[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"core\/picturefill,entity_embed\/caption,views\/views.ajax,views\/views.module","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307177__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"307177","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/307177","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307177__en","pager_element":0}}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"0ae5601d8790ff50fca3cf23b9ac9170285f2f75823ebdc8d9cc054bc03a679b"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":"\u003Clink rel=\u0022stylesheet\u0022 media=\u0022all\u0022 href=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_reI-6YIYy-k9pvxm-gaCRrn5cSrTZRtyAMrp4YXDUJw.css\u0022 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since he became president of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/africa\/democratic-republic-congo\u0022\u003EDemocratic Republic of Congo\u003C\/a\u003E in 2001, while a new Global Witness \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.globalwitness.org\/en\/campaigns\/democratic-republic-congo\/regime-cash-machine\/\u0022\u003Ereport\u003C\/a\u003E documents how hundreds of millions of dollars paid by mining companies to state bodies in the past few years have \u201cdisappeared,\u201d never making it to the national treasury.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/32826\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_drc_josephkabila.jpg?itok=Yamk54YP 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_drc_josephkabila.jpg?itok=-s00N_0s 850w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201707africa_drc_josephkabila.jpg?itok=-s00N_0s\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u0022574\u0022 alt=\u0022President Joseph Kabila addresses the nation at the Palais du Peuple, in the Democratic Republic of Congo\u0027s capital, Kinshasa, April 5, 2017.\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewbox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=#sprite-expand\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003EPresident Joseph Kabila addresses the nation at the Palais du Peuple,\u00a0in the Democratic Republic of Congo\u0027s capital, Kinshasa,\u00a0April 5, 2017.\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E \u00a9 2017 Reuters\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tThese findings might explain Kabila\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jeuneafrique.com\/459536\/politique\/ida-sawyer\/?utm_source=Twitter\u0026amp;utm_medium=Articles\u0026amp;utm_campaign=Tweet_21072017\u0022\u003Erefusal\u003C\/a\u003E to step down from the presidency when his constitutionally mandated two-term limit ended on December 19, 2016. They may also lend insight into why abject poverty and underdevelopment persist in a country extremely well endowed with natural resources.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tCongo is Africa\u2019s biggest copper producer and the world\u2019s largest source of cobalt, used to produce batteries for electric cars and other forms of renewable energy. According to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.globalwitness.org\/en\/campaigns\/democratic-republic-congo\/regime-cash-machine\/\u0022\u003EGlobal Witness\u003C\/a\u003E, up to US$10-billion of copper and cobalt from Congo is sold each year. Despite these riches, 10 out of 100 children in Congo die before they reach the age of 5, and more than 40 percent have stunted growth due to malnutrition. While primary education should be free according to Congolese law, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.unicef.org\/drcongo\/french\/Rapport_SITAN_RDC_2015_VF.pdf\u0022\u003Emost\u003C\/a\u003E parents have to pay to send their children to school. Many, especially girls, are kept home or sent to work because their parents cannot afford the fees.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tThe Congo Research Group report details how Kabila family members own either partially or wholly more than 80 companies and businesses in Congo and abroad. These companies have allegedly made hundreds of millions in revenues since 2003, while assets owned by the family members are \u201ceasily worth many tens of millions of dollars.\u201d The report\u2019s findings are based almost exclusively on publicly available documents, including land titles, incorporation documents, mining permits, and shareholder agreements.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022twitter-tweet\u0022 data-lang=\u0022en\u0022\u003E\u0026#13;\n\t\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022 lang=\u0022en\u0022 xml:lang=\u0022en\u0022 xml:lang=\u0022en\u0022\u003EToday, with support from \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/pulitzercenter\u0022\u003E@pulitzercenter\u003C\/a\u003E, we are publishing \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AllthePresidentsWealth?src=hash\u0022\u003E#AllthePresidentsWealth\u003C\/a\u003E here: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/t.co\/8XdqXFUWU4\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/t.co\/8XdqXFUWU4\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\t\u2014 Jason Stearns (@jasonkstearns) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/jasonkstearns\/status\/887983671113895937\u0022\u003EJuly 20, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u003Cscript async=\u0022\u0022 src=\u0022\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\u0022 charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tThe report provides the most detail on the business interests of Kabila himself, his wife, Olive Lembe, his two children, his twin sister Jaynet Kabila Kyungu, and his younger brother Zo\u00e9 Kabila. Jaynet and Zo\u00e9 are also members of parliament. Their interests allegedly extend to almost every part of Congo and include farms, banks, telecommunications companies, airlines, hotels, and companies that mine for diamonds, gold, copper, and cobalt. The report states that President Kabila directly and through a company he owns with his children holds more than 71,000 hectares of farmland in Congo. Two companies that belong to the family own diamond permits that extend for more than 700 kilometers along Congo\u2019s border with Angola. Jaynet Kabila owns a stake in the country\u2019s largest mobile phone network. Beyond Congo, the report documents Kabila family real estate holdings in South Africa and Tanzania, and some of the companies the family allegedly owns use addresses abroad, such as in Panama, Niue, and Luxembourg.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tThe report finds that Kabila family businesses have benefited from large government contracts, such as one for issuing drivers licenses, as well as contracts with the World Bank, the United States Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and the United Nations. The report questions whether foreign donors and corporations were \u201csufficiently scrupulous\u201d when they partnered with or supported these companies.