The faster this issue is looked into by third parties the better. Virtually all the news media at present have been written, co-written or paraphrased from something written by Richard Meeran, the lawyer driving all this. As such one can hardly draw any conclusions on this issue based on these stories when the language is usually overly emotive.
I've looked into the events surrounding this incident in great detail and I've posted some of my findings. I'm confident that once the sequence of events are placed in context this issue will go away fairly quickly.
From a lawyers point of view there are many angles that the defence of Anvil can come from.
1) The town was seized by gunmen and the towns authorities overthrown, the gunmen declaring themselves the new authority of the area, this is itself an illegal event.
2) The government of Joseph Kabilia is internationally recognised, the FARDC forces the legitimate army.
3) The FARDC forces are the only forces that are legitimately authorised to carry out the wishes of the government militarily. They are the only protective forces that can be legitimately called upon.
4) Anvil responded to a request to ferry army personal to assist in securing Kilwa from an armed incursion and by extension Anvils assets.
5) Anvil have a responsibility to take steps to protect their property and personnel.
6) There had not been any military or rebel activility in the area of any significance that Anvil management could draw any experience from. Katanga was a safe province, these events took everyone by surprise.
7) The assertion that the rebels initiated the takeover directly because of Anvil is a straight out lie and is easily provable. The Anvil mine in reality is just a side issue in this affair. Estabilishing the takeover as a military/political event is easy enough.
8) Initially the local military was not too concerned with the rebel development, Anvil management did not think the activity posed any great risk to themselves, the rebels told them this directly. This once again leads to expectation of response.
9) Despite downplaying the seriousness of the event, men with guns in your own backyard understandably makes one nervous, things may not stay calm for long and as such management evacuated staff and initiate security procedures.
10) By the time the rebels first entered Kilwa to the time the FARDC forces are in control of Anvil transportation is about 24 hours, possible less. By this time it would be impossible to prove any sort of expectation of resolution given how little was known at this point.
11) There is proof now that the take over of Kilwa was part of a much larger event, with some high level players involved, either coup or secession. Events in May 05 back this up.
12) As a result of 11, the issue was taken far more seriously by the government than could have been known at the time by Anvil management. It was only after the call from Kabilia that the military took the issue more seriously and perhaps acted more aggressively than they initially intended. By this time the military have there hands on the trucks and there use is completely out of Anvils control.
13) Find examples of what happens to people who refuse military requests, once again I'm sure this would be easy.
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