Nuclear Chief Suspected Of selling Uranium

Taken from The Sydney Morning Herald, March 10, 2007
By Chris McGreal

THE head of the Democratic Republic of Congo's dilapidated and poorly guarded nuclear reactor plant has been arrested on suspicion of illegally selling enriched uranium.

The commissioner general for atomic energy, Fortunat Lumu, was detained on Tuesday along with an aide. Congo's state prosecutor, Tshimanga Mukeba, said Mr Lumu was being questioned about the disappearance of unspecified quantities of uranium in recent years.

Mr Mukeba said Mr Lumu was suspected of "orchestrating illicit contracts to produce and sell uranium" but he did not name the alleged buyers.

The newspaper Le Phare reported that about 100 bars of uranium had disappeared from the small experimental reactor, the oldest nuclear facility in Africa. The uranium produced by the reactor in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, is enriched but not to weapons grade, although it could be used in a "dirty bomb" to spread radiation.

The International Atomic Energy Agency and foreign governments have expressed concern about lax security at the plant, which the US has tried to get closed for a number of years.

Two years ago the Congolese Government denied reports that uranium was shipped to Iran.

In 2000 Newsweek reported that a Kenyan middleman tried to sell Congolese uranium to Saddam Hussein, but the Iraqi leader was under too much international scrutiny to buy it.

The United Nations nuclear monitor has criticised standards at the site, which is often left unguarded and is protected only by a low fence and rickety gate. Although the reactor has been on standby for nine years, there are 98 bars of enriched uranium stored at the site, submerged in a pool underneath a padlocked metal grate or in the reactor.

Two uranium rods disappeared in the late 1970s, one of which is believed to have been found in 1998 on its way to the Middle East via the Mafia. The other was never recovered.

The nuclear plant was founded in 1958 with help from the US because the then Belgian Congo provided the uranium used in the atom bombs dropped on Japan. It also handles uranium mined in the south of the country for export.

In the chaos of the past 10 years of foreign invasion and civil war in Congo, illegal mining has boomed, with thousands of Congolese making a living from using shovels and their bare hands to hack it from the earth.

The atomic energy agency has also told the Congolese of its fears that an accident at the plant could spread radiation into Kinshasa and contaminate the water supply. Agency officials have been particularly worried that the reactor is built in an area known for subsidence. One of its walls was pierced seven years ago by a metal projectile that was variously identified as part of a missile or having fallen from a plane.

Congo's nuclear scientists are optimistic, however. They hope to get the reactor working again soon for a range of uses from medical research to prospecting.

Last year the commission signed an agreement with a British firm, Brinkley Mining, for the reactor to be used in prospecting for uranium.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
The world's reliance on oil and gas is set to increase sharply as global energy demand soars by 60% over the next 25 to 30 years, but what is going to happen as the oil runs out? We will most definately turn to Nuclear power as energy. Countries that have oil and the problems associated with oil (Coups, power-play, wars, misuse of revenues) will not have any more problems. These problems will go to countries that have uranium deposits. The top ten are: Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada, South Africa, Namibia, Brazil, Russia, USA, Uzbekistan and China. Lets hope these countries do not abuse thier positions like the OPEC countries. Lets hope these countries don't become too attractive with the problems associated with black gold.