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### Viewing cable 07KINSHASA797, RECENT ALLEGATIONS OF URANIUM TRAFFICKING IN THE

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
07KINSHASA797 | 2007-07-11 11:11 | 2010-12-19 21:09 | SECRET | Embassy Kinshasa

`

    VZCZCXRO9134
    RR RUEHMR RUEHRN
    DE RUEHKI #0797/01 1921113
    ZNY SSSSS ZZH
    R 111113Z JUL 07
    FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6498
    INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
    RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
    RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 0020
    RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 0033
    RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0015
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
    RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
    RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
    RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
    RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

` `

    S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 KINSHASA 000797

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2017
    TAGS: ENRG ETRD KNNP PGOV PINR PINS IAEA EMIN
    SUBJECT: RECENT ALLEGATIONS OF URANIUM TRAFFICKING IN THE
    DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

    REF: KINSHASA 00796

    Classified By: DPOPOVICH, ECONOFF, Reason 1.4 (b), (c), (f)

    -------
    Summary
    -------

    ¶1. (S) Several sources have recently stated that the Malta
    Forest Company is mining and exporting uranium from the
    Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to reports,
    Malta Forest does this by mining the uranified rock while
    mining copper and cobalt, then exporting the uranified ore
    and circumventing radiation testing by using an established
    system of corrupt government officials. Foreign companies
    then purchase the uranified ore and refine it abroad to
    separate the uranium, copper and cobalt. In this way,
    foreign companies purchase uranium from Malta Forest, while
    Malta Forest appears to be exporting copper and cobalt. In
    2006, for example, a Finish company reportedly told the
    International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA) that they
    imported one ton of uranium from the DRC. The DRC, however,
    claimed that it did not export any uranium in 2006.

    ----------------------------
    Radioactive Mines in Katanga
    ----------------------------

    ¶2. (S) All of Katanga Province could be said to be somewhat
    radioactive. Some areas are more radioactive than others,
    however, and there have been recent reports that several
    Katangan mines have abnormally high levels of radiation. Per
    REF, between 23 and 29 May, the Democratic Republic of Congo
    (DRC) Ministry of Mines and Property for Katanga Province
    sent a nine person commission to investigate allegations of
    abnormally high radiation levels at the Luiswishi Mine,
    located approximately 20km north-west of Lubumbashi, DRC.
    The commission examined the mine site and surrounding mineral
    deposits with radiometers, and sent 100kg of rock samples to
    the Nuclear Research Center of Kinshasa (CREN-K) for further
    analysis. The commission concluded that dangerously high
    levels of radiation existed at Luiswishi mine, and that the
    mine operator, the Mining Company of South Katanga (CMSK),
    which is predominantly owned by the Malta Forest Company
    (EGMF), was suppressing this fact to continue mining
    operations.

    ¶3. (S) In early June, a named OCC agent told an Embassy
    contact that he worked as an OCC overseer at the Luiswishi
    mine for two years. During this time, Kilolo claims that he
    and several unidentified colleagues notified Malta Forest of
    the high radiation levels at the mine. Fnu Nkongolo wa Dila,
    the Director of Malta Forest, reportedly paid him to keep
    quiet. Kilolo said that Nkongolo paid him and his colleagues
    several times after this as well.

    ¶4. (S) A named government official recently told an embassy
    contact that a Katangan government delegation went to Likasi,
    DRC in 2005 to investigate radiation levels at the Kisompe
    Mine. The delegation reportedly detected high levels of
    radiation at the mine, and found artisanal diggers, who were
    employed by Chinese and Korean businessmen, working the site.
    The delegation also inspected the Copinath company in
    Likasi, and reportedly discovered that Copinath had 15 tons
    of highly radioactive rock that it had obtained from
    artisanal diggers at the Shinkolobwe Uranium Mine
    (Shinkolobwe is now closed). The delegation submitted a
    report suggesting that the rock be returned to Shinkolobwe,
    but Samba Kaputo, the former and still de facto Special
    Security Advisor to DRC President Joseph Kabila, reportedly
    intervened and allowed the rock to be exported. Kaputo was
    reportedly a shareholder of Copinath.

