Latest news with #Kamale
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
US announces sanctions against armed group and companies profiting from conflict minerals in Congo
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The U.S. government on Tuesday sanctioned an armed group accused of illicit trading in minerals in eastern Congo as Washington tries to spearhead peace efforts there while pushing for U.S. access to the region's minerals. A senior U.S. government official said the state and treasury departments are sanctioning the CODECO armed group, which controlled the key coltan mining site of Rubaya from 2022 to early 2024. 'During this period, CODECO generated revenue by overseeing mining operations, collecting illegal fees and taxes for miners and engaging in mineral smuggling. It also imposed forced labor and executed civilians in mining areas under its control,' the official said. The U.S. is also sanctioning the Congolese mining company CDMC, saying it sold minerals that were sourced and smuggled from mines near Rubaya, and two Hong Kong exporters, East Rise and Star Dragon, that purchased minerals from the mining area. The State Department said it is freezing the assets of the armed group and companies in the U.S. or under U.S. control and banning all transactions with them. Rubaya is currently under control of the M23 rebel group, which is already targeted by U.S. sanctions. The mining site lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation, which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict, worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis. In June, Congo and Rwanda signed a peace deal facilitated by the U.S. to help end the conflict while helping the U.S. government and American companies gain access to critical minerals in the region. Congo and the M23 rebels have also agreed to sign a permanent peace deal by Aug. 18 but renewed fighting has threatened this effort. On Tuesday, Congo and M23 both accused each other of violating the agreement by attacking the others forces. ___ Kamale reported from Kinshasa, Congo. Kabumba reported from Goma, Congo. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in D.C. contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Times
25-02-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
An unknown illness kills over 50 people in Congo, with hours between symptoms and death
KINSHASA, Congo — An unknown illness has killed over 50 people in northwestern Congo, according to doctors on the ground and the World Health Organization on Monday. The interval between the onset of symptoms and death has been 48 hours in the majority of cases, and 'that's what's really worrying,' Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center, told the Associated Press. The latest disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began on Jan. 21, and 419 cases have been recorded, including 53 deaths. According to the WHO's Africa office, the first outbreak in the town of Boloko began after three children ate a bat and died within 48 hours following hemorrhagic fever symptoms. There have long been concerns about diseases jumping from animals to humans in places where wild animals are popularly eaten. The number of such outbreaks in Africa has surged by more than 60% in the last decade, the WHO said in 2022. After the second outbreak of the current mystery disease began in the town of Bomate on Feb. 9, samples from 13 cases have been sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, for testing, the WHO said. All samples have been negative for Ebola or other common hemorrhagic fever diseases such as Marburg. Some tested positive for malaria. Last year, another mystery flu-like illness that killed dozens of people in another part of Congo was determined to be likely malaria. Kamale writes for the Associated Press.
