Imperial in Congo Relief Effort

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 04/13/2012

Imperial Tobacco is helping thousands of displaced people following a series of explosions in Congo. The blasts at an ammunitions depot in the capital Brazzaville last month killed more than 200 people and left a further 15,000 homeless. Those left without shelter are now living in makeshift camps, close to where Imperial subsidiary SIAT has a cigarette factory. The SIAT site suffered some damage but none of its employees or their families were seriously hurt, and production was restarted within a week of the explosions. Imperial has helped fund the provision of much-needed equipment in the camps, including mosquito nets and cooking utensils. "The explosions have had a devastating effect on our local community, and we felt it was critical to show our support," said Thibaud de Lardemelle, general manager Congo. Around 100 SIAT employees work in Brazzaville to manufacture and distribute more than 1.2 billion cigarettes a year. Enditem