The Next Source of Trouble for the DRC: Oil

It is a matter of record that the Strife in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is a struggle for control of Natural Resources. Legislation has been introduced into the US Congress to ensure that the Smelters are audited to determine if any conflict minerals are used in their Products. Also publicly traded companies will have to ensure that their products contain no conflict minerals in them.

This is all well and good on paper. But will it be practical? But there is another resource that is not covered by this legislation. That is the source that drives the Western Economic Machine. This substance is Oil. Over the last couple of years this substance has been discovered in the resource rich and politically unstable eastern part of the Congo. A similar pool has been found in the neighboring part of Uganda as well.

Why is this issue being raised? First of all the idea of addressing issues such as Conflict Diamonds and other Conflict Minerals remains a critical part of addressing the problems in the Congo. It seems that not raising concerns about the Petroleum Industry and its source of income for nefarious actors has to be addressed or in a couple of years we will lament conflict oil.

Second is how will the current Administrations in both Kampala and Kinshasa react to this new source of revenue? The Answer is that no one knows for sure. As with the Mineral Trade in the Kivus there stands a chance that corrupt Politicians, Disgruntled or Greedy Soldiers or even the Companies that are being contracted to search for and extract the Oil keep the money from going into the coffers of these nations.

One of the stated goals of AFRICOM (United States Africa Command) is to protect Energy Sources. How will the US and even EU Forces be sucked into another conflict? The US is reportedly opening up a Military Facility in Kisangani in Feb. 2010. So once again American Soldiers could once again find themselves in harms way in a conflict that they may not be prepared for.

There are other questions that will come up as well. What role will China play in this? is the most obvious. But rest assured that the Oil industry may become the next source of tension in the Great Lakes Region of Africa and no one is talking about it yet.

The Author Publishes Confused Eagle on the Internet. It can be found at confusedeagle.livejournal.com

Development / Accra / Ghana / Africa / Modernghana.com