•  December 2000February 2001 Local News Headlines

Monday, February 26, 2001 - Web posted at 6:28:17 AM GMT

Investigate DRC mine, say parties
TANGENI AMUPADHI

THE DTA-UDF coalition has formally asked the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate Namibia's diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The leader of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance and United Democratic Front coalition Katuutire Kaura said yesterday he would also ask the Auditor General to look into the books of the August 26 Company.

August 26 is a front company for the Defence Ministry which owns the mine, as well as manufacturing armoured vehicles.

The request for an investigation into Namibia's diamond interests comes after Mines and Energy Minister Jesaya Nyamu last week dropped a bombshell by admitting Government owns a diamond mine in the southern part of the DRC.

Ironically, Nyamu a week before that criticised a United Nations report for listing Namibia as a "sensitive" country in terms of trading in 'blood diamonds'.

The Congress of Democrats, another opposition party that has been asking whether President Sam Nujoma owns a mine in the DRC, called the revelation "shocking".

It said Namibia was now involved in the "shameful" and "murderous smuggling of diamonds and other resources in the DRC".

Although Nyamu said the mine was being operated under an agreement reached with assassinated DRC President Laurent Kabila, the DTA-UDF coalition said Namibia's involvement amounted to the "plundering" of another country's assets."

"There can be nothing legal about an agreement between the Namibian Ministry of Defence and the unelected DRC government to squander the income of the impoverished people of that country," said Kaura in a statement.

He added that "it appears the mine was given to the Namibian Government or President Nujoma himself in exchange for military support against the rebels in the DRC".

Government has vehemently denied that Nujoma is personally involved in diamond ventures in the DRC.

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