Congo Chronicle XX

March 16 - March 29 1998

sources: ACP, Reuters, De Standaard, NRC, Congonline

Government / Finance

On March 16 ACP reported that the minister of Finance, Talangai, departed for Washington to attend the annual assembly of the International Monetary Fund and the Worldbank. The governor of the Central Bank, Masangu, accompanied him.
Talangai promised the international financial organisations restitution of the Congolese exterior debt. For this purpose, the government's budget has reserved a sum of $ 42 million. The minister spoke also with foreign investors and discovered that they do not dispose of the right information and they have a deformed image of the real situation in Congo.

Nevertheless, the spokesman of the Canadian company Starpoint Goldfields, Gordon Richards, confirmed in an interview with ACP (March 20) that the Congolese investment climate is very favourable in the case of mining activities. He thinks the actual administration is stable and the support from Congolese experts is excellent. Richards has just completed geological research in the East Province and found important gold reserves.

Contrasting with these optimistic remarks is the content of the recently published report of Jef Maton, economist in Gent (Belgium). A former more hopeful report was published by him in the end of 1997 (see chronicle 12).The recent report , published together with Annelies van Bauwel is suggestively titled: Le desenchantement et les echecs possibles ( Disappointment and possible failures). Among other things, Maton discusses some developments in the Congolese mining sector. He expects that the mining production will grow untill 2000 to the level of the year 1991.(for example: the copper production will then be 200 000 tons p.y.) The practice of consultation between the mining companies and the Congolese authorities seems to be unclear. Maton speaks of some clientele networks in connection with mining firms.It could happen that the private interest prevails to the national concern.
The growth of the Gross National Product is below the expectations in autumn 1997, just before the meeting of the Friends of Congo. The yield of the taxes is lower too. The cause can be found in the delay of mining investments; but also in disappointment of the population about the progress of the development and in distrust against the authorities. Moreover the tax administration is yet weak.(note: This report does not make us cheerful. However, we think it is rather summary and some assertions are not well founded, e.g. those about clientele networks. The report does not mention the lack of financial support promised by the Friends of Congo, which also makes that the economic progress does not advance as expected.)

It seems that the Congolese authorities are conscious of the incompleteness of the system:

* ACP reported (March 28) that a group of 30 Congolese experts (of the Central Bank, Tax Office etc) studied the national economy during 10 days. The conference had been prepared by the ministry of Planning and was supported by the Worldbank and the UNDP. The experts expressed much criticism: the economic organ does not have the capability to make just analysis, public finance is conducted badly, banks are not functioning, some state institutions show a lack of personal coordination. The aim of all this criticism is to produce guidelines for a faster development.

* The leadership of the AFDL intends to reactivate the population by means of a national campaign in the last week of March. To this purpose AFDL-leaders will visit all provinces.

* In Lubumbashi the official start of the National Service took place. This civil service is destined for 22 000 young people (10% girls) who will be named the "batisseurs" (builders) of Congo and will be engaged in agricultural development.The National Service will establish 33 centres all over the country. The inauguration of the first centre was on March 15 in Kaniama- Kasese near Lubumbashi. President Kabila delivered a quantity of agricultural machinery: tractors, jeeps, etc. The purpose is not only to stimulate the agricultural development, but also to push an ideology: to combat lounging around, tribalism, greed for money, and to inspire patriotism. The National Service asks the diaspora to come back and join the "batisseurs".

Constitutional Commission

The Constitutional Commission continues studying the articles of the draft-constitution. On the plenum of March 16 conducted by Commission president, Anaclet Kashamura, one has defined the nationality notion: Congolese is he/she who is registered officially as Congolese at the day of independance(June 30 1960) respectively whose ancestors or one of them lived in Congo on that date.One has Congolese nationality if one of the parents is Congolese.
Other articles which have been formulated concern general determinations, rights and freedoms. Congo will have four national languages: Lingala, Tshiluba, Kikongo, Swahili, and two official languages: English and French. The commission prefers political pluralism with more political parties. There will be a National Election Commission.
The 2nd subcommission worked out articles about the judicial power. It recommends the institution of a Constitutional Court which can also watch over the election process and referendum. One proposes a national organisation of the judicial power and a two level (national and provincial) level of the legislative power.
The articles of the 3rd subcommission concern among other things the Central Bank and the Audit Office.

