Lueshe mine

Lueshe mine
A sample of Lueshite from the mine. Lueshite has an orthorhombic perovskite type structure with chemical formula NaNbO3.
Location
Lueshe mine is located in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lueshe mine
Lueshe mine
LocationRutshuru Territory
ProvinceNorth Kivu
CountryDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Coordinates0°59′10″S 29°08′28″E / 0.986°S 29.141°E / -0.986; 29.141
Production
ProductsNiobium
History
Opened1982[1]

The Lueshe mine, or Lweshe mine, is a niobium mine located in Rutshuru Territory in North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The site is one of the most economically significant pyrochlore deposits in the world.[2] The rare niobium mineral lueshite [fr] was discovered at the mine, and is named after it. The mine is frequently caught up in violence surrounding the Kivu conflict.

History

Early history

The mineral Lueshite was discovered at Lueshe in 1959, by Alexandre Safiannikoff.[3] Safiannikoff was a Russian-born Belgian geologist, who worked for the Belgian Compagnie Minière des Grands-Lacs.[4]

The joint venture Société Minière de Lueshe (SOMINLU), founded by Somikubi and Union Carbide, was created in 1960 to prospect the site.[5]

The mine was founded in the 1980s as a joint venture, Société Minière du Kivu (Somikivu), owned 70% by the Germany-based Gesellschaft für Elektrometallurgie [de] (GfE), then a fully owned subsidiary of the New York based Metalurg Incorporated, 20% by the DRC government (known at that time as Zaire), and 10% by Société Minière et Industrielle du Kivu.[6] In 1993, GfM publicly declared force majeure and production was called off and blamed on the Rwandan Civil War. With operations stopped, the DRC government requested that operations be restarted several times, and eventually expropriated the mine in 1999.[7]

RCD control (1998-2005)

In 2000, majority ownership of the mine was officially transferred to Krall Métal Congo, owned by the Austrian Michael Krall. However, de facto control of the mine was kept by a former executive of GfE, Karl Heinz Albers, who maintained friendly relations with the rebel Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) faction.[7] Albers was accused by the UN panel of experts of being a front for financing RCD and its splinter group successor Rally for Congolese Democracy–Goma, with the mine protected by rebel soldiers.[8] During the Second Congo War, Lueshe was the only operating industrial mine in the RCD's territory, producing 270 tons of semi processed niobium a month to sell to GfE.[9] Between July 2000 and September 2004, when the mine was shuttered, the mine produced 3,365.1 tons of concentrate, which was exported to the world market via another company Albers managed, Niobium Mining Company (NMC) in Rwanda.[10] While Albers' operations were initially financially successful and exempted from RCD taxes, financial difficulties such requests for payments to RCD forced Albers to relinquish control of Somikivu in April 2004.[11]

Somikivu was soon taken over by the Goma-based businessman Mode Makabuza, who became president of Somikivu's board. Operations had ceased, but the company continued to export about 20 tons of pyrochlore.[11] As of 2006, GfE was undertaking negotiations to sell off its ownership in the Somikivu joint venture.[12]

Recent history (2005-present)

In December 2005, Laurent Nkunda's soldiers were pushed out of the Lueshe mine by ex-Mai Mai Colonel She Kasikila and his FARDC 5th brigade, who went about dismantling RCD control in the area, for the first time since 1998.[13] The next year, in December 2006, Nkunda founded National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP). CNDP engaged in heavy combat against FARDC troops at Lueshe to take the mine, with Modeste Makabuza reportedly a significant financier of the CNDP.[14]

In 2007, the Russian mellurgical firm Rosspetssplav announced the creation of Midural Inc, and claimed to have restarted niobium production in the Congo.[15] From 2008 to September 2009, the mine was operated by Krall Métal Congo, but were ordered to close the mine due to the ownership dispute with Somikivu.[16] Lueshe accounted for all of the DRC's pyrochlore production in 2009, and Sominkivu exported all of this production to Russia.[17]

