Pakistan Tabliban Fund War with Gems

Daily Times4 May 2009
By Akhtar Amin

Swat Taliban are using money earned from mining and selling gemstones in Swat and Shangla for terrorism, entrepreneurs from the Swat valley said on Sunday.

Entrepreneurs in a Gem Bazaar – organised by the Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company at Namak Mandi – told Daily Times that Taliban were using the money for terrorist activities in Swat, Buner and Dir districts of Malakand division.

• Babu Khan, an entrepreneur from Swat who had displayed emeralds in the bazaar, said that Taliban had started extensive mining through hired labourers and were selling the precious stones in the black market.
• He said plunderers had also taken over several mines of high quality gemstones, one of which had earned the government about Rs 90 million in a single auction in the past.
• Another entrepreneur from Swat, Muhammad Ali, told Daily Times that Taliban had also taken over the Mingora emerald mine.
• The Shamozai emeralds mine, some 25 kilometres from Mingora, and the Gujaro Killay emerald mine in the adjacent district of Shangla, are also under the control of the Swat Taliban.

Stones extracted from these mines are auctioned in the premises of the Mingora mine every Sunday, where dealers from all over Pakistan come to shop, he said.

The federal and provincial governments have not taken any action over “this looting and plunder of state property”, Muhammad Ali said. Imran Inam, a senior official of the Gems and Jewellery Development Company, told Daily Times that the US was also concerned over the Taliban occupation of emerald mines in Swat and Shangla and had talked to the Pakistani government.

The Rest @ Africa News Analysis

Posted by David Barouski at 00:19
Labels: Mining, Pakistan

Date for Next Hearings on Viktor Bout Set for November 4-8

"Lord of War" Victor Bout to continue court case in November...By dj blendz(dj blendz)

MOSCOW, October 10 (RIA Novosti) - A Thai court will hold its next hearings in the trial of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, accused of conspiracy to sell arms to Colombian left-wing rebels, on November 4-8, a Russian lawyer said on

http://djblendz.blogspot.com/

The World Diamond Council

The World Diamond Council represents over 50 industry organizations - from mining companies and trade associations to manufacturers and retailers - worldwide. Member organizations include:
ABN Amro Bank International Division
Alrosa Company
American Gem Society
Antwerpse Diamantbank
Ascorp
Association of Diamond Manufacturers of Russia
Belgian Federation of Diamond Bourses
BHP Diamonds & Industrial Metals
Canadian Diamond Consultants Inc.
Cartier
Centre for Expertise
Valuation and Certification (Democratic Republic of Congo);
CIBJO; Codiam
Damas
De Beers
De Beers LV
Debswana Diamond Co.
Diamond Chamber of Russia
Diamond Dealers Club New York
Diamond Federation of Hong Kong
Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association
Diamond Trading Company
Dubai Multi Commodities Centre
EGL USA
Eurostar Diamonds Ltd.
Gem and Jewelry Export and Promotion;
Harry Winston, Inc.
International Diamond Manufacturers Association
International Gemological Institute
Israel Diamond Exchange
Israel Diamond Institute
Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association
Jewelers of America
Jewelers Vigilance Committee
Leviev Group of Companies
London Diamond Bourse
Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America
Ministry of Mines (Namibia)
Namdeb Diamond Corporation
Rapaport Corporation
Rio Tinto Diamonds
Rosy Blue
Shanghai Diamond Exchange Co. Ltd.
South African Diamond Board
Signet Group plc/Sterling Jewelers Inc.
Tacy Diamond Consultants; Tiffany & Co.
Union Bank of Israel
United Association of South Africa
World Federation of Diamond Bourses
Zale Corporation

Civil War in the East covering International Conflict Diamond Activity in the West?

I have not commented in detail to date about DR Congo's current Civil war, because it is not clear to me yet the real objectives of the war. The government does not seem to have any real solutions except the status-quo. The rebels seem to not have any real idea about what they want to do or accomplish.

So the usually suspects are likely to be supplying the arms and logistics to both sides.

-I suspect the real story in the Congos is what is going on in the diamond mines...

• Who is mining, them?
• where are they going to get "Kimberly-ized"?
• Are they just being sold to an emerging non-DeBeers diamond trade being run by the Russians?

I suspect the conflict is really covering other activities meant to arm and resupply other international groups for upcoming conflicts....

so, back to the Civil War....

-Shimron

BULENGO, Congo, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Civilians in Congo's conflict-torn North Kivu province are bearing the brunt of instability there as warring factions step up forced recruitment and a humanitarian crisis deepens.

Jean-Paul Kakuti was attending his village school when he was kidnapped by fighters loyal to renegade Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda, who are battling Democratic Republic of Congo's army in the lawless eastern province.

"When they took me, I was with about 30 others. They took lots of school children and teachers," Kakuti said as he waited in a U.N. refugee agency tent in Bulengo, just west of the provincial capital, Goma. "They wanted us to fight alongside them, to become rebels like them."