USA/Clinton's journey

On Monday March 16 a group of 40 American entrepreneurs, members of the organisation Corporate Council on Africa, arrived in Kinshasa for a visit of 6 days to Congo. They talked with Congolese entrepreneurs union FEC (Federation des Entreprises au Congo) and with young businessmen of the AJEC (Association des Jeunes Entrepreneurs et Cadres). On Wednesday March 18 they had a meeting with Kabila in Lubumbashi. Reuters reports that the leader of the American delegation, David Miller, was enthousiastic about the reception by Kabila as well as by his ministers. About Kabila Miller remarks that the impression he got of him differs much from the image that is conveyed by the press media:"We were not expecting him and his government to be so open,... They have got a lot of work to do, but this is a great start!"
The Americans expressed themselves in positive way about their oportunities to invest in Congo: 7 corporations announced immediately concrete investments, Mobil Oil. Telecel, Qual Comm (telecommunication) HSBC Equator Bank (a.o. a loan of $ 30 million to Gecamines), Chevron, Tempelsman (diamond) and SON.

That Kabila is well aware of the negative information about him and his country in the the international press, became clear on March 17. That day he paid a visit to Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe and chairman of the OAU, to exchange views about regional questions. On a press conference after his talk with Mugabe Kabila said not to expect anything more from the West. The Western media, also by internet, always give wrong information about Congo. Mugabe agreed with him and said that this has to come to an end.

On Wednesday March 25 a meeting took place in Entebbe (Uganda) of 7 leaders of African countries with the US president, mr Clinton. The meeting formed a part of the ten days roundtrip Clinton made through Africa, where he visited Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal. The meeting in Entebbe was organised by Museveni, president of Uganda. Present were the leaders of Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Congo (RDC), Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Clinton talked 15 minutes in private with Kabila, who promised him to organize elections in 1999.
[note: We feel irritated by the presumptious attitude of US officials against Kabila. Shortly before the journey of Clinton, Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State, expressed herself with contempt about Kabila, saying that the US would look after democracy in Congo if the Congolese government would not do it itself. The US should remember its own conduct in Africa: on March 23 in the Dutch newspaper NRC there appeared a summary of the behavour of the US army during the civil war in Somalia. On October 3, 1993, US soldiers slaughtered hundreds of innocent Somalian civilians in Mogadishu. The information comes from Mark Bowden (Philadelphia Inquirer) who made an extensive investigation after the American behaviour; he will publish more about the subject.]

After the meeting between Clinton and the African leaders a common declaration was published in which the African Heads of State expressed their assent with the "partnership for mutual assistance". This notion has been developped in an American economic program, and expressed in a bill of law,recently accepted by the US Congress, the "African Growth and Opportunity Act".
The African states express their willingness to integrate completely in the global economy. Concretely this would mean an increase of African exports to the US by means of diversification of export products, and more facilities for the US to invest in African countries.
The common declaration also denounces the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, and underlines the will of the leaders to introduce democracy and to promote human rights.

Kivu

UN team
The UN investigation team for the murder on Hutu refugees is continuing its search in Goma. They intend to start in Kisangani in the last week of March

Rebellion
De Standaard reported (on March 19) about weapon smuggling to East Congo. Three ex-Mobutu generals, Baramoto, Nzimbi and Mavua, are probably involved in it. The weapons come from the former apartheid mafia of South Africa and are destinated for Ugandese, Rwandese, Burundese and ex-Zairean rebels.

South Kivu
The Congolese commander in Butembo has declared that the messages about the killing of 300 people are wrong. (See also chronicle 19). Last month there have been fightings between the Congolese army and the Mai-Mai, in which soldiers were killed from both sides as well as some 60 civilians. The commander says that he now is getting grip on the situation.

North Kivu
The governor of North Kivu, Kanyamuhanga, has incited the population to reject dissension and to boycott war instigators. The Congolese authorities has identified a group of Interahamwe and ex-FAR members,who were supported last month by people in Goma.

Kasavubu

De Standaard (on March 21) reported that Mrs Kasavubu, Congolese ambassador in Brussels, has given a press conference. She said that she feels intimidated by ex-mobutists, but gave no details. She talked thoroughly about the situation in her country and expressed her confidence in the reconstruction of Congo as worked out by the Kabila government. Immediate success is not so important as the quality of life in the long term, she said. At the moment there are some positive points: stabilization of the currency, repair of the roads, and functioning of transport and communication.

News from Switzerland

De Standaard reported on March 25 about a Study from the Swiss Evangelical Church and some development organisations. They reproach the Swiss authorities support of Mobutu for financial profit and an attitude of hatred and hostility towards Zairean refugees, who fled the Mobutu regime.