Report: DR Congo military leader involved in illegal timber trade

An investigative report from Global Witness accuses a high-ranking though disreputable military leader in Democratic Republic of Congo of acquiring illegally traded timber licenses in a matter of days, and then selling the associated company to a Chinese timber kingpin already operating in the country. General Gabriel Amisi Kumba is…

South Sudan touts oil recovery at AOP18, but obstacles remain

South Sudan’s oil production is recovering from years of conflict, according to Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, the country’s Minister of Petroleum, but many obstacles remain even as oilfield operations come back online. Security was top of mind as South Sudan took the spotlight during the Africa Oil & Power conference in…

UN launches initiative to better protect environmental defenders

An initiative designed to protect environmental defenders around the world from threats, intimidation, harassment and murder was launched Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Program. The UN Environmental Rights Initiative was introduced in Geneva with guests on hand including John Knox, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment;…

Global Witness report exposes diamond wealth among Zimbabwe elites

A report from the Global Witness organization finds that Zimbabwe’s military and intelligence personnel, along with political elites, are siphoning off the country’s diamond wealth and hiding it from a nation where three-fourths of the people live in poverty. The new “An Inside Job” report looked at five mining companies…