International


Sudan/South Sudan: Sudan to Gain Influence over South Sudan in Oil Deal

Dec 18, 2017 | Tsvetana Paraskova, OilPrice.com

Six years after South Sudan seceded from Sudan, Sudan may regain some of its influence over the south’s oil industry after the two countries agreed…


DRC: Congolese Women Fight ‘Invisible Hands’ of Exploitation

Dec 18, 2017 | Workers World

Marie-Claude Manga, social worker, pastor and fighter for the rights of oppressed women, brought the story of the plight of women in her original home,…


Iraq: Iraq to Use Drones to Protect Oil Pipelines from 2018

Dec 18, 2017 | Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters

Iraq plans to use drones to monitor and protect its oil export and production pipelines from the first quarter of 2018, an oil ministry spokesman…


Sudan: Sudan Gold Income Compensates Oil Revenues before Secession: Minister

Dec 18, 2017 | Sudan Tribune

The minerals minister said Sudan’s revenue from gold is currently equal to oil revenues before the secession of South Sudan in July 2011. After the…


Sierra Leone: “Kimberley Process Not Effective for Responsible Diamond Governance” - IMPACT

Dec 18, 2017 | Mohamed Kabba, Awoko

In 2007, civil society organizations came together to form the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition aimed at amplifying their work. The Coalition has been able…


Afghanistan: Raw Marble Smuggling from Herat Continues Unabated

Dec 17, 2017 | Pajhwok Afghan News

In violation of President Ashraf Ghani's warning, unprocessed marble -- also known as white gold of Afghanistan -- continues to be smuggled abroad. During his…


Iraq/Syria: Environment a Victim of War in Iraq, Syria

Dec 16, 2017 | Fanack

The war in Syria, now in its sixth year, has been ferocious and deadly. In 2016, the death toll was estimated at 400,000. In Iraq,…


Iraq: Iraq Plans Oil Pipeline Network to Cover All Its Territory

Dec 16, 2017 | Reuters

Iraq plans to build a pipeline network to carry oil products across all its territory as an alternative to expensive and hazardous transport by tanker…


Afghanistan: Mining Revenue Witnesses Hike, Reaches 6b Afghanis

Dec 15, 2017 | Middle East North Africa Financial Network

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) says the mining revenue has risen to more than six billion afghanis this year, showing a considerable increase…


Colombia: Colombian Community Leader Allegedly Murdered for Standing up to Palm Oil

Dec 15, 2017 | Taran Volckhausen, Mongabay

Colombian community leader Hernan Bedoya, who defended collective land rights for Afro-Colombian farmers as well as local biodiversity in the face of palm oil and…


Nigeria: Ending Farmers-Herdsmen Conflicts

Dec 14, 2017 | Punch

The Federal Government has commenced nationwide consultations with community, traditional, religious and opinion leaders (led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo) towards ending the incessant farmers-herdsmen…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Launches US$71 Million Initiative to Prepare Rural Communities for Climate Change

Dec 13, 2017 | UNDP

The Government of Afghanistan, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme and the Least Developed Countries Fund, has launched a new multi-million dollar…


Conflict Minerals: RMI Launches New Responsible Minerals Standard for Tin and Tantalum

Dec 13, 2017 | Carrie Brunner, New Brunswick Herard

The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) has recently published a new standard for tin and tantalum. Issued on June 12, 2017, the “Responsible Minerals Assurance Process,…


Australia: Defence Warns of Climate Change Peril for Food, Energy and Peace

Dec 12, 2017 | The Australian

Man-made climate change could increase competition for food, resources and arable land, placing a greater burden on our defence forces who must respond to an…


Myanmar: World Bank-Myanmar to Work on National Water Law

Dec 12, 2017 | Aye Sapay Phyu, Myanmar Times

Public consultations on the Myanmar National Water Law will be held soon, said State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the opening remarks at…


