Ducroire (Belgium) Support for Tanzanian Arms Factory Denied Again

June 23, 2005 (Source: Le Gouvernement Wallon, Belgium) — The Belgian Government of the Walloon Region has revoked the export license of arms company New Lachaussée to build an ammunition factory in Tanzania; the Belgian ECA Ducroire will not be extending export credit insurance to the deal. In late 2003, Ducroire authorized cover for a USD $8.8M ammunition factory in Tanzania; both international and Belgian NGOs (Pax Christi Flanders and Proyecto Gato) successfully used a petition and phone-call action to oppose its participation in supplying arms to the embattled Great Lakes region of Africa. The project, then blocked, was revived in early 2005. An export license was approved and Ducroire reactivated the insurance. Belgian NGOs (11.11.11, Broederlijk Delen, CNAPD, MIMISA, Pax Christi Flanders, Proyecto Gato, among others) again forced the Belgian Walloon Government to suspend the process. Now the government and the company have decided to give up on this project. Read the original June 23rd Walloon government act suspending the New Lachaussée license. Also read a related March 2004 What's New Item - Arms Deal Blocked.
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