nuclear-news

Uranium industry in Africa fraught with corruption and poor safety

Wikileaks: Africa Offers Easy Uranium  Global Issues by Julio Godoy (paris)  December 25, 2010 Wikileaks cables have revealed a disturbing development in the African uranium mining industry: abysmal safety and security standards in the mines, nuclear research centres, and border customs are enabling international companies to exploit the mines and smuggle dangerous radioactive material across continents.

The Wikileaks cables reveal that U.S. diplomats posted in a number of African countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Niger, and Burundi, among others – have had direct knowledge of the poor safety and security standards in these countries’ uranium and nuclear facilities.

The cables also highlight the involvement of European, Chinese, Indian, and South Korean companies in the illegal extraction and smuggling of uranium from Africa. Most European nuclear reactors use uranium imported from African countries……

Wikileaks: Africa Offers Easy Uranium — Global Issues

December 27, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AFRICA, safety