YouSaid · the spoken record

Jamal Usseni

lines on the record
18
first
2020-06-25
most recent
2020-06-25
sittings or episodes
1
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “In conclusion, it is time for the United Nations community to speak with one voice and act accordingly so that those who benefit from the illicit gold trade in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo understand that this region needs peace and that gold can be traded in other ways without the daily shedding of innocent blood.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  2. “First, at the national level, the export tax rate for the mining and marketing of artisanal gold must be lowered; secondly, justice mechanisms must hold accountable the national and foreign gold traffickers involved in the illicit gold trade; thirdly, the Central Bank of the Congo must purchase artisanal gold; and, fourthly, responsible supply chains must be established for artisanal gold. At the regional level, a mine geophysical footprint analysis must be integrated into the ICGLR certification of origin mechanism. At the international level, actors involved in the illicit trafficking of gold in eastern must be sanctioned.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  3. “It should be noted that the export of large quantities of gold from Uganda, Rwanda and other ICGLR countries violates resolution 1952 (2010), the guidelines of the OECD, as well as the requirements of the ICGLR Regional Certification Mechanism for minerals. From that perspective, it will be very difficult for the United Nations to achieve a sustainable easing of tensions in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as long as armed groups continue to play the main role in the extraction and trading of gold in the region. As to the pathways towards a solution to put an end to this situation, we must adopt a holitic approach on three levels.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  4. “Turning to analysis and forecasts, in view of the situation presented above, the solution lies in the implementation of responsible supply chains that respect due diligence and ensure the traceability of gold in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. In order to achieve that goal, we must overcome the following challenges: first, the lack of political will at the level of the major actors in the Great Lakes region conflict, including Rwanda and Uganda; secondly, the context of the gold trade in the region and in the world; and, thirdly, the relationship between the availability and value of gold — low availability results in high prices, which incentivizes smuggling.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  5. “In the Kalemie corridor, gold from south Maniema and Tanganyika province is brought to the city of Kalemie and then to Dar es Salaam via Kigoma. As to the link between gold production and exportation by ICGLR member countries, the situation described above gives rise to an extremely unbalanced relationship between gold production and export statistics at the regional level. Taking just the publicly available data, here is what emerges. In 2018, Uganda officially produced 12 kilograms of gold and exported 12 tons — 25 tons in 2019. In 2019, Rwanda exported 5 tons of gold, but there is no data on the country’s gold production. In 2018, Burundi produced 598 kilograms and exported 1,112.49 kilograms. Unfortunately, Tanzania does not disclose any statistical data on gold production and exportation on its territory.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  6. “In the Little North corridor, the gold coming from the north of Maniema territory, including Lubutu, from Walikale territory and Masisi passes through the city of Goma to be transported to Kigali or Kampala. In the Bukavu corridor, the gold produced in the Walungu, Mwenga and Shabunda territories in South Kivu passes through the city of Bukavu and is then transported to Kigali or Bujumbura. In the Uvira corridor, gold produced in the territory of Uvira and in the territory of Fizi passes through the city of Uvira to be transported to the city of Bujumbura in Burundi. In the Baraka corridor, gold produced in Fizi territory and in and around the Itombwe reserve in Mwenga territory is transported to Baraka to be brought to Kigoma in Tanzania and then to Dar es Salaam.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  7. “With regard to illicit trafficking corridors from the Democratic Republic of the Congo towards member countries of the ICGLR, gold mines not under the direct control of armed groups fuel the networks of illicit gold trafficking to East African countries. In the Ituri corridor of the north-east extreme, gold produced in the region of Bafwasende, Buta and Ituri provinces is transported to Bunia and then on to Kampala and Nairobi. Is the far-north corridor, the gold produced in Beni territory, Lubero territory and the northern part of Walikale territory goes either to the city of Butembo or the city of Kirumba, closer to Lake Albert, and then to Kampala or Nairobi.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  8. “With regard to armed groups' control over mining locations, of the 2,789 listed stanniferous, gold and diamond mining sites in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1,746 are gold-bearing, that is 62 per cent. Out of 377,772 listed diggers, 274,004, or 72.5 per cent, are active in gold mining. Of the 1,746 gold mines listed, 515 are under the direct control of local and foreign arms groups, or 29.4 per cent. Of those, 69 — 4 per cent — are under the direct control of foreign armed groups operating on Congolese soil, with 5,169 — 1.8 per cent — of identified miners; and 396, or 21 per cent, of registered gold mines, are under the direct control of local armed groups, with 67,595 — 24 per cent — of identified miners.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  9. “At the national level, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has launched the process of qualification and validation of mining sites, with a focus on the traceability of minerals and the exercise of the duty of care in accordance with the OECD’s guiding principles. The European Union has put the finishing touches to the process by drafting a regulation — expected to enter into force in 2021 — on minerals from conflict or high-risk zones. I would like to underline to participants a key element of that assistance. Those initiatives on the ground have had a largely positive synergistic effect on the stanniferous minerals coltan, tin and tungsten. However, that is not the case for gold, which continues to be a secure source of funding for armed groups.