Billions of gold being smuggled-DRC
At least 1.1 tonnes of gold mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was smuggled into countries along the eastern border last year, costing the impoverished nation’s tax revenue in the millions and financing conflicts and criminal networks, according to a report by the United Nations expert group Nations shows.
Official Congo gold exports, made by artisanal miners, are almost unrelated to reality, the report said, highlighting Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates and Tanzania as some of the most common destinations for precious metals.
Citing multiple smugglers’ accounts, the document states that the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo could have earned up to $ 1.9 million in taxes if the amount of gold illegally exported last year had been shipped through official channels.
The loss is even greater in all gold-producing provinces, as artisanal miners in the Congo produce 15 to 22 tons of gold a year.
The UN experts also found that Uganda and other neighbouring countries export far more gold than they officially produce. They believe this is evidence that they may still be getting Congolese gold smuggled.
The group notes that the militia have continued to profit from illegal gold mining that takes place in the mineral rich eastern of the Congo.
While illicit extraction of cobalt, tin, tantalum, tungsten and coltan, which have continued to be key in the production of smart phones and other high tech devices has been reduced has been reduced to a minimum as gold continues to fuel armed groups.
About 1,300 civilians have been killed in separate conflicts involving armed groups and government forces in eastern DRC over the past eight months, UN rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said earlier this month.
