US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA1057

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MINISTER OF MINES ANNOUNCES 40KG DRC URANIUM CONFISCATED

Identifier: 05KINSHASA1057
Wikileaks: View 05KINSHASA1057 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Kinshasa
Created: 2005-06-28 15:44:00
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Tags: EMIN KNNP ENRG PARM CG CF
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 001057 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/28/2015 
TAGS: EMIN, KNNP, ENRG, PARM, CG, CF 
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF MINES ANNOUNCES 40KG DRC URANIUM 
CONFISCATED 
 
Classified By: Econoff WBrafman for reasons 1.4 e/f 
 
1.  (U)  The DRC Minister of Mines, Ingele Ifoto, announced 
at a June 21 press conference that 40kg of enriched uranium 
had been confiscated in neighboring Brazzaville, Republic of 
Congo (ROC).  The Minister told members of the press that the 
uranium, illegally exported from the DRC, is radioactive and 
highly enriched.  The press reported that the ROC Minister of 
Mines, Pierre Oba, has dismantled the "mafia" network of DRC 
and ROC traders responsible for the cross-river trading. The 
GROC has not yet returned the uranium to the GDRC. 
 
2.  (C)  Comment:  We are not even convinced that any uranium 
was seized at all, let alone that it is enriched.  The 
nuclear reactor at the University of Kinshasa, the only 
existing facility of its kind in the DRC, is not capable of 
enriching uranium.  End comment. 
MEECE 

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