November 22, 2001
Uganda's diamond exports have tripled in last eight months, the second United Nations report on the alleged exploitation of the Democratic Republic of Congo mineral wealth has said.
The report, which was released yesterday, said that the sharp rise in Uganda's diamond exports, is evidence of the continued plunder and exploitation.
The first UN panel of experts report, which was released in April, indicated that Uganda exported 11,000 carats valued at $ 1.7m.
"Figures for 2001, extrapolated form the sales for the first eight months, shows 35,000carats valued at $ 3.8 million, Ugandan diamond export to Antwerp," the 38-page report said.
The report said they gained better understanding of diamond exploitation activities by "taking a closer look at the activities of the Belco-Diamant comptoir in Kisangani."
Uganda denied exploiting Congo' mineral wealth before Justice David Porter's Commission of Inquiry into the alleged exploitation of DRC's natural resources.
Appearing before the Justice David Porter probe in July this year, the commissioner in charge of minerals in the ministry of Energy and Mineral Development Watuwa Bwobi did not deny the diamond export figure but expressed ignorance over its source.
Uganda is not known to have diamond deposits.
The second report also indicates a sharp rise in gold exports.
The exports were an eighth of a tone in 1994 but has since raised to over ten tones by 2000. The new report has no figures for this year.
However, government contested these findings in the first report and attributed the increase in exports to the 1993 policy to liberalize gold sales and exports.
Government officials claimed that as a result of the ease, with which gold can be smuggled, Uganda became the preferred destination for gold produced by artisanal miners in the surrounding region.
Interestingly though the panel says it has evidence that artisanal gold mining activities in the northeast by UPDF and RCD-ML have continued. It sites an example of the Kilo-Moto area where operations at the Gorumbwa and Durba sites in the DRC are under the control of the UPDF and RCD-ML.
One of the sites reportedly "employs 10,000 diggers and generates amounts of gold valued at $10,000 per day". It also claims that the gold produced is still being sold through the Victoria comptoir in Kampala.
The Porter Commission exonerated all the accused including President Yoweri Museveni and members of the First Family.
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