Afghanistan’s Blue Beauty that fuels oppression and corruption

Lapis lazuli could rescue Afghanistan from poverty but instead lines the pockets of the Taliban.

An Afghan lapis lazuli vendor waits for customers in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan ion March 28, 2016. Rahmat Gul/ Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan // It could have — should have — have been a way out of the poverty and hardship that has long blighted Afghanistan. Instead, it has become yet another means of pouring money into the pockets of crooks and warmongers.

Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious stone whose vivid blue beauty has been much prized for centuries. The princesses of ancient Mesopotamia draped the stone around their necks and monks in medieval Europe used the dazzling blue colour to illuminate their manuscripts. The stone is almost unique to Afghanistan. This rarity could have helped to lead a country out of long-term suffering towards prosperity. Instead, lthere are calls for it to be classed as a “conflict mineral.”

A two-year investigation by the anti-corruption watchdog, Global Witness reveals that the considerable income generated from the mining of the stone is not being used to improve life for the Afghan population but is instead flowing into the pockets of corrupt politicians and warlords and on to the Taliban. After opium, which brings in $3 billion a year, lapis lazuli is the Taliban’s second-biggest earner at $20m a year. The conclusions of UK-based Global Witness are stark: “An extraordinary national treasure that should be a powerful resource for reconstruction and development has become a major source of conflict and grievance.” says ithe group’s report.

The largest reserves of lapis lazuli are in Badakhshan province in north-eastern Afghanistan, where the stone has been mined for up to 9,000 years. All mineral resources in Afghanistan are the property of the government but according to Global Witness, the province has been “deeply destabilised” by violent infighting over who controls the mines and therefore the profits they generate. Two years ago, the laps mines of Badakhshan were seized by a warlord named Abdul Malek. He has earned millions by charging for access to the mines, but he has also paid millions in protection to the Taliban — $4m in 2015, according to the Global Witness report.

Politicians and officials turn a blind eye because they also receive kickbacks and the arrangement keeps a lid on fighting in the province — even if it has cost the government at least $17.5m in lost revenue in 2014 and $10m in 2015. The likes of Abdul Malik and other strongmen, meanwhile, pocketed $19.9m in 2014. “At the moment more than then 50 per cent of the revenue coming out of the mine is being straight on to the Taliban,” says Stephen Carter, the author of the Global Witness report. He also points out the links between the Taliban in Badakhshan and ISIL. “It is a very serious security issue.”

The classification of a stone or gem as a “conflict mineral” indicates that it serves to fuel war and human rights abuses in the countries where it is produced. Probably the best known are the “blood diamonds” mined in African countries, including Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia, which were used to fund warfare in those countries. In 1988 the UN proposed measures to trace diamonds from their origin to point of sale.

If lapis lazuli were to classified as a conflict mineral, the Afghan government would be compelled to regulate the mines and possibly set up a central body to ensure accountability and transparency for each stone, as was proposed by the country’s former minister of mines, Daud Saba, who resigned earlier this year. But the misuse of lapis lazuli mining is only half the story. Afghanistan has mineral and petrochemical assets which are potentially worth billions of dollars, but neither the money nor expertise to develop them and is unable to attract aid and investment from international companies because of the dire security situation within the country.

Global Witness says the Badakhshan lapis lazuli mines are “strategic priority” for extremist groups which are now establishing themselves along the border with Pakistan. “Unless the Afghan government acts rapidly to regain control, the battle for the laps mines is set to intensify and further destabilise the country, as well as fund extremism,” says the report.

The Kabul government supposedly banned lapis lazuli mining in early 2015 as the mines could not be secured, but the mining continued with impunity, thanks to bribes reportedly paid out to local police and politicians.

Much of the illegal lapis lazuli exports go to China, here it is much in demand for jewellery ” Global Witness says, “The fact that Chinese laps sales are funding the Taliban comes in contrast to the Chinese government’s official position as peace-broker on Afghanistan in regional security talks.” It is a bitter irony but no worse than that of a country being robed by its own.

* Associated Press