From: Bob Olsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 20:10:14 -0400 To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Dump Toxic Waste in Africa >By Panafrican News Agency (PANA), > >May 2001 > >A report on toxic wastes trade and dumping episodes has revealed >alleged plans by the US and some European countries to dump 29 million >tonnes of toxic wastes in 11 African countries, the local press said >in Lagos Monday. > >The report released by Nigeria's national co-ordinator of the >Secretariat of the Basel Convention on Trans-boundary Movement of >Hazardous Waste, Oladele Osibajo, said in addition to the US, the UK, >Italy, France and Switzerland planned to dump the dangerous materials >in Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Benin, Congo and Equatorial Guinea. > >Other African countries listed as possible destinations for the wastes >were Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone. > >The report said the materials to be dumped comprised industrial and >chemical wastes, pesticide sludge, radioactive wastes and other >categories of unspecified hazardous wastes. > >It, however, noted that some of the African countries listed were >collaborating with the US and the European countries with the aim of >receiving financial compensation for the wastes to be dumped in their >areas. > >For example, the report said about five million tonnes of industrial >wastes were to have been dumped in Angola by an unnamed European >country for two million US dollars. > >The Angolan government later cancelled the deal after discovering >loopholes in it, the report claimed. > >It listed other countries involved in the wastes-for-money deal as >Benin, Equatorial Guinea and Congo, which it said was the first >country in Africa to officially authorise the dumping of toxic wastes >in the country from Europe and the US for a fee. > >The plan to dump wastes in all the countries failed after their >populations moved against it. > >After an embarrassing episode of toxic wastes dump by an Italian >company in Nigeria's mid-western Koko Port town in the late 1980s, >Nigeria led an international campaign against the practice leading to >the establishment of a sub-regional Dump Watch in West Africa. > >The Mulindwas communication group > .......................................... Bob Olsen, Toronto [EMAIL PROTECTED] .......................................... _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