A tense stalemate reigns in North Kivu after an informal U.N.-brokered ceasefire helped end heavy fighting last month. Intermittent skirmishes continue between Nkunda's fighters, government forces, local militia, and Rwandan rebels.

With no concrete efforts under way to negotiate a settlement to the current situation, North Kivu's civilian population is suffering an intensifying humanitarian crisis.

More than 90,000 people were displaced by last month's fighting and there are worrying signs the situation could soon worsen.

The Congolese army, considered by human rights groups as the country's worst human rights abuser, has poured thousands of extra troops into the province to battle Nkunda.

Congo's U.N. peacekeeping mission accuses Nkunda, local militia, and Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels of forcibly recruiting fighters, in some cases minors. The indications point towards preparations for the next round of fighting.

"It's really an explosive situation that can change overnight," said Philippe Havet, a doctor at a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in the isolated town of Masisi. "We don't know what will happen tomorrow. That much is completely clear."

HUMANITARIAN WOES

Even before the latest round of fighting, more than 270,000 civilians had fled fighting in North Kivu since the beginning of the year. Few dare return home, causing camps to balloon and placing a strain on local communities that have welcomed them.

Uncounted thousands more have been cut off from assistance, as transport routes have been transformed into frontlines.

"Access to people has become a real challenge. North Kivu is divided," said Aya Shneerson, the U.N. World Food Programme's director in North Kivu. "No one is going home, because the situation is unclear. There are places where people urgently need help that we can't get to."

At the hospital in Masisi, one of the few operating in the area, a team from the Belgian chapter of MSF carries out an average of 1,000 consultations per week. The 73-bed facility currently houses 130 patients and medical supplies must be flown in by helicopter to avoid ambushes on the road from Goma.

"They come walking sometimes from 20 km (12 miles) away," Havet told Reuters by phone from Masisi. "There are some who have to wait two days to be treated."

Congo's U.N. peacekeeping mission has been pushing for negotiations to end the crisis and former colonial ruler Belgium is calling for the appointment of a special outside mediator for North Kivu.

"It's clear that a political solution is needed, and quickly. The humanitarian consequences of drawn-out instability in North Kivu are pretty dire, maybe a million displaced by the end of the year," said one western diplomat.
"There seems to be a lack of political will from both sides to have meaningful talks.

The Rest @ Reuters Africa

Alrosa Hunts Diamonds and Oil in Angola

ALROSA Co. Ltd. was set up under Decree 158C of the President of the Russian Federation 'On the Establishment of the Almazy Rossii-Sakha Joint Stock Company' signed on 19 February 1992. It is Russia's largest diamond company engaged in exploration, mining, manufacture and sales of diamonds and one of the world's major rough diamond producers. ALROSA accounts for about 100% of all rough diamonds produced in Russia and for about 20% of the world's rough diamond output.

• ALROSA, Sonangol (Angolan National Energy Company), and Dark Oil (an Angolan oil company) signed an agreement on prospecting and exploration for oil and gas in the Lower Congo and Upper Kwanza zones, in the basins of the Etosha, Okawango and Kassanje Rivers, and in the shelf zone of Angola.
• The agreement was signed in the Angolan capital Luanda for ALROSA by President of ALROSA Mr. Sergey Vybornov, for Sonangol by President of the Administrative Board of Sonangol Mr. Manuel Vicente, and for Dark Oil by Mr. Fragoso do Nascimento Leopoldino.

Office in Belgium
Lange Herentalsestraat 62/70,
Antwerpen B-2018 Belgium Tel: (323) 234-9084 Fax: (323) 234-2307

Office in Angola
ALROSA-Africa
Rua Coronel Aires de Ornelas, No 1,
R/S Luanda Republica de Angola Tel./Fax: (244) (2) 443900

Office in Israel ALROSA Co. Ltd. (Israel),
Diamond Exchange, Maccabi Bldg. 2342-2344
1 Jabotinsky St. Ramat-Gan 52130, Israel Tel: (972) 3 6128680/1 Fax: (972) 3 6128714

Office in England ARCOS LIMITED,
2nd Floor, 86 Hatton Garden,
London, EC1N 8QQ, UK Tel: (44)207 242 3170 Fax: (44)207 242 3174

Office in Hong Kong ARCOS HONG KONG LTD,
56 Floor, Bank of China Tower, 1 Garden Road,
Hong Kong Tel: (852)2521 9229 Fax: (852)2521 9239

Office in United Arab Emirates
ARCOS EAST DMCC, Office 19,
Business Avenue Building, Mezzanine Floor,
Port Saeed Road, Deira, Dubai Tel: (971) 4 295 4692 Fax: (971) 4 295 4691

The Death of Ghanaians in The Gambia two years ago while in the hands of human smugglers sheds light on the Nexis between al Qaeda and organized criminals that traffic in people, drugs, arms, cash, and whatever else needs to be moved in Africa. Douglas Farah wrote more on the subject recently. What follows is an article about the investigation into their deaths.

