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Just Send Your Toxic Waste to Africa |
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News today out of Kenya:
Hundreds of people near the Kenyan port of Mombasa say they have become ill after a consignment of leaking chemical containers was dumped nearby…
Nassir Rashid, the director of environment at the Mombasa Municipal Council (MMC), says samples of the chemicals have been sent to the government chemist for identification. But he says the chemicals are extremely toxic and more than 1,500 villagers have been treated for various illnesses caused by the chemicals…The chemical cargo was on its way from Mombasa port to a mining company in western Uganda when it was dumped.
The Seminal covered the tragically similar case of illegally-dumped toxic waste in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in 2006. Impressively, Ivoirians in that case were able to fight back, and hold the foreign firm responsible for the waste accountable for their illnesses. With Kenya in such political disarray, we will be curious to see what justice, if any, comes to the residents of Mombasa.
Crisis capitalism…ugh.