    ----------------------
    Associated Allegations
    ----------------------

    ¶5. (S) On 7 June, Econoff had lunch with Professor Fortunat
    Lumu Badimbayi-Matu, the recently dismissed Director of
    CREN-K and the DRC,s Atomic Energy Commission (CGEA).
    During lunch, Lumu said that in late 2006, the CGEA sent a
    team, which Lumu lead, to Luiswishi to investigate radiation

    KINSHASA 00000797 002 OF 004

    levels at the mine. Using Geiger counters, the team also
    found that the radiation levels were high. Lumu stated that
    Malta Forest was mining and exporting uranium, and doing so
    by claiming it was copper. At the very least, Lumu said that
    Malta Forest was selling copper at elevated prices, and
    foreign buyers were then separating the uranium from the raw
    ore.

    ¶6. (S) Lumu was fired shortly after this CGEA investigation
    by the new Minister of Scientific Research, Sylvanus Mushi
    Bonane. Minister Mushi fired him, in part, because he
    believed Lumu had struck personally beneficial deals with the
    Brinkley Mining company. Lumu told Econoff that this was not
    true, and that he negotiated uranium mining rights with
    Brinkley on behalf of the DRC government. He felt he was
    authorized to negotiate mining rights for the DRC with a
    private foreign company to mine uranium. He stated that he
    was trying to grant Brinkley uranium mining rights in order
    to inject legitimacy and transparency into the uranium mining
    process. He admitted, however, that part of the reason
    Brinkley was going to be given the rights was because of his
    and the CGEA,s damning report of Malta Forest, and that
    under the Brinkley deal, a private company would be
    established to inspect and certify Brinkley,s uranium
    shipments. Lumu was going to be the president of this
    inspection company, and profit from it. He did not think
    that this was a conflict of interest. In fact, he asked
    Econoff what the USG could do to help him, and if the USG
    could relocate him and his family to the United States
    because he was now afraid for his life. He acknowledged,
    however, that no DRC officials, including Mushi, had made a
    specific threat against him.

    ¶7. (S) On 13 June, Econoff had lunch with Lumu,s
    replacement, Professor Francois Lubala Toto. Lubala does not
    support Lumu, but corroborated Lumu,s allegations. He
    stated that the CGEA did send a team to investigate radiation
    levels at Luiswishi, and that Malta Forest is mining,
    exporting and selling uranium.

    ¶8. (S) On 2 June, the Embassy received a copy of a grievance
    that 20 artisanal miners submitted to Katanga Governor
    Kutumbi and the Minister of the Interior. In the grievance,
    the miners claim that that on 27 March 2007, local government
    authorities in Likasi, working for the Mayor of Likasi,
    Helene Yav Nguz, asked the miners to clandestinely mine 200,
    60kg sacs of raw rock from Shinkolobwe. Mayor Yav, who had
    partnered with local Chinese businessmen, allegedly promised
    to pay the miners $20,000 for this work. The miners claimed
    that they mined the rock, but never received payment. They
    claimed that the rock was taken to the Kimpese Depot near
    Shinkolobwe, and that during the night of 3 April, it was
    loaded onto a red Scania truck and taken from Likasi. The
    truck was owned by a Somalian, and had license plate
    ACH-7893. The 20 miners signed the letter. (Comment:
    Econoff finds such claims not credible, especially since he
    personally inspected the Shinkolobwe Uranium mine in August
    2006 and found that it was abandoned, and that no evidence of
    industrial or artisanal mining existed. This allegation by
    the 20 miners is noted for the record, however, since we
    recently received another report from a separate miner in
    Likasi alledging that Mayor Yav is working with unidentified
    Koreans on mining deals. End Comment.)

    -------
    Finland
    -------

    ¶9. (S) On 5 July, Professor Lumu told Econoff that an
    unidentified Finnish company reported to the IAEA, in
    accordance with the regulations of the IAEA,s additional
    protocol for the DRC, that the company imported one ton of
    uranium from the DRC in 2006. The DRC, however, did not
    report exporting any uranium in 2006. Professor Lumu said
    that IAEA representatives told him this in confidence during
    a conference in Vienna. Econoff contacted the IAEA to
    confirm this, but the IAEA would not comment.

    ¶10. (S) According to confidential OCC statistics, only two
    Finnish companies (note: which may actually be the same
    company) bought and imported "copper and cobalt concentrates"
    from DRC companies in Katanga Province in 2005 and 2006.

