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FOREST
CONSERVATION NEWS TODAY
Mugabe's
Loggers to Ravage Congo's Rainforests
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08/26/01
OVERVIEW
& COMMENTARY by Forests.org
The
Observer from the UK reports that eighty-five million acres of
African
rainforests, some of the Earth's last great tropical
rainforest
expanses, are to be laid waste by loggers working for
Robert
Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe.
Associates of the
increasingly
despotic 77-year-old are reportedly planning the biggest
logging
operation ever to take place in the Democratic Republic of
Congo
(DRC). The 85 million acres to be
industrially logged is
almost
1.5 times the area of the United Kingdom.
These forests were
recently
designated one of the most important forests on the Planet
by the
United Nations. The logging rights have
been granted by the
DRC in
exchange for military aid against rebels in the east of the
country. The logging operation is to be run by the
Zimbabwean army
and
Forestry Commission. 200m pounds in
profits are expected in only
two to
three years as the concessions are extensively and rapidly
pillaged
for their most valuable timber.
The
Mugabe regime is notorious for corruption and brutal repression
of
political dissent. This ecologically
and socially criminal timber
deal
illustrates how wanton liquidation of natural resources
increasingly
fuels conflict across Africa and the World.
The
international
community must resist this massively shameful timber
deal,
and continued natural resource driven civil strife across
Africa,
using all means at their disposal. Such
a massive reduction
in
Africa's ecosystems represents ecological villainy that will
devastate
Africa's chances to ever achieve a peaceful and sustainable
future. This is the first and only information that
has been
available
on this tragic timber deal, thus details are vague. We
look
forward to tracking the situation and defeating this project.
g.b.
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RELAYED
TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Mugabe's loggers to ravage rainforest
Source: Copyright 2001 The Observer (UK)
Date: August 26, 2001
Byline: Jason Burke, chief reporter
The
army of Zimbabwe's despotic ruler will help to fell trees in 85m
acres
of Congo. But the people of both nations are unlikely to see
any
benefits from the o200m deal
One of
the world's last great rainforests is to be laid waste by
loggers
working for Robert Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe, and his
ruling
clique.
Associates
of the increasingly despotic 77-year-old are planning the
biggest
ever logging operation in the precious tropical rainforests
of the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The 85
million acres (almost 1.5 times the area of the United
Kingdom)
that Mugabe hopes to exploit are the heart of an area
recently
designated one of the most important forests on the planet
by the
United Nations. Mugabe has already been attacked for the
corruption
of his regime and its brutal repression of political
dissent.
He faces American sanctions and growing international
censure
for his increasingly violent brand of authoritarian
government.
Now he faces the wrath of environmentalists too.
'The
long-term impacts on local people's livelihoods and on rare
wildlife
such as the gorilla will be devastating,' said Patrick
Alley,
director of the human rights and environmental campaign group
Global
Witness. 'This is forest the world can ill afford to lose.'
The
rights have been conceded by the Democratic Republic of Congo's
government
to representatives of the Zimbabwean president in return
for
military aid against rebels in the east of the country. The war
in the
DRC has killed an estimated 2.5 million people in the last
three
years.
The
logging operation is to be run by the Zimbabwean army and
Forestry
Commission and is expected to bring in profits of o200m over
the two
to three years it will take to clear the concessions of the
most
valuable timber.
Little
of the logging money is expected to reach the Zimbabwean
people,
though their army's involvement in Congo is bankrupting the
country.
Inflation is running at 170 per cent, unemployment is at 60
per
cent and millions live in poverty.
Instead
,the logging revenues are likely to be shared by a small
clique
of senior generals and politicians.
The
funds will also swell the war chest of the Zanu-PF party,
Mugabe's
primary political vehicle, which has led the recent violent
crackdown
on the growing democratic opposition.
Zanu-PF
need funds to expand its brutal campaign against the
challengers
to Mugabe's power in the run-up to next year's
presidential
elections. The effect of such a huge logging operation
will be
devastating. Congo has nearly half of Africa's, and 6 per
cent of
the world's, tropical rainforest. Until recently poor
communications
and the continuing conflict had largely spared the
area
from the attention of commercial tropical timber firms. But a
German
company has been granted a 2.6 million-hectare concession by
the
desperately poor Congolese government and a series of deals with
Malaysian
and Chinese companies have also been concluded.
Mugabe's
concession has been granted to Socebo, a Zimbabwe-registered
company
whose board includes senior Zanu-PF and military figures. The
deal
was negotiated in 1999. Socebo was established last year.
Its
publicity claims that the company 'aims to be the world leader in
trading
tropical hardwoods_ Sustainable forestry management is our
business'.
It is based in Kinshasa and is a subsidiary of another
firm
called Cosleg (Pvt) Ltd. Cosleg is itself a joint venture
between
Operation for Sovereign Legitimacy (Osleg), a company largely
controlled
by the Zimbabwean military, and Comiex-Congo, a Kinshasa-
based
firm partly owned by the family of Joseph Kabila, the President
of the
DRC.
Two
previous projects - a cobalt mining enterprise and a diamond
extraction
venture - have been disappointments for the Zimbabweans.
The
cobalt proved less profitable than predicted, and Oryx Diamonds
was unable
to float on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative
Investment
Index following recent measures aimed at banning the trade
in
so-called 'conflict diamonds'.
However,
several other ventures have been very lucrative. Analysts
believe
the vastly profitable opportunities to extract valuable
gemstones,
minerals, metals and timber from Congo have drawn regional
powers
into the war there.
At
least six countries have bartered military support for one or
other
side in the conflict for the right to exploit some of the
country's
vast resources. One United Nations committee, set up to
investigate
what has been dubbed 'The New Scramble for Africa',
alleged
that Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, such as Mugabe's Zimbabwe,
all
hope to exploit the conflict for their own financial gain. The
armies
of Angola and Namibia are also involved in the war.
Last
week leaders from all the warring factions met in Botswana in a
bid to
negotiate an end to the fighting. They have agreed to meet
again
in October, but few are optimistic that the war will be ended
soon.
'Zimbabwe's
logging deal provides a strong motive for Mugabe to keep
his
troops committed,' said Alley, whose organisation will publish a
report
on Mugabe's logging operation next week.
'That
could threaten the whole peace process, and is yet another
example
of the way in which natural resources are fuelling conflict
across
Africa and the world.'
Zimbabwe's
involvement in Congo, which has cost an estimated o300m so
far,
started three years ago when Laurent Kabila, the former
President
who was then leader of the rebels and whose son Joseph is
the
current Congo leader, requested Mugabe's assistance in ousting
President
Mobutu Sese Seko. A spokesman at the Zimbabwean High
Commission
said they knew nothing about any logging in Democratic
Republic
of Congo and had no comment to make.
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