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tAccording to the report, some of the family\u2019s business dealings appear to violate Congolese law or codes, while others raise serious questions of conflict of interest. The ministry of mines has granted Jaynet Kabila more mining permits than allowed under the country\u2019s mining code, the report says. Tax payments for many of the mining permits linked to the family have been suspended due to \u003Cem\u003Eforce majeure,\u003C\/em\u003E with no clear explanation for what \u201cunforeseen events\u201d would have triggered this special status. The report found that some of the family\u2019s business assets are protected by the Republican Guard, the elite presidential security detail, in what appears to be outside the legal mandate of the force.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tLast week, Bloomberg news also examined the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2017-07-18\/diggers-drivers-diamonds-how-congo-s-zoe-kabila-makes-money\u0022\u003Esprawling business empire\u003C\/a\u003E of Zo\u00e9 Kabila, the president\u2019s younger brother. His companies have built roads, sold diamonds, developed a copper project, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2017-07-17\/ivanhoe-s-congo-success-follows-deals-with-president-s-brother\u0022\u003Edone business with\u003C\/a\u003E a Canadian-based mining company and with Sicomines, the US$3.2 billion copper partnership between Congo and China. This series of reporting follows Bloomberg\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/blog-feed\/democratic-republic-congo-crisis#blog-297808\u0022\u003Ereporting\u003C\/a\u003E on the family\u2019s fortune last December.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tEarlier this month, the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa, working together with journalists from Le Monde and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.occrp.org\/en\u0022\u003EOrganized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project\u003C\/a\u003E and the Congolese whistleblower and banker Jean-Jacques Lumumba, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/afrique\/article\/2017\/07\/11\/le-mysterieux-yacht-de-luxe-des-partenaires-d-affaires-du-president-kabila_5159113_3212.html\u0022\u003Ealleged\u003C\/a\u003E that two people close to President Kabila and their companies acquired and refurbished a 72-meter luxury yacht, named the \u003Cem\u003EEnigma XK\u003C\/em\u003E, which is equipped with a helipad and can be chartered for \u20ac275,000 a week. The group \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pplaaf.org\/2017\/07\/12\/drc-new-revelations.html\u0022\u003Ereported\u003C\/a\u003E that vessels owned by the same individuals have carried frozen fish and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/afrique\/article\/2017\/07\/13\/girafes-buffles-et-zebres-en-cargo-ou-les-lubies-animalieres-de-joseph-kabila_5160098_3212.html\u0022\u003Ewild animals\u003C\/a\u003E purchased in Namibia \u2013 including giraffes, wildebeests, and zebras \u2013 to Congo\u2019s Ferme Espoir, a company owned by Kabila.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Global Witness \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.globalwitness.org\/en\/campaigns\/democratic-republic-congo\/regime-cash-machine\/\u0022\u003Ereport\u003C\/a\u003E published last Friday alleges that Congo\u2019s national treasury lost more than US$750 million in mining revenues paid to the state-owned mining company G\u00e9camines and national tax agencies between 2013 and 2015. The figure rises to US$1.5 billion when company payments to other government bodies and a former provincial tax agency are included. While it is unclear where most of the money went, the report says that \u201cat least some went to corrupt networks linked to Kabila.\u201d The report documents the role played by G\u00e9camines chairman Albert Yuma, who also heads Congo\u2019s Central Bank\u2019s audit committee and the Congolese business federation (FEC), and who, according to a senior G\u00e9camines executive interviewed by Global Witness, reportedly \u201conly answers to the president.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cp\u003EKabila family members and the government have responded critically, if not convincingly, to the various reports. In response to the Bloomberg report, Zo\u00e9 Kabila\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/zoekabila\/status\/888321918109073408\u0022\u003Ewrote\u003C\/a\u003E on Twitter that, \u201cwith a view of harming\u201d Joseph Kabila, \u201chopeless detractors publish known information while adding lies.\u201d The government\u2019s spokesperson, Lambert Mende, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/afrique\/20170722-rdc-clan-kabila-gouvernement-mises-causes-ong-global-witness-gec\u0022\u003Etold\u003C\/a\u003E Radio France Internationale that Zo\u00e9 and Jaynet Kabila had the right to do business, adding that they only work six months per year as members of parliament. He asked Global Witness and the Congo Research Group to share all their information with the justice system and to the General Inspectorate of Finance. He also said that the government is looking for money in light of the country\u2019s economic crisis, and that it had taken urgent measures since January, including to fight against misappropriations. Congo\u2019s minister for mines, Martin Kabwelulu, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.voaafrique.com\/a\/rdcongo-ong-accusations-corruption-kabila-global-witness\/3956956.html\u0022\u003Esaid\u003C\/a\u003E in a press conference that Global Witness had \u201cvoluntarily\u201d misinterpreted data published by ITIE-RDC (Initiative pour la transparence des industries extractives) and others. He said the Bloomberg investigation was \u201ca provocation, and false, because all contracts are published on the ministry of mines\u2019 website.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tFamily and government claims notwithstanding, these new reports provide important information on where Congo\u2019s natural resource wealth is going, and highlight the need for national policies that would ensure greater transparency and accountability. Congo\u2019s international partners should make sure their investments, loans, or other payments to the government are not inadvertently funding President Kabila\u2019s campaign of repression and violence. Institutions like the World Bank that are mandated to reduce poverty should take additional measures to ensure that projects they fund actually benefit those living in poverty by carrying out rigorous, independent monitoring. The United States and European Union should expand \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2017\/06\/01\/dr-congo-eu-us-sanction-top-officials\u0022\u003Etargeted sanctions\u003C\/a\u003E to Kabila\u2019s family members and close associates who have been misusing funds and abusing power to undermine the democratic process in the country.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null}]