Less than half of companies officially recorded as exporting minerals from Uganda, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda published due diligence reports in 2015, according to a new study by Global Witness.

According to the ‘Time to Dig Deeper’ report, a national reporting rate of 70 per cent of exporting companies in Rwanda, 45 per cent in eastern Congo and zero in Uganda, was found.

Also, across the three countries, almost 75 per cent of the companies that published reports failed to mention any risks encountered in their work or how these were addressed.

The report released Wednesday is the ‘first ever detailed analysis of public supply chain due diligence reporting in the region’, Global Witness,  an international NGO established in 1993 that works to break the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide’, indicates.

Due diligence was introduced in response to the well-documented links between the minerals trade, human rights abuses and the financing of conflict prevalent in parts of the Great Lakes region and elsewhere. It is mandatory for companies exporting certain minerals from Congo and Rwanda, according to their national laws.

“Millions of people rely on the difficult and often dangerous artisanal mining business for an income. Yet too many are exposed to human rights abuses, corruption or violence on a daily basis,” said Global Witness Campaigner Natasha White. “Due diligence is the steps companies can take to identify, address and be transparent about issues in their supply chains. It is a means by which they can do their best to ensure they don’t contribute to such harms and continue to source minerals from high risk areas in a responsible manner,” Ms. White added.

She noted that due diligence reports are a vehicle for sharing information on risks throughout the supply chain, and a crucial mechanism for ensuring that all the companies profiting from these minerals can be engaged in addressing the problems associated with them.

“This is the honest and responsible way to do business; if profits are shared along the supply chain, then responsibility should be too,” she adds.

In terms of reporting quality, Congo came out on top. Six Congo-based companies were transparent about at least one risk associated with their operations, compared to just one in Rwanda. No Ugandan companies in the study reported at all, showing that the country is seriously lagging behind in efforts to promote responsible mineral sourcing.

“Too many companies wrote generic one-pagers on what they commit to doing rather than what they have actually done. The seven companies that took steps to report on risk represent the beginning of a much-needed shift in the region’s minerals sector,” notes White.

Global Witness tracked minerals from Congo-based companies to six international traders based in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Belgium, Luxembourg and Rwanda. The reports of some of these companies were even less detailed than those of the exporters, despite their greater size and resources. From here these minerals would have been used in electronics, jewellery and industries the world over.

The Great Lakes’ gold sector is particularly high risk, yet it remains at the back of the pack in terms of due diligence reporting. Gold is a high-value commodity that can be easily smuggled and traded in small quantities. Global Witness estimates that 94 per cent of Congo’s gold left the country illegally in 2014. Only one of the 18 companies officially recorded as operating in the region’s gold sector in 2015 published a report for that year.

Key recommendations in the report include that all companies operating in and sourcing minerals from DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda conduct and report on their due diligence. In DR Congo and Rwanda this is law.

The report also asks the companies to improve the quality of their reports. In particular, to include more detail about risks identified and how these were addressed with tangible reforms or actions.

And that DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda monitor the due diligence and reporting efforts of companies in their jurisdiction, and – in the case of Congo and Rwanda – to sanction those that don’t comply.

Finally it asks Uganda to live up to its international commitments made in 2010, and to introduce a due diligence law like Congo and Rwanda have done, to ensure companies operating in and from its jurisdiction conduct due diligence.

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Kira Municipality Member of Parliament and Forum Democratic Change Spokesperson Ibrahim Semuju Nganda has blamed the Entebbe gruesome murders on President Museveni for failure to prioritize internal security.

In the last two months 19 women have been killed by unknown assailants who are alleged to have first raped them, before putting them to death. Early in August the Inspector General of Police Gen. Kale Kaihura visited Katabi village where the massive killings are suspected to have taken place with motive of combating the catastrophic acts of the merciless gangs.

In a telephone interview with EagleOnline Semuju said Mr Museveni does not Prioritize Internal Security concerns claiming that he has never called National Resistance Movement (NRM) party caucus to discuss security concerns of the country rather than political issues.

‘’When I was still on the security committee of Parliament I told Gen.Kayihura that this country needs to beef up its security’’. The opposition Chief Whip said.

On Monday the minister for security Gen. Henry Tumukunda paid a visit to the mayor for Entebbe Municipality Vincent Kayanja to discuss the security angles of the area and how they will come to a conclusion of who is behind this particular set of crimes.

‘’victims disappear first but Ugandans should know that we are working diligently to handle this matter’’ Gen. Tumukunde said in the meeting with Entebbe Municipality Mayor.

From the starting of the inhuman killings, police vowed to work with different intelligence networks to arrest and prosecute all criminals behind the killing of women in Entebbe.

Today over 28 suspects have been aligned before Nabweru Chief Magistrates Court and charged with terrorism. Suspects were arrested following the killings of women that occurred in Nansana over the last two months. However, while in Nansana last week, Kayihura revealed that they had arrested a businessman who was behind the killing of women. He said the killers were trading women parts in for human sacrifice.  However, whether to believe Gen. Kayihura or not, the Entebbe and Nansana are another indicator that police as a public protestor has failed in manning security.

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The last UNAA conference saw over 10 Ugandans who had travelled for the event disappear in the US, among them actors and actresses who had travelled with the Ebonies.

The others were journalists – mainly from NTV. But with just a few days left to this year’s event, the organisers seem to have learnt a lesson and we can reliably inform the public that unlike the previous editions, they invited just a few people this year.

And even then, a reasonable number of them were denied visas by the US Embassy over their colleagues who remained behind after the event last year.

Indeed, from over five people that NTV has been sending, the number was cut to just two. Similarly, even the number of reporters from the Vision Group was halved as well.

Among the lucky few who successfully made it to this year’s event include ‘NTV Koona’ presenter Miles Rwamiti who is at the event for the third time.

The other person who travelled with him is ‘NTV Xposed’ presenter, MC Esco. The duo left the country on Monday for the three-day event in Miami that kicks off on September 1-3.

Meanwhile, EagleOnline has learnt that some MPs who travelled this time used their own resources after the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga nominated 23 legislators for the UNAA trip.

“I can assure you this, 95 per cent of the MPs who travelled for this year’s UNAA used their own funds. Well, they are still getting their per diem but still, it’s far below the costs incurred,” said MP Paul Luttamaguzzi.

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