Latest news with #VincentKarega
Reuters
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
M23 rebels in Goma: gains to boost illicit mineral trade through Rwanda, analysts say
Jan 28 (Reuters) - A lightning advance in Congo's mineral-rich eastern borderlands is set to boost the M23 rebellion's illegal mining revenues, with analysts predicting a further surge in illicit trade in minerals including coltan and gold through neighbouring Rwanda. The Rwanda-backed insurgency entered Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's largest city, this week, marking a major turning point in a conflict with government forces that has raised fears of a spillover into a broader regional war. The rebels, which Rwanda denies supporting, have long been funded at least in part by the illicit mineral trade. Those revenue flows intensified after M23 - the latest in a long line of Tutsi-led rebellions - seized the coltan-rich Rubaya area in April, U.N. experts found. Congo is the world's top producer of tantalum and cobalt, a key component in batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones, and is also home to significant coltan and gold deposits. "Mineral exports from Rwanda are now over a billion dollars a year," said Jason Stearns, a political scientist at Simon Fraser University and former U.N. investigator. "That's about double what they were two years ago. And we don't know how much, but a fair chunk of that is from the DRC." Rwanda's ambassador-at-large for the Great Lakes region Vincent Karega rejected the idea that M23 was trafficking Congolese minerals. He did not directly address allegations that his government is involved in their illicit trade. "Do you think it's possible to fight and still have time to mine natural resources and refine them?" said Karega, who has been sent to the border with Congo to oversee the crisis. LACK OF TRANSPARENCY Rebels recently captured the mining town Lumbishi in South Kivu province. Numbi, an eastern mining area in South Kivu rich in gold, tourmaline, and tin, tantalum and tungsten - so-called 3T minerals used in computers and mobile phones - is also under threat. "Lumbishi and its gold mines are likely to prove a significant source of revenue for M23, in part because gold is much easier to monetise than coltan and tin," said Gregory Mthembu-Salter, director of Phuzumoya Consulting. He said gold was likely to make its way to Dubai via Rwanda and possibly Kenya. In 2023, UAE declared importing about $885 million in gold from Rwanda, a 75% jump from the previous five-year average, according to a Reuters analysis of U.N. Comtrade data. Rwanda is not a major gold producer. In addition to exerting administrative control over Rubaya, M23 has also created a monopoly for the export of coltan to Rwanda from the nearby Bibatama mine, U.N. experts said in a December report. The mine is one of the world's largest deposits of coltan, used in cellphones and laptops. The group collected at least $800,000 per month in taxes on coltan production and trade, according to the report, with Congolese output mixed in with Rwandan production. Jean Pierre Okenda, a Congo-based rights lawyer specialised in extractive industries, said Rwanda was not a member of any international transparency initiatives, making it hard to track its minerals. "There is a lack of transparency of the mining operations and... a lack of transparency of the geological information," he said.
Russia Today
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Dialogue key to DRC peace
The resumption of dialogue and a long-term political solution are essential to achieving peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwandan diplomat Vincent Karega has said in an interview with RT. Karega, a former Rwandan ambassador to the DRC and current ambassador-at-large in the African Great Lakes region, called for a genuine commitment to addressing the root causes of the conflict and finding sustainable solutions. He underscored the importance of political negotiations and inclusive dialogue as the only viable paths forward. 'The dialogue started in Nairobi and went to Angola should be resumed and bring on table all the issues in a genuine way and find a long-lasting political solution,' he stated. The statement comes after the DRC severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda, citing accusations that Kigali supports the M23 militia, which has intensified its offensive in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu. Rwandan media reported on Sunday that the country's Foreign Ministry confirmed the departure of diplomats from the DRC's capital, but stressed that the move was spurred by security concerns amid mounting tensions in the country. READ MORE: DR Congo breaks ties with Rwanda Karega shed light on the complexities of the conflict, particularly the role of the M23 group, which he attributed to the marginalization of certain communities in the DRC. He highlighted how issues of identity, land rights, and historical injustices have fueled tensions. According to Karega, 'Their children are fighting as M23 to recover their identity, their rights to their land and to their country.' He criticized the narrative that reduces the conflict to a struggle over mineral wealth, explaining that many of those involved are historically farmers and cattle keepers, not miners. Karega also pointed to the failures of previous peace efforts, including the Nairobi talks, where agreements to disarm militias and integrate them into the Congolese army were not fully implemented. Instead, he explained, the government of Kinshasa shifted its approach toward military action against M23, further destabilizing the region. On Rwanda's role, Karega dismissed allegations of his country's support for M23, insisting that Rwanda's actions at its border are solely defensive. He noted that Rwanda's measures aim to prevent incursions by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed rebel group connected to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. READ MORE: Colonial ghosts: The hidden hands behind Africa's shadow conflicts 'Rwanda has got a solid defence system at the border… in prevention of the FDLR genocidaires,' he said. Karega stressed the need for a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of the conflict, including the legacy of colonialism, which he argued has left communities divided and stigmatized. While the path to peace remains uncertain, Karega reiterated Rwanda's commitment to dialogue as the only viable solution. He urged regional and international actors to prioritize long-term political solutions over short-term military interventions. 'What is more important is for mostly the Africans and the Congolese themselves to understand that they are number one responsible for ensuring that there is a long-lasting peace and security because it is for the benefit of DRC and the whole region as a whole,' he concluded.
