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The former Belgian Congo gained independence in 1960 as Zaire and was subsequently renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2002. Elections held in 2006 were widely declared free and fair and resulted in a victory for Joseph Kabila. The DRC is the third largest country in Africa, covering a land area of approximately the size of Western Europe. A Mining Code drafted with the assistance of the World Bank came into force in 2002 and governs all mining activities. The DRC's mineral wealth is the mainstay of its economy and its currency is the Congolese Franc.
Aerial photography team on Lubembe River
Gem Diamonds targeted a region referred to as the "Diamond Triangle" in the Kasai Occidental Province, and the Mbelenge area to the north of this. The Kasai River and its main tributaries, the Lubembe, Tshiumbu and Longatshimo constitute the principal drainages in the "Diamond Triangle" and host diamondiferous gravel accumulations. At a higher elevation, older diamond bearing conglomerates of the basal Kwango Formation occur and the company believes that there are strong indications of primary kimberlite bodies. The regions have a history of substantial diamond production. Gem Diamonds holds various concessions in the Mbelenge, Lubembe, Longatshimo and Tshikapa areas.
Mbelenge
The Mbelenge project comprises four concessions, each with mining permits, along the Kasai River from the port of Djoku-Punda, south for approximately 20km. The northern area has limited historical prospecting activity, while the southern areas host widespread artisanal digging operations. Gem Diamonds has budgeted US$16 million of capital expenditure for the first development phase which involves the construction of basic port facilities at Djoku-Punda, a mining camp at Mbelenge, a DMS treatment plant and the purchase of earthmoving equipment. Doubling of capacity will happen in phase 2 which is expected in the second half of 2008. The treatment plant has now been commissioned and is operating at design capacity.
Lubembe
The Lubembe project comprises 22 concessions on and adjacent to, the Tshiumbu and Lubembe Rivers. The area was previously prospected in some detail with small alluvial mines established. Extensive artisanal mining has been in place throughout the area. A scoping study has been completed for an alluvial mining operation on the Lubembe concessions and further exploration results will determine future investment. Lubembe is considered to have significant kimberlite potential with 56 aeromagnetic anomalies followed up with detailed helimag surveys. To date,17 helimag anomalies have been resolved with drilling of which 1 will be further investigated in detail. which 17 have been drilled to date. Small-scale dredging is used to investigate alluvial targets in both the Lubembe and Tshiumbu Rivers.
Drilling at Lubembe
Longatshimo
The Longatshimo project comprises 12 concessions on, and adjacent to the Longatshimo River, with a combination of mining and reconnaissance permits. As with the Lubembe project area, this area was also previously prospected in some detail and hosted several small alluvial mines . More recently, artisanal mining has become established along limited sections of the Longatshimo River and in some of its tributaries. . The project area is 40km to the west of the Lubembe project area, accessible by road and ferry. The first phase of development comprises geological mapping, pitting and small-scale sampling followed by trial mining of the Longatshimo alluvial deposits in selected reaches.. A camp has been established and the prospect pitting and geological mapping are well underway.. The Longatshimo area is also considered to have potential to host primary kimberlitic sources. An aeromagnetic survey, followed by detailed helimag surveys in limited areas, generated 23 geophysical anomalies for follow up drilling. To date, 4 targets have been drilled, one of which warrants further follow up.
Tshikapa
The Tshikapa project consists of two concessions straddling the Tshikapa River, both of which are primarily alluvial targets. Remote sensing maping and interpretations have been completed on both concessions. The Tshikapa project area is considered less promising than the other project areas and accordingly only limited exploration work is planned for the immediate future.
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