I stumbled across this article by Josh Kron on the topic of deadly gas in Goma on the New York Times online. Natural resources and the DRC have a fantastic past. As if the people of Goma need one more thing reducing their life expectancy - they have mazuku [Swahili, evil wind] - invisible bubbles of carbon dioxide that lurk by the shores of Lake Kivu.[i]

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I will post various links and short articles as an introduction to the role natural resources play in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region.

This is a quote from the New York Times article by Josh Kron:

"The lake's rare chemistry has also presented a financial opportunity. The World Bank has earmarked over $3 million for delicate gas extraction that could harvest years of energy for the countries of the African Great Lakes region, and it has been promoted by Rwanda and Congo as a centerpiece of the new and shaky peace between the former enemies. According to Rwanda's minister of energy, nearly 60 companies have come forward expressing interest in extracting gases, particularly methane, from the lake."

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This is a region ravaged by war, deep in the throes of the conflict trap [Paul Collier].[ii] War has not prevented potential investors from discussing extraction, or paying off warlords or presidents in order to get access to precious natural resources at a discount rate. Blood diamonds are sexy to discuss - but methane? Carbon dioxide reserves? What about bauxite? Coltan, a necessary component of cell phone batteries is mined in this region.[iii] For over a century, denizens of Great Lakes region have suffered to support our opulence. First the west extracted rubber at great human and environmental cost, then we moved on to mineral wealth. During the Cold War we were more concerned about the region's instability and uranium wealth.[iv] Once we run through one resource, a new one is quickly discovered and exploited.

[i] Kron, Josh. “Deadly Gas Flows Add to a Lake’s List of Perils”. New York Times. 5 Nov 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/world/africa/06kivu.html?_r=1&ref=africa [ii] Collier, Paul (2003). Breaking the Conflict Trap. [iii] Montague, D. (2002). Stolen Goods: Coltan and Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. SAIS Review XXII (1), pg 106. [iv] Encyclopedia of the Nations. (2007). Congo, Democratic Republic of the (DROC). Accessed at http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Congo-Democratic-Republic-of-the-DROC-MINING.html