atomic energy centre in the capital, Kinshasa, without revealing any figures.
DR Congo's daily newspaper Le Phare on Wednesday reported that more than 100 bars of uranium, as well as an unknown quantity of uranium contained in helmet-shaped cases, had disappeared from the centre as part of a vast trafficking of the material going back years.
But the BBC's Kinshasa correspondent, Arnaud Zajtman, says that as of yet, no evidence has been made public to support the allegations made by the newspaper.
'Criminal network'
Mr Mushi said that "a vast network aimed at the fraudulent exploitation of DR Congo's uranium has been dismantled".
"It was a criminal network," he said, without giving any more details.
Referring to earlier reports that the two officials had been arrested on suspicion of uranium smuggling, Mr Mushi said that the prospection and exploitation of DR Congo's uranium had not yet started.
The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has expressed concerns over the reports from DR Congo, saying it was investigating the situation.
Security concerns
Uranium is the basic raw material of both civilian and military nuclear programmes.
A mine in DR Congo's southern province of Katanga supplied the uranium that was used in the atomic bombs that were dropped by the Americans on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
To thank and reward DR Congo, the Americans funded the creation of DR Congo's nuclear centre in 1958.
It was established on the university campus and only for research purpose.
But in the late 1970s, a bar of uranium disappeared from the centre, raising concern about security at the site.
Moreover, the site of the centre is facing some erosion problems. And people fear a landslide that could lead to a wider disaster, our reporter says.
In recent years, the IAEA has visited the centre and security was believed to have improved.
Thanks for the ping. Problem as usual is nothing much will come of it. JW is immune is he not from anyone going after him. The L/MSM will not touch this stuff with a ten foot pole unless one or two of them simply make a ten second or less comment on it, then move on to more important matters. After all there are a lot of women and children still in dire straights down south since the hurrican of two years back.
I'm not, but the whole thing frustrates me so much ("Wilson lied, people died") that I try to limit exposure!
http://www.usafricaonline.com/news/n_kinshasa.html
With Laurent Kabila and his Alliance of Democratic(?) Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire entrenched in power across that country while still jostling for power with former prime minister Etienne Tshisekedi in the emerging social, economic and political architecture of the new Democratic Republic of the Congo, a few points regarding the journey to this moment in that country's history need be put in fresh, recent perspective. Simply, for the reason of not allowing more recent developments to becloud our proper, contextual recall of the movements of history and the dynamics of events that saw to the booting of Mobutu, one of the world's worst despots. . .
The article notes that Clinton's personal envoy in these matters was Bill Richardson, which might provide another key word to search on. I don't know if the uranium operation described dates back to this period, but it's worth checking into.
Ping.
Thanks, Fedora, I've been keeping an eye on this story.
I agree with your post 2.
If/when this info about uranium smuggling from DR Congo finally gets noticed (maybe some R. Congressman ought to bring it up to Valerie Pflame in next week's hearing!), it will be time for all of us to make a concerted effort to try to get the MSM and govt. to finally expose on a national level the fraud that is Joe Wilson. Yes, I know, it's too much to hope for, but once it is absolutely clear that there HAS been uranium smuggling from Africa, and that Joe Wilson has his head up his a--, then we must make a renewed effort with emails, etc. to try to force the MSM to report the accurate story. Every DBM outlet that has poured lies and propaganda into the media-stream must be called to account.
For that matter, few ever dared to acknowledge the outstanding reporting and analysis of Christopher Hitchens (who completely eviscerated Traitor Joe without the MSM even noticing):
http://www.slate.com/id/2146475/
http://www.slate.com/id/2139609/?nav/fo/
http://www.slate.com/id/2140058/
Hitchens was brilliant on the subject of Wilson.
Joe Wilson was Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM), Bujumbura, Burundi (1982-85); DCM Brazzaville, Congo (1986-88); DCM Baghdad (1988-91), and US Ambassador to Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe (1992-1995). He was never US ambassador to the Congo.
I don't think Joe had his head you know where,
he just helped do a snowjob on us and UN.
He didn't want any looking into Africa uranium
as the connection of Niger YK going to Libya
might have been exposed. And if exposed so
would his consulting firm and the company he
worked with who controlled the mining and sales.
The French company Cogema. His trips there, lot
more than one, were to effect a coverup. His
coverup made it easier for Iran, NK, etc to
get to the problem stage they are now. Ed
You are correct; I was being sloppy with my description of his title in the midst of trying to clarify which Congo he was in. Thanks for noting the correct title.
I don't doubt the IAEA is concerned... given that the perp, Professor Fortunat Lumu, is a member of the IAEA.
THANKS for the ping piasa.
All updates appreciated.
I'll link to this thread.
Smiling...
Thanks for the ping!
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