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Congolese NGOs decry mining in main refuge of ‘Africa’s unicorn’

Congolese NGOs decry mining in main refuge of ‘Africa’s unicorn’

ERIKAS MWISI KAMBALE ILLEGAL gold mining is destroying tracts of pristine rainforest in Congo's Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site meant to be a haven for the endangered mammal nicknamed Africa's unicorn, environmental organisations warned on Tuesday. Industrial activities are supposed to be banned in the 13,000 square kilometres of the reserve in the northeast Democratic Republic of Congo. Aerial photo evidence shows mining has persisted, the civil society groups said at a joint news conference to mark the international day of the okapi. The Council for Environmental Defense through Legality and Traceability (CODELT) said the ongoing destruction…
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DRC seizes gold worth $1.9 million

DRC seizes gold worth $1.9 million

CONGOLESE authorities have seized 31 kg of gold, worth around $1.9 million, in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the country's northeast, in a rare loss for smugglers who fraudulently bring tonnes of Congolese gold into the global market each year. Lieutenant Jean de Dieu Musongela, head of the military prosecutor's office in Mambasa, said on Tuesday the 31 ingots, which would have entered the open market after being smuggled through a neighbouring country, came from Muchacha, which he described as a mine in the Okapi reserve. Mining in the reserve - a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to okapi, forest…
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