DRC: Charcoal profits fuel war in east

30 Jul 2009

GOMA: Charcoal profits are helping to fuel the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where militia groups and some segments of the national army control the production of and trade in the commodity, say officials.

"All the armed groups, including the FDLR [Forces démocratiques pour la liberation du Rwanda], and some individuals in the army are implicated in the traffic of makala [charcoal]," said Emmanuel de Merode, director of Virunga National Park.

"Illegal trade in makala generates sale of up to US$30 million per year. A large proportion of this money goes to the armed groups," said De Merode.

Read the full article on IRIN.