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Israel has in the past provided military aid and training to various African forces and commando units, including units of the army of Zaire, as Congo was previously known.

Why didn't you make the above bold? And what's wrong with wanting to get paid? Do you work for free?

The last sentence is indeed interesting. Thanks. My oversight.

And, yes, getting paid is really keen by me.

Diamonds, gold and coltan are the key here. 50% of the world's supply of coltan comes from this region. It was over $500 a pound in 2000 but at just under $50 now the money to be made is enormous (miners are paid $15 a week and a good worker can mine 2 pounds a day).

UN Security Report:

69. . . a whole network of Israelis was established, including Mr. Gertler in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lev Leviev in Angola and Shmuel Shnitzer in Sierra Leone. In all three cases, the pattern is the same. Conflict diamonds are exchanged for money, weapons and military training. These diamonds are then transported to Tel Aviv by former Israeli Air Force pilots, whose numbers have significantly increased both in UNITA-held territory in Angola and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Israel, these diamonds are then cut and sold at the Ramat Gan Diamond Centre.

Farai Mutsaka and his editor were arrested after writing the following article for the Zimbabwe Standard:

Deadly Anti-Riot Gear Arrives
" . . .equipment has already arrived in Zimbabwe and includes customised anti-riot tankers, gas masks and microscopic 'laser guns', similar to those used by Israeli forces against the Palestinian protesters.
The tankers, called Riot Control Vehicle model RCU 4500 I, were supplied by the Beit Alfa Trailer Company and have been undergoing tests at the Police Support Unit Headquarters in the capital.
When The Standard visited Harare's Support Unit base last week, police officers were being trained in the use of the lethal cannons, under the watchful eye of an Israeli expert.
Commenting on the potentially deadly machines, a police source said: "Ideally, the equipment should have come before the election because it was supposed to be used during the campaign period. The equipment is heavy and can crush any demonstration."
According to sources, a crack unit code-named Romeo Troop, tasked with mercilessly suppressing mass actions against government, has been established within the police. . .
The deal to buy the anti-riot equipment was mooted last year when police sought authority from treasury to make a $105 million down payment to Israel's Beit Alfa Trailer Company (BAT) for the purchase of the arms to the tune of $1 billion. BAT is one of the world's leading manufacturers of riot control vehicles.

What we have here is Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi fighting Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia over natural resources. Israel supports Angola (Lev Leviev and ASCorp has the diamond concenssion there), Namibia (Maruice Tempelsman just made a bid for all Namibia's diamonds) and Zimbabwe (former Mossad agent Ari-Ben-Menashe is Mugabe's PR flack).

Tempelsman's deals are detailed here:

Government Offered Secret Gem Deal (Kennedys and Democrat Donor Involved)