UN resource misuse panel moves to Europe

The UN panel of experts who investigated the alleged illegal exploitation of natural and mineral resources in the DRC has moved to Europe as it continues its enquiries. A statement from the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Nairobi on Monday said the panel was seeking to obtain information and substantiate links between natural resource exploitation and the use of the proceeds to support the continuation of warfare in that country. For its fact-finding mission, the panel was expected to spend from Monday 4 December to Tuesday 12 December in the Belgian capital Brussels. It would then leave for London, followed Paris, Rome and Geneva, UNIC stated. The panel was mandated by the UN Security Council to follow up on reports and to collect information on all illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth of the DRC, including the violation of the sovereignty of that country. The expert panel is also to research and analyse the links between the exploitation of the natural resources and other forms of wealth in the DRC and the continuation of the conflict, and to provide the Council with a final report and recommendations. The head of the panel, Safiatou Ba-N’Daw, has said it “welcomes the support and assistance of all governments, public and private companies, and sectors of civil society who share an interest in the work of the panel in bringing peace to the DRC and the surrounding region,” the UNIC statement added.