Diamond horror

On 24 May, Kinshasa recalled ‘for consultations’ its Ambassador in Brussels, Jean-Pierre Mutamba, and (to the horror of the diamond trade) closed its Antwerp consulate. Later, it closed Belgian consulates in Bukavu and Lubumbashi. This followed Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht’s remarks in Kinshasa on 21 April (AC Vol 49 No 10). President Joseph Kabila has refused to accept calls from Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme.

Article Tags:
Jean-Pierre Mutamba, Karel de Gucht, Joseph Kabila, Yves Leterme, Michel Claise, Marc-Yves Blanpain, Jean-Charles Okoto, Netherlands, Banque Centrale du Congo, Minière de Bakwanga, Banque Belgolaise

end of preview

To read the rest of the article you need to either log in or do one of the following:

Subscribe to Africa Confidential Find out more
Purchase this article on its own Find out more

If you have a print subscription already please click here for full access to the website.
If you have already logged in and believe you should have access to this article please contact customer services.