Rwanda handed back about 82 tonnes of smuggled minerals

Yesterday, the 3^rd November, 2011 at the Rwanda-DRC border in Rubavu District, the government of Rwanda handed back about 82 tonnes of smuggled mines into the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The minerals which included cassitarite, wolframite, tungsten and Tantalum, were received by the head of Congolese delegation, Moise Nkongolo M’Vita, the chief inspector in the department of mines of DRC.

Minerals in Make-up

The minerals that have been sent back had been seized over the last five months and were reportedly not tagged, and had been smuggled through porous borders.

Hon. Minister of Natural Resources Stanislas Kamanzi used the occasion to dismiss allegations that Rwanda was involved in plundering and illegal trade of minerals especially from the DR Congo.

He stressed that Rwanda’s boarders are vigilantly guarded against the entry of untagged minerals.

“We have undertaken the necessary measures to ensure that trading of minerals are done transparently” Said Kamanzi

 “Government of Rwanda support any trade carried out legally. We affirm our resolve that there can’t be and will never be any violation to the national laws or international regulations that guide trade in minerals,’’ Kamanzi added.

Nkongolo, the head of Congolese delegation, commended Rwanda’s commitment to fight fraud, and pledged collaboration to stop the cross-border smuggling.

He added that the ceremony marked a significant progress in strengthening bilateral agreement and ensuring legal cross boarder trading between two countries.

According to Ben Kagarama, the commissioner general of Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), the revenue protection department’s efforts to stop smuggling across borders follows the implementation of mineral tagging scheme which made it easy to identify and detain untagged minerals as smugglers slip into the country.

The government of Rwanda has released strict regulations in March 2011 aimed at fighting smuggling of Minerals; the article 9 stipulates that the fraudulent (untagged) minerals impounded by the security services or the Rwanda Revenue Authority will be handed to Geology and Mines Department

In addition, clarifies the article 6 regarding Minerals exportation, all minerals to be exported must have the certificate of origin, traceability documents and must be tagged.