Afghanistan: MoMP Worries Daesh Might Extract Mineral Riches

Dec 12, 2017 | Middle East North Africa Financial Network

The Ministry of Mine and Petroleum (MoMP) on Monday said it is worried that Daesh could extract minerals from mines in Jawzjan province, including gold,…


Afghanistan: The Race to Mine Afghanistan

Dec 12, 2017 | Heidi Vella, Mining Technology

The US administration is reportedly keen to develop Afghanistan’s extractive sector, having invested nearly $500m already. However, with rampant looting and occupation of mines by…


Sudan: Sudan Seeks up to $200 mln Prefinancing to Fund Oil Development

Dec 12, 2017 | Reuters, Julia Payne

Sudan's oil ministry is trying to raise as much as $200 million in prefinancing, including from crude traders, to help it develop one of its…


Iraq: As Climate Threats Grow, Iraq Battles a New Enemy: Water Shortages

Dec 12, 2017 | Laurie Goering, Thomson Reuters Foundation

After years battling Islamic State militants, Iraqi farmers – many of them military volunteers – are now returning to their homes and fields only to…


Myanmar: Only 10pc of Land Seizure Complaints Settled

Dec 12, 2017 | Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times

Only 10 percent of complaints over seized farmland submitted to the central committee for re-scrutinising land complaints have been settled since its formation in May…


Iraq: IS Long Gone, but Former Iraqi Oil Hub Still Dead

Dec 11, 2017 | Agence France-Presse

A white rocking horse and a child's toy car lie abandoned on a dusty lane in the Iraqi city of Baiji, a small sign of…


Afghanistan: Indians to Begin CASA-1000 Project in Afghanistan

Dec 11, 2017 | Haidarshah Omid, TOLOnews

Officials of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE) on Monday said that two Indian companies have been selected to start the work on the…


Liberia: Traditional Leaders Want House Version of Land Rights Act Rejected by Senate

Dec 10, 2017 | FrontPage Africa

Traditional chiefs from several towns and villages across the country have threatened to canvass against the re-election of members of the Senate, if they concur…


Myanmar: Taint of Burma’s Genocide Gems

Dec 10, 2017 | Philip Sherwell and Jon Ungoed-Thomas, The Times

They are revered among aficionados for their rich, deep hues and mesmerising sparkle. However, Burmese gemstones used in high-end jewellery made by famous western brands…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Oil Minister Says Kirkuk Oil Swap Deal with Iran Is for One Year

Dec 10, 2017 | Ahmed Hagagy, Reuters

Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi said on Sunday that a deal signed with Tehran to swap up to 60,000 barrels per day of crude produced…


Myanmar: Myanmar's Largest Oil Refinery Project Cancelled

Dec 7, 2017 | Su Phyo Win, Myanmar Times

Construction of a multi-billion-dollar oil refinery in the south of Dawei has been cancelled after an investor in the project ran into financial constraints, sources…


Colombia: US, Colombia Vow to Battle Record Surge in Coca Production

Dec 7, 2017 | Associated Press

U.S. and Colombian officials vowed Thursday to redouble efforts against drug trafficking as the South American nation contends with a record surge in coca production…


Afghanistan: America's Top Mercenary Wants to Go into Afghanistan and Take the Minerals

Dec 7, 2017 | Kelly O'Meara Morales, The Week

Former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince wants to privatize the U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan, but apparently he's also very interested in the country's rare minerals.…


Sierra Leone: Huge 'Peace Diamond' Fetches a Disappointing $6.5 Million

Dec 6, 2017 | Michelle Toh, CNN

One of the world's largest diamonds has been sold for $6.5 million. The stone has been dubbed the "peace diamond" because much of the proceeds…


DRC: Investors out in Force Following DRC Lithium Deals

Dec 6, 2017 | Michael Quinn, MiningNews.net

With its shares up nearly 500% since June, Force Commodities has today unveiled a lithium joint venture in the Democratic Republic of Congo comprising ground…