In 2010 and 2011, the mine changed hands several times, with ex-National Congress for the Defence of the People FARDC soldiers (including Bosco Ntaganda) supporting Krall's claim fighting against other FARDC soldiers who supported Somikivu's.[18] By 2014, MidUral had acquired a stake in Somikivu and appointed its manager Igor Yatsenko to head the Russian-German-Congolese joint venture, and expected production to resume in 2015.[19][20] In September 2016, the DRC government decided to cancel Somikivu's mining license.[21]

Bellingcat has raised questions about possible connections between wrangling over Lueshe and the presence of Georgian nationals who were aboard a FARDC Mil Mi-24 helicopter which it crashed near Rutshuru in January 2017.[22]

As of February 2022, the Hong-Kong based Ximei Resources was in discussions to take over operations at Lueshe.[23]

In December 2022, the several DRC government officials claimed the recent massacre of civilians at Kishishe was carried out by the March 23 Movement and motivated by an attempt to secure access to pyrochlore at the Somikivu mine.[24][25]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dominic Johnson (2006-03-22). "Kongo: Neuer Wirbel um deutsche Mine". taz.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  2. ^ Wall, F.; Williams, C. T.; Woolley, A. R.; Nasraoui, M. (1996). "Pyrochlore from Weathered Carbonatite at Lueshe, Zaire". Mineralogical Magazine. 60 (402). Mineralogical Society: 731–750. doi:10.1180/minmag.1996.060.402.03. ISSN 0026-461X.
  3. ^ "THE MINERALS OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO". The EUROMIN project. 2001-12-13. Archived from the original on 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  4. ^ Safiannikoff, A. (2022). LES WAREGA ET LES WABEMBE (in French). Paul Safiannikoff. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  5. ^ "The "Rare Minerals "of the Democratic Republic of the Congo : submitted by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo". ECA IR Home. 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  6. ^ United States. Bureau of Mines; Geological Survey (U.S.) (1993). Minerals Yearbook. Bureau of Mines. p. 330. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  7. ^ a b "Select Committee on International Development Written Evidence: Memorandum submitted by Thomas Eggenburg, Krall Métal Congo". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  8. ^ "Supporting the War Economy in the DRC: European Companies and the Coltan Trade". IPIS. 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  9. ^ "Congo rebels criticised for mining investment call". Engineering News. 2002-10-01. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  10. ^ Dominic Johnson (2005-05-26). "Die Millionen fest im Blick". taz.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  11. ^ a b Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2006-01-27). "S/2006/53". United Nations Security Council. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  12. ^ Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2006-07-18). "S/2006/525". United Nations Security Council. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  13. ^ Jason K. Stearns (2008). "Laurent Nkunda and the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP)". In Marysse, Stefaan; Reyntjens, Filip (eds.). L'Afrique des Grands Lacs : annuaire 2007-2008 (PDF). Paris: L'Harmattan. p. 250. ISBN 978-2-296-05320-5. OCLC 458110271.
  14. ^ Baregu, M.L. (2011). Understanding Obstacles to Peace: Actors, Interests, and Strategies in Africa's Great Lakes Region. Fountain Publishers. p. 98. ISBN 978-9970-25-036-3. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  15. ^ "Russia Rosspetsplav plans expansion, bond issue". Reuters. 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  16. ^ Thomas R. Yager. "The Mineral Industry of Congo (Kinshasa) - 2010". USGS.gov. pp. 11–4. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  17. ^ Kiley, Penny (2010-11-02). "The complexity of resource governance in a context of state fragility: The case of eastern DRC". International Alert. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  18. ^ Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2011-12-02). "S/2011/738". United Nations Security Council. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  19. ^ "Топ-менеджер Ключевского завода ферросплавов возглавил африканскую Somikivu - Коммерсантъ (Екатеринбург)". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  20. ^ Ecofin, Agence. "RD Congo : l'exploitation du niobium de Lueshe reprendra grâce à des fonds russes". Agence Ecofin (in French). Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  21. ^ "29 September - 5 October 2016". IPIS. 2020-06-07. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  22. ^ "The Strange Tale of the Georgians in Congo". bellingcat. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  23. ^ "XIMEI Resources interested in Lweshe Mines for Niobium production in DRC". Copperbelt Katanga Mining. 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  24. ^ Kinshasa, Rédaction (2022-12-06). "Carnage à Kishishe: Martin Fayulu demande au Conseil de Sécurité de sanctionner fermement le Rwanda". Politico.cd (in French). Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  25. ^ "Massacre des civiles à Kishishe: Crispin Mbindule accuse le M23 de vouloir notamment "contrôler à tout prix" les carrés miniers de la SOMIKIVU". Actualite.cd (in French). 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2022-12-17.

