Africa Now March 18, 2015 Mineral Exploitation in Liberia Crackdown of Youth Movement in DRC

Topics: Mineral Exploitation in Liberia and Crackdown of Youth Movement in the DRC.  For nearly a year Liberia has been in the headlines because of the Ebola outbreak.  Today Africa Now! will focus on another critical issue affecting the country—that is the exploitation of natural resources in Liberia, particularly iron ore.  Yesterday, March 17 the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) released a report  Poverty in the Midst of Plenty: How Post-War Iron Ore Mining Is Failing to Meet Local People’s Expectations which stated that “Liberia earns too little from its iron ore exports, which has severely strained state-citizen relations and relations between local communities and foreign multi-nationals operating in the mining sector.”  Joining Africa Now! from Monrovia, Liberia to discuss this topic further is Mr. Silas Siakor of Sustainable Development Institute.  Silas Siakor Also on Africa Now!--Crackdown of Youth movement in the DRC: On Sunday, March 15 arrested a number of activists from DRC, Burkina Faso (of Balai Citoyen—Citizen’s Broom) and Senegal (of Y’en a Marre—We’re Fed Up); foreign and local reporters; and one U.S. diplomat in the DRC capital of Kinshasa at a meeting organized by the youth-led organization Filimbi.  As we reported on Africa Now! two weeks ago on March 4, that at the forefront of the uprising in January against the proposed extension of President Kabila’s term, was the Telema movement, which is youth-led.  With us that day was Mr. Ben Kabamba, the Coordinator for the Youth For A New Society and Administrator for FILIMBI, a coalition of youth organizations and university students.  Joining Africa Now! today discuss the fate of the Ben Kabamba and other youth activists in the DRC is Mr. Kambale Musavuli. Guests: Mr. Silas Siakor, Director and founder of the Sustainable Development Institute, Liberia, and winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize.  Mr. Kambale Musavuli, Student Coordinator and National Spokesperson for the Friends of the Congo who has appeared and written extensively in various media outlets. Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC.  Tune into Africa Now! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (Eastern).