-Shimron

ACCRA, Aug 24 (Reuters) - What started as a dream to build a better life in Europe, ended with gunshots, machetes and death at the hands of Gambian soldiers, according to a survivor.
With bullets flying overhead, Ghanaian Martin Kyere scrambled deep into Gambia's forests in the dead of night, the cries for mercy of his fellow migrants ringing in his ears.

Two years on, officials from Ghana are still investigating what happened in July 2005 when eight Ghanaians planning to make the perilous journey to Europe in fishing boats were killed.
Another 44 West Africans, mostly Ghanaians, disappeared and most are feared dead or languishing in Gambia's jails.


"The Gambian president must release the rest or say why they were killed," said Kyere, who has spoken with one person still in a Gambian jail and believes at least 15 others were killed.
A seven-member Ghanaian delegation travels to Gambia on Friday and their inquiry is due to be completed by September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The visit follows a 2005 agreement between Gambia and Ghana for a joint investigation but human rights groups say Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's government -- accused of imprisoning political opponents and journalists without trial in the former British colony -- has scarcely cooperated.

Read the rest of Kyere's story.

The Rest @ Reuters Africa

Liberia Issues Diamond Mining Liscenses

MONROVIA, July 30 (Reuters) - Liberia's government began issuing licenses to artisanal diamond miners and foreign companies on Monday for the first time since a gem-fuelled civil war tore the West African country apart.

Trade in rough diamonds from river beds and mud pits in Liberia and neighbouring Sierra Leone fuelled intertwined wars in the 1990s that were among the most brutal in modern African history, killing a quarter of a million people.

The Rest @ Reuters
Peace has since returned to both countries and the government of Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, elected in 2005, has set up offices to ensure diamonds are certified under the "Kimberley Process", an industry-led scheme designed to prevent illicit gem sales from conflict areas.
The U.N. Security Council lifted a 6-year ban on Liberian gem exports in May in recognition of the government's moves to stamp out the trade in "blood diamonds".

"Today, we have started the issuing of mineral licenses to diamond dealers, brokers and local as well as international miners in the country," A. Kpandel Fayia, deputy minister for mines and energy, told Reuters in an interview.
"This process started because we have met all the requirements set by the U.N.," he said.

The world body imposed sanctions on Liberian diamond exports during the time of former president Charles Taylor, accusing him of using the profits to support rebels in Sierra Leone.
Taylor is on trial in The Hague for war crimes including instigating murder, rape and terrorism during the Sierra Leone war, in which an estimated 50,000 were killed.
Fayia said around 30,000 Liberians had applied for "class C" licences, given to alluvial miners, while around 15 mining firms had applied for more expensive "class A" and "class B" permits.
"We have companies from all over the world. From Israel, the United States, the UK, South Africa and many countries. This should tell us that we are ready for business," Fayia said.
Diamond dealers in Liberia welcomed the issuing of licenses.
"I am very happy to see this ban lifted ... My wife owns this business and this is what we have been doing for the past 30 years," said Lebanese diamond dealer Slman Osseili.
"Since the ban was imposed, we have not worked at all," he said.

South Africa's Alrosa, De Beers, Defy European Union Regulation on Diamond Sales in Moscow

Alrosa, the world's second-largest diamond producer, plans to sell 80% of its output in Moscow. De Beers can purchase diamonds there, because the Moscow floor is not subject to European legislation.

Diamond giant De Beers based in South Africa has been Alrosa's main buyer for 50 years, although the European Commission has made two attempts to interfere.First it instructed Alrosa to reduce supplies to De Beers by $75 million annually (from $800 million in 2003 to $275 million by 2010).

In 2005, the European Commission decided that Alrosa should cut deliveries to De Beers from $600 million to $400 million in 2006-2008 reducing them to zero by 2009.At this point the Russian diamond producer decided to revise its sales policy.Alrosa's president, Sergei Vorobyov, did not elaborate when the new floor would start working, but pointed out that a substantial part of diamonds would be sold under long-term contracts.Alrosa will reduce the number of its clients, "keeping only the big ones, whose policy is understandable and who will really support the market," Vybornov said.

He refused to name the potential buyers or their number.Alrosa's constant Russian clients, which annually buy more than $13 million worth of uncut diamonds, are the Smolensk-based Kristall factory, Ruiz Diamonds (which represents the interests of Israeli businessman Lev Leviev), Mosalmaz, and Alpro.

Vybornov said up to 80% of the company's diamonds could be sold in Moscow, with the rest distributed among its foreign offices to monitor the market of one-off sales.The company's top manager said the decision to sell the bulk of its raw materials on one trading floor was logical. De Beers, which has trading sites in Britain and South Africa, is doing the same. Vybornov said Alrosa could do without De Beers, unless it makes gross mistakes in its new sales policy.There are legal ways to give De Beers an opportunity to continue buying Alrosa's diamonds, if it wants to, he said. Russia is not a member of the European Union and the diamond trading floor in Moscow will not be regulated by European legislation, Vybornov said.

These are not neccessarily blood Diamonds. This article serves to illustrate th

The Source @ Sochi2014