In the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo, thousands of miners are illegally working the Shinkolobwe mine in the southeastern province of Katanga. Under the Congo’s colonial ruler, Belgium, the mine produced high-grade uranium ore used in the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombs. In July, U.N. officials expressed fears that undocumented uranium ore leaving the mine could make its way into the hands of terrorists.

Read the Geotimes Web Extra [July 30, 2004] for the full story on uranium mining in the Congo.

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