Nielson speaks out at timber cash for Congolese arms

Date: 12/12/02

By David Cronin

FIRMS and militia which "plunder" Congolese natural resources breach the accord on EU-Africa relations, Development Commissioner Poul Nielson has declared.

The Dane says he is "very concerned" by logging of forests covering 33 million hectares by a firm linked to Zimbabwe's ruling military party ZANU-PF. The area affected occupies 15 of Congolese territory.

The company SOCEBO (Société Congolaise pour l'Exploitation du Bois) was formed as a joint venture between Operation Sovereign Legitimacy - an operation controlled by the Zimbabwean army - and Kinshasa-based Comiex. The latter boasted Laurent Kabila - the late Congolese president- as its single largest shareholder.

Nielson said a UN report on illegal exploitation of natural resources in Congo cites evidence of how revenues from mining have fuelled its four-year civil war. "It is likely that timber revenues are being used for a similar purpose, both within the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo], and in other countries profiting from the plunder of DRC resources," the Dane said.

"Misuse of natural resources in the DRC contradicts the principles of good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law set out in the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, which forms the basis of the Union's relationship with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries."

An estimated 400,000 people are dead or missing as a result of fighting in Congo, while 1.6 million are believed to have died from malnutrition and disease since war erupted in the late 1990s.

The Commission is helping to finance an initiative involving ministers from African states against illegal logging. It is due to examine "conflict timber" - wood used to raise money for armed groups.

Firms and militia which 'plunder' Congolese natural resources breach the accord on EU-Africa relations, Development Commissioner Poul Nielson has declared.