[Firestarter]

In 2002, the United Nations accused dozens of multinationals of facilitating the plunder of the Democratic Republic of Congo including: Barclays Bank, De Beers, Anglo American, Afrimex, Mineral Afrika, Euromet, Das Air, A Knight International, A&M Minerals and Metals, Alex Stewart, Arctic Investment and Amalgamated Metal Corporation.
The UN reported an additional 29 companies and 54 individuals, mostly African and Belgian, which were directly involved in the plunder.

The UN named the Zimbabwean John Bredenkamp of mediating sales of military equipment from BAE Systems to Congo in violation of European sanctions.
Bredenkamp was a key investor in the Aviation Consultancy Service Company, which represents BAE Systems.

The UN’s harshest criticism wasn’t to the profiteers from Britain, Canada and the US but at the crooked government officials in several African countries that profit, including Rwandan army's chief of staff James Kabarebe; Zimbabwe's parliament speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa; and Uganda's army chief of staff Major General James Kazini.

Rwanda did everything it could to prolong the fighting, including collaborating with its “enemies”.
Senior Rwandan official Jean-Pierre Ondekane, urged its army units to maintain good relations "with our interahamwe and Mayi-Mayi brothers", and "if necessary to let them exploit the sub-soil for their survival": https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/o...orycarroll
(http://archive.is/7fiYr)


In March 2003, before the transitional Congolese government was established in Kinshasa, a representative of AngloGold Ashanti, Trevor Schultz, participated in a board meeting with their joint venture partner OKIMO. They discussed gold drilling in Mongbwalu.
AngloGold Ashanti (until 2009 a subsidiary of Anglo American) provided financial and logistical support to the FNI.

Between March and June 2003, the Front des Nationalistes et Intégrationnistes (FNI) with the help of the Ugandan army took effective control over the Mongbwalu area. The FNI and its leaders were responsible for some of the worst atrocities in this region, for example in Kilo on 10 March 2003 they massacred at least 100 women and children and abducted many others.
When AngloGold Ashanti was planning gold mining activities in Mongbwalu in late 2003, the FNI controlled the land, including the airport and roads. FNI terrorists also controlled entry to and exit from the mines and collected taxes for entry to Mongbwalu or the mines.

According to an employee of AngloGold Ashanti, vice-president of the transitional government for economy and finance Jean-Pierre Bemba suggested the FNI to AngloGold Ashanti. Bemba told them to “talk to the little guy” Njabu, who was then residing at the Grand Hotel in Kinshasa.
The meetings took place just weeks after the FNI combatants had brutally massacred innocent civilians in Concession 40 (east of Mongbwalu) in September 2004. In December 2004, AngloGold Ashanti wrote that Vice President Bemba had assured that Ituri was safe and had “urged the company to continue with its exploration program in the region”.

The denials about financial assistance to the FNI armed group were contradicted by
In February 2005 AngloGold Ashanti’s spokesman Steven Lenahan, was quoted with details on payments to the FNI. AngloGold Ashanti also supported the FNI armed group in Mongbwalu, with assistance with logistics and transportation: https://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/drc0505/9.htm
(http://archive.is/LKQ8L)


There have been protests against Barrick Gold…


In September 2018, Barrick took over Randgold to create the world’s largest gold company with an aggregate market value of $18.3 billion. As a result, Barrick became the owner of Randgold’s 45% stake in the Kibali mine in Congo.
Congolese Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu said this would still have to be approved by the government in accordance with the new mining code: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-randg...SKCN1M82IH
(http://archive.is/l3ZNd)


In April 2018, 8 mining companies (Barrick Gold is missing!) Glencore, Randgold Resources, Ivanhoe Mines, Gold Mountain International (Zijin Mining Group), MMG Ltd., Crystal River Global, China Molybdenum Co. (CMOC) and AngloGold Ashanti complained about the new mining code in Congo, and threatened with legal action: https://www.mining-journal.com/politics/...ishes-work
(http://archive.is/W64n0)


And then in January 2019, Felix Tshisekedi (Etienne’s son) became the new president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Problem solved?!?
Some claim that president Tshisekedi is nothing more than a puppet of Joseph Kabila: https://www.dw.com/en/drc-is-president-t...a-50171782