Read other articles:

Siluman Srigala Putih

Siluman Srigala PutihSutradaraH. Imam TantowiProduserHandi MuljonoDitulis olehH. Imam TantowiGanes THPemeran Atut Agustinanto Advent Bangun Barry Prima Okky Olivia Muni Cader Balkiez Rachman Hasan Dolar Johan Moosdijk Karisman Gada Penata musikEmbie C. NoerSinematograferBambang SusiloPerusahaanproduksiKanta Indah FilmDistributorKanta Indah FilmTanggal rilis1987Durasi82 menitNegara IndonesiaBahasaBahasa Indonesia Siluman Srigala Putih adalah film Indonesia tahun 1987. Film ini ditul...

 

Daftar ladang minyak

Berikut adalah daftar ladang minyak. Jumlah cadangan minyak yang tertera dinyatakan dalam satuan barrel. Amerika Serikat Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (10 miliar) Ladang Minyak Wilmington, California (0.3 miliar) Kelly-Snyder / SACROC, Texas Bakken Oil Field, Dakota Utara (7,3 miliar) Yates Oil Field, Texas (3 miliar (2 miliar dipulihkan; 1 miliar sisanya merupakan cadangan)) Ladang Minyak Sungai Kuparuk, Alaska (6 miliar) Alpine, Alaska, Alaska (0,4 - 1 miliar) Ladang Minyak Texas Timur, Texas (6 mili...

 

Kuntul besar

Kuntul Besar Kuntul besar, Ardea alba modesta, pada musim berbiak di Gambus Laut, Lima Puluh Pesisir, Batu Bara, Sumatera Utara Status konservasi LC (IUCN 3.1)[1] Klasifikasi ilmiah Kerajaan: Animalia Filum: Chordata Kelas: Aves Ordo: Pelecaniformes Famili: Ardeidae Genus: Ardea Spesies: Ardea alba Sinonim Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus, 1758) Egretta alba Cramp and Simmons, 1977 Kuntul besar (Ardea alba) adalah spesies burung dari suku Ardeidae. Menghuni pelbagai jenis habitat dar...

Universitas Buddhi Dharma

Topik artikel ini mungkin tidak memenuhi kriteria kelayakan umum. Harap penuhi kelayakan artikel dengan: menyertakan sumber-sumber tepercaya yang independen terhadap subjek dan sebaiknya hindari sumber-sumber trivial. Jika tidak dipenuhi, artikel ini harus digabungkan, dialihkan ke cakupan yang lebih luas, atau dihapus oleh Pengurus.Cari sumber: Universitas Buddhi Dharma – berita · surat kabar · buku · cendekiawan · JSTOR (Pelajari cara dan kapan saatn...

 

Palenggaan, Pamekasan

PalenggaanKecamatanPeta lokasi Kecamatan PalenggaanNegara IndonesiaProvinsiJawa TimurKabupatenPamekasanPemerintahan • Camat-Populasi • Total- jiwaKode Kemendagri35.28.06 Kode BPS3528070 Luas- km²Desa/kelurahan- Palenggaan atau Palengaan adalah sebuah kecamatan di Kabupaten Pamekasan, Provinsi Jawa Timur, Indonesia. Kecamatan ini terletak di Pulau Madura. Nama Palengaan dikoreksi menjadi Palenggaan berdasarkan Perbub No. 2/2013. Pembagian Administrasi Wilayah Keca...

