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Blood cows, not diamonds

[Mauritania] Cows - big business in Mauritania. [Date picture taken: 07/13/2006]
Nicholas Reader/IRIN
The Sahara desert, no longer encroaching on Niger's land

“Warring rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo are stealing and selling livestock to finance a conflict sparked by spillover from the 1994 Rwandan genocide,” reports the The Daily Telegraph in Blood burgers feed Congo conflict.

According to the article published on 16 October, as the fighting in DRC continues so does the cattle theft which helps rebel groups finance the war.

“Cattle may sound less glamorous than precious metals, but they’re accessible. They’re just like the mining resources,” says Alpha Sow, head of the local office of the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC).”

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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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