Six arrested in Congo radioactive dumping scandal

This is a follow-up to my earlier post. The authorities have found the alleged dumpers of tons of radioactive material into a Congo river.

Perhaps it isn't clear, but dangerous things I can't see scare the shit out of me. That's why I post about E coli, radiation, formaldehyde and such.

Congolese authorities arrested six people in connection with the dumping of tonnes of highly radioactive minerals into a river near the southeastern town of Likasi, the environment minister said on Friday.

A quarantine zone was also set up around the site, just 10 km (6 miles) from the mining town of 300,000 people, where tests on Thursday revealed radiation levels nearly 50 times the limit for mineral exports from Democratic Republic of Congo.

Congo launched an inquiry on Wednesday after officials in the southeastern province of Katanga said radioactive copper and cobalt ore appeared to have been dumped into the Mura river, a source of drinking water for Likasi.

Via Reuters.

Congo experts hurry to test river for radiation

I'm against capital punishment. Its barbaric and inhumane, but if authorities can discover the people responsible for this...

Environmental experts hurried to southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday to test water from a river where authorities suspect 18 tonnes of radioactive minerals were dumped last week.

Officials feared contamination of the river, an important source of drinking water for thousands of people in Katanga province, the vast central African nation's mining heartland.

The team, including Congo's environment minister and experts from the country's atomic energy agency and environment ministry, was due in the city of Likasi later on Thursday.

Congolese authorities opened an inquiry on Wednesday after it was found that radioactive copper and cobalt ore might have been offloaded into the Mura river, 10 km (6 miles) from Likasi, a city with a population of 300,000.

Testing at the suspected dumping site on Thursday showed levels of radioactivity nearly 50 times the limit set for mineral exports from Congo, which is barred from exporting uranium, provincial Environment Minister Therese Lukenge said.

"Unfortunately, this is the same source that leads to a pumping station that distributes water to the population. This is the water that is delivered to the whole city," Lukenge told Reuters by telephone from the banks of the Mura river.

Its unclear why so few have seemed to pick up this disgusting story.

Via Reuters.

Iran and the Congo's Vanishing Uranium Bars

How long before this becomes a big item in the MSM? So far I've read nothing. Its possible nothing has been reported because there's no there there, but still. The MSM ran with the Niger yellow cake story right from the start.

A mysterious Congo vanishing uranium bars incident has emerged, coinciding with a decisive International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of governors meeting in Vienna on March 5-8, regarding Iran's nuclear program.

According to Kinshasa's Le Phare newspaper (March 7), "more than 100 bars of uranium as well as an unknown quantity of uranium contained in helmet-shaped cases, had disappeared from the nuclear centre in Kinshasa as part of a vast trafficking [operation]" (Le Phare, 8 March 2007, Le Phare, 7 March 2007)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's Commissioner for atomic energy Professor Fortunat Lumu and his associate were arrested over allegations of uranium smuggling. The Congo's state prosecutor, Tshimanga Mukeba said that Lumu is being "questioned regarding the alleged disappearance of unspecified quantities of uranium in recent years." He is accused of "orchestrating illicit contracts to produce and sell uranium". (BBC, 8 March 2007)

The IAEA is also said to be "investigating the situation". While the names of the alleged buyers were not revealed, the evolving consensus within the Western media, based on an "authoritative" August 2006 Sunday Times report, which is quoted profusely in syndicated press reports, is that Tehran might be behind the uranium smuggling operation.

Iraq, Iran, Niger, The Congo, yellow cake, missing uranium 238 bars.

A feeling of déjà vu.

Remember the Niger uranium yellow cake, which was used as a pretext to wage war on Iraq.

Ironically, while Professor Lumu was arrested on March 6 for alleged smuggling of uranium 238 (natural uranium) in Kinshasa, back in the US, on the same day, former Cheney chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was convicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of perjury and obstruction of justice in relation to the Niger "yellow cake" operation.

According to US media reports, Bush's adviser Karl Rove and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage were also involved.

As confirmed in the trial proceedings, the yellow cake story was a fabrication triggered by forged documents which described Saddam Hussein as buying "yellow cake" from Niger allegedly for the production of a nuclear bomb. Libby was acting on the orders of Vice President Dick Cheney, who is widely believed to have instigated the "yellow cake" psyop.

Déjà Vu?

Are we dealing with a similar fabricated Psyop in the case of the alleged missing Congo uranium bars, which could at some later date be used as a pretext directed against Iran?

(read more)