 

Ukrainian national clothing

The traditional dress of the people of Ukraine Ukrainian man and woman wearing traditional clothing Ukrainian national clothing is the clothing worn by people living in Ukraine, mainly ethnic Ukrainians. The most famous Ukrainian clothing items are the embroidered shirt (vyshyvanka), a cloth sash and a vinok flower crown. The clothing styles differed between the four macroregions of Ukraine: Polissia, Lisostep, Step and Carpathians.[1] Traditional clothing differentiated people by gen...

ロバート・デ・ニーロ

ロバート・デ・ニーロRobert De Niro 2011年のデ・ニーロ生年月日 (1943-08-17) 1943年8月17日（80歳）出生地 アメリカ合衆国・ニューヨーク州ニューヨーク市身長 177 cm職業 俳優、映画監督、映画プロデューサージャンル 映画、テレビドラマ活動期間 1963年 -配偶者 ダイアン・アボット（1976年 - 1988年）グレイス・ハイタワー（1997年 - ）主な作品 『ミーン・ストリート』（1973年）...

 

Coffee table book

Large illustrated hardback book Coffee table book on a coffee table A coffee table book, also known as a cocktail table book[citation needed], is an oversized, usually hard-covered book whose purpose is for display on a table intended for use in an area in which one entertains guests and from which it can serve to inspire conversation or pass the time. Subject matter is predominantly non-fiction and pictorial (a photo-book). Pages consist mainly of photographs and illustrations, accom...

 

2016年美國總統選舉

2016年美國總統選舉 ← 2012 2016年11月8日 2020 → 538個選舉人團席位獲勝需270票民意調查投票率55.7%[1][2] ▲ 0.8 %   获提名人 唐納·川普 希拉莉·克林頓 政党 共和黨 民主党 家鄉州 紐約州 紐約州 竞选搭档 迈克·彭斯 蒂姆·凱恩 选举人票 304[3][4][註 1] 227[5] 胜出州/省 30 + 緬-2 20 + DC 民選得票 62,984,828[6] 65,853,514[6]...

James Bonham

American soldier James BonhamJames Bonham, circa 1835.BornFebruary 20, 1807Saluda County, South CarolinaDiedMarch 6, 1836 (aged 29)San Antonio, TexasAllegianceRepublic of TexasService/branchTexian ArmyYears of service1835-1836RankSecond lieutenantBattles/wars Texas Revolution Battle of the Alamo † James Butler Bonham (February 20, 1807 – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American soldier who died at the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. He was a second cousin ...

 

Chữ Hán

Trong tiếng Việt, chữ Hán và văn ngôn thường được gọi chung không phân biệt bằng cùng một tên gọi. Về văn ngôn, xin xem bài Văn ngôn. Chữ HánTừ Hán tự được viết bằng phồn thể (trái) và giản thể (phải)Thể loại Văn tự ngữ tố Thời kỳKhoảng năm 1300 TCN đến ngày nayHướng viếtTrái sang phải, vertical right-to-left Các ngôn ngữVăn ngôn (nguyên gốc) Tiếng Trung Tiếng Nhật Tiếng Tri�...

 

Kingdom of the Netherlands

Sovereign state including the Netherlands This article is about the sovereign state. For the constituent country with the same name, see Netherlands. For other uses, see Netherlands (disambiguation). Kingdom of the NetherlandsKoninkrijk der Nederlanden (Dutch) Flag Coat of arms Motto: Je maintiendrai (French)[a](English: I will uphold)Anthem: Wilhelmus (Dutch)(English: William of Nassau)Map of the four constituent countries shown to scaleCapitaland largest cit...