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  10. “To help the region recover, the Security Council adopted resolution 1952 (2010), which calls on actors to follow up on the recommendations on due diligence based on the guidelines of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The United States of America reinforced that commitment by incorporating sections 1502 and 1504 into the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to require all companies listed on United States stock exchanges to exercise due diligence with regard to their mineral supply chains. At the regional level, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) launched the Regional Initiative against the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources to combat the illicit trade of minerals in the region.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  11. “Here again, the economic strategy can be summarized in three points: first, keeping control over rich mining areas, exploiting them and smuggling the minerals to the countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo; secondly, using local actors financed by the outside, who ensure the purchase of minerals, as well as foreign actors, who position themselves in the countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo to buy and export minerals under cover of the host countries; and, finally, collecting various payments from local mining operators. The primary mineral of interest during this period is gold. I now turn to initiatives to put an end to the conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  12. “The strategy of armed groups and their sponsors consisted of three steps: first, taking control of rich mining areas, exploiting them and exporting raw minerals from the armed groups’ sponsor countries; secondly, using local and foreign economic actors to conduct business between the occupied areas and the armed group’s sponsor countries; and, thirdly, collecting taxes and various payments from local mining operators. Then, the minerals particularly targeted were coltan, tin and tungsten. Between 2014 and 2020, the ADF-NALU, the FDLR, various Mayi-Mayi movements and local self-defence groups were active in the field.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  13. “To understand the economic dynamics behind the armed conflicts in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, one must face the evidence of their dual nature: first, at the socio-political level, the actors justify their actions by identity-based claims aimed at the conquest of power or the control of a portion of the national territory; and, secondly, at the economic level, those actors take control of rich mining areas that are exploited by different armed groups. In my remarks, I will dwell more on the second aspect by dividing the troubled period in two. During the 1996-2013 period, the AFDL, the RCD, the RCD-Kisangani/ Mouvement de libération, the FDLR, the Force de résistance patriotique de l’Ituri, the CNDP, the M-23 and various Mayi-Mayi movements and local self-defence groups were active in the field of operations.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  14. “I cannot fail to mention the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR) and the Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU), which continue to sow death and desolation among the Congolese civilian population. Fresh in our memory are the images of the victims of the ADF-NALU in the Beni zone, women and children raped or decapitated with machetes.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  15. “After much effort by the international community through the United Nations Observer Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a semblance of peace had started to return before being disrupted again between 2004 and 2013 by the actions of rebel groups such as the Congrès national pour la défense du peuple (CNDP) and the Mouvement du 23 mars (M-23), which is still supported by Rwanda and Uganda. Alongside those movements, there has also been strong activity on the part of local armed groups, including the Mayi-Mayi, the Raia Mutomboki and other popular self-defence groups. Those groups have been ruthless and extremely violent towards the population they claim to be defending.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  16. “Unfortunately, there is no official figure to determine the real production capacity of artisanal gold mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, given the low level of formalization of the sector and the very significant illicit cross-border gold-trafficking activities between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighbours, including Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya. Since 1996, the area has experienced several wars, the most important of which were the so-called liberation wars led by the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (AFDL) and the Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie (RCD), with military support from Rwanda and Uganda.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  17. “In conclusion, I will propose possible solutions that can be applied at the national, regional and international levels. In order for the Council to grasp the quintessence of what I am saying, allow me to present the contextual elements of the region evoked here. The eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is reputed to be very rich in gold deposits. The area extends from the extreme north-east, in the province of Ituri, to the extreme south-east, in the province of Tanganyika, in Ex-Katanga, where important artisanal gold-mining activities have been taking place for decades. It is estimated that between 300 kilograms and 50 tons of gold are produced in this area.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source

  18. “Allow me today to present to Council members my most fraternal greetings, wishing them and their family members good health during this period marked by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. I would like to thank the Council for having given me this opportunity to brief it on the situation regarding the financing of armed groups operating in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo through the exploitation and illicit trade of minerals, particularly gold. In my remarks, I will briefly present the context and the situation of the activities of armed groups in the areas where artisanal gold mining is taking place. I will also analyse the facts and their implications for efforts to bring peace to the region.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/598 (2020) · source