    KINSHASA 00000797 003 OF 004

    These were Opolo Chemicals (who has a metal processing center
    in Namibia) (Box 286, 1247, City Road, Johannesburg) and
    Konkola Chemicals, variant Kokkola Chemicals (Box 286 Fin
    1247, City Deep Road, Johannesburg). According to the OCC,s
    confidential 2005 statistics for Katanga (which may be

    SIPDIS
    underreported as many companies bribe border officials to
    avoid paying taxes), the following companies exported the
    following minerals to unidentified buyers in Finland in 2005:

    Company - Product - Kgs - Destination
    -------------------------------------
    CMSK - Copper/Cobalt Concentrates - 57,705,275 - Finland
    GTL - White Alloy - 8,033,434 - Finland
    Bazano - Copper Concentrates - 582,336 - Finland
    C - Copper/Cobalt Concentrates - 2,895 - Finland

    ¶11. (S) The OCC states that DRC companies in Katanga exported
    a total of 255,650,678 kg of minerals in 2005. Exports to
    Finland (66,323,940) thus accounted for 26% of all exports.
    Of interest, the declared value of GTL,s &white alloy8
    exports was considerably higher than that of the copper /
    cobalt concentrate. As noted, CMSK works the Luiswishi mine,
    which the Ministry of Mines recently found to contain high
    levels of radiation. GTL, the Slag Treatment Group of
    Luiswishi (Groupement de Traitement de Terril de Luiswishi; 4
    Route Munuma, Kipushi), also appears to exploit Luiswishi.
    Both Bazano and &C8 were miscellaneous one-time entries in
    the OCC records for the year. Since the OCC only reported
    one Finish importer in 2005, it is reasonable to conclude
    that nearly all DRC mineral exports to Finland in 2005 went
    to the Konkola company in Finland, and came from the CMSK and
    GTL companies working the Luiswishi mine. If Lumu,s report
    about a Finnish company reporting one ton of uranium imports
    to the IAEA is true, then it is also reasonable to conclude
    that Konkola reported this, and the uranium came from the
    Luiswishi Mine. This assumption would be corroborated by the
    REF report of high radiation levels at Luiswishi.

    -----------
    Conclusions
    -----------

    ¶12. (S) It is unclear whether or not Malta Forest and other
    companies in Katanga Province mine and traffic uranium. A
    body of circumstantial evidence exists, but specific hard
    evidence does not. Certainly, there are extensive, probably
    profitable quantities of uranium in Malta Forest,s mines,
    especially since the price of uranium (U308) has increased
    from approximately $15 a pound in 2004 to $135 a pound in
    ¶2007. It would be difficult to avoid mining this uranium
    while mining copper, and it would be easy to export it within
    raw, semi-processed rock as copper, especially if an illegal
    export system in an unregulated environment already existed
    to do so. The fact that the Embassy has received several
    reports in the past two months from approximately six
    different sources that Malta Forest is trafficking uranium,
    lends support to the circumstantial case against them (Post
    can not confirm if any of this reporting is circular). The
    fact that Finland may claim DRC uranium imports, but the DRC
    does not record any uranium exports, is also suspicious.

    ¶13. (S) On the other hand, Malta Forest is an easy target; it
    is a large company that has been working in the Congo since
    1915, and it has been involved in business deals with various
    Congolese Government officials. Statistics are also
    intentionally muddied and manipulated by DRC officials to
    push various economic and political agendas. Around 20 June,
    for example, Governor Katumbi called Econoff to discuss the
    REF Ministry of Mine,s report. He argued that Malta Forest
    was trafficking uranium, and tried to get the United States
    to intervene. Governor Katumbi was reportedly a shareholder
    in several mining companies that compete with Malta Forest,
    including the Mining Company of Katanga (MCK) and Anvil
    Mining, although he told Econoff he divested himself of
    ownership in these companies. Professor Lumu,s side-story
    is also a case in point. What at first glance seems like a
    clear-cut case of uranium mining at Luiswishi quickly loses
    credibility by the revelation that Lumu planned to use the
    investigation to push Malta Forest aside and form a
    personally profitable partnership with Brinkley. Certain DRC
    officials may have a powerful economic incentive to say that
    private companies like Malta Forest are exporting uranium,

    KINSHASA 00000797 004 OF 004

    whether this is true or not, because this often benefits
    their own business interests, and it is standard practice for
    officials to receive bribes from companies to make the
    problems the officials created in the first place go away.
    The only solution to conclusively determine whether or not
    companies are clandestinely trafficking uranium may be to
    conduct an independent study by a neutral party, such as the
    IAEA.

    MEECE

`