Brian L. Stafford

Brian L. Stafford20th Director of the U.S. Secret ServiceIn officeMarch 4, 1999 – January 24, 2003PresidentBill ClintonGeorge W. BushPreceded byLewis C. MerlettiSucceeded byW. Ralph Basham Personal detailsBornSharpsville, Pennsylvania Brian L. Stafford was the 20th Director of the United States Secret Service.[1] Preceded by Lewis C. Merletti, he was sworn in on March 4, 1999 by the then Secretary of the Treasury, Robert E. Rubin. He was succeeded by W. Ralph Basham. Educat...

 

2021年夏季世界大學運動會開幕式

此條目需要补充更多来源。 (2023年8月1日)请协助補充多方面可靠来源以改善这篇条目，无法查证的内容可能會因為异议提出而被移除。致使用者：请搜索一下条目的标题（来源搜索：2021年夏季世界大學運動會開幕式 — 网页、新闻、书籍、学术、图像），以检查网络上是否存在该主题的更多可靠来源（判定指引）。 2021年夏季世界大學運動會開幕式开幕典礼2023年7月28日開...

 

2013–14 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team

American sports team's season 2013–14 Louisville Cardinals women's basketballPreseason WNIT championsNCAA tournament, Elite EightConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceRankingCoachesNo. 5APNo. 3Record33–5 (16–2 The American)Head coachJeff Walz (7th season)Assistant coaches Stephanie Norman Sam Purcell Samantha Williams Home arenaKFC Yum! CenterSeasons← 2012–132014–15 → 2013–14 American Athletic Conference women's basketball standing...

K'inich Janaab' Pakal Ier

Ne doit pas être confondu avec K'inich Janaab' Pakal II ou Janaab' Pakal. K'inich Janaab' Pakal Ier K'inich Janaab' Pakal Ier au moment de son accession au trône (reproduction par Alfred Maudslay d'un détail de la tablette ci-dessous). Titre Souverain de la cité-État maya de Palenque 28 juillet 615 – 28 août 683(68 ans et 1 mois) Biographie Date de naissance 23 mars 603 Lieu de naissance inconnu Date de décès 28 août 683 (à 80 ans) Père K'an Hix Mo Mère Sak K'uk'...

 

Be'er Ya'akov railway station

Railway station in Israel This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Be'er Ya'akov railway station – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Be'er Ya'akovבאר יעקבIsrael RailwaysGeneral informationLocationSimcha Holzberg St., Be'er Ya'...

 

Individualisme

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Individualisme méthodologique et Anarchisme individualiste. Ne doit pas être confondu avec Individualisation ou Individuation. Sur les autres projets Wikimedia : individualisme, sur le Wiktionnaire L’individualisme est une conception philosophique, politique, morale et sociologique où l’individu occupe la place centrale, par opposition aux théories holistes, qui font au contraire prédominer le groupe social. Il s’agit donc d’une primauté d...

List of highways numbered 147

The following highways are numbered 147: This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008) Canada Prince Edward Island Route 147 Quebec Route 147 Costa Rica National Route 147 India National Highway 147 (India) Japan Japan National Route 147 Fukuoka Prefectural Route 147 Nara Prefectural Route 147 Malaysia Malaysia Federal Route 147 United States Alabama State Route 147 Arkansas Highway 147 California State Route 147 Connecticut Route 147 County Road 147 (Walton Co...

 

Stirling

This article is about the city in Scotland. For other uses, see Stirling (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Sterling. City in ScotlandStirlingScottish Gaelic: SruighleaScots: StirlinCityThe skyline of Stirling, with the castle at the top of the hill and Stùc a' Chroin mountain behindStirling Old BridgeWallace MonumentRobert the Bruce statueStirling railway stationStirlingLocation within the Stirling council areaPopulation37,910 (2020)[1]Council areaStirlingLieutenanc...