Monday 30 November 2015

UN peacekeeper among 24 dead in Ugandan rebel attack in DR Congo

UN peacekeeper among 24 dead in Ugandan rebel attack in DR Congo



30/11/2015




An attack by Ugandan rebels in the restive east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has left at least 24 people dead, including a United Nations peacekeeper, the UN said Monday.


UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the overnight attack in troubled North Kivu province, blamed on Ugandan rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.


Felix-Prosper Basse, spokesman for the UN mission in DR Congo (MONUSCO) said that in addition to the peacekeeper, 12 rebels were killed, along with four Congolese soldiers and seven civilians who were hacked to death with machetes in a hospital in the town of Eringeti.


"I saw four civilians killed by bullets... and seven patients and a nurse cut up by machete at the hospital," a regional official told AFP at Eringeti, which lies in the north of North Kivu province.
A local non-governmental organisation however gave a higher toll of 30 dead.


MONUSCO's interim commander General Jean Baillaud confirmed to AFP that a Malawian soldier serving with the force had been killed, and a second was wounded when their unit tried to fight off the attackers.


Map of the DRC locating attack by Ugandan rebels in Eringeti,
North Kivu. 45 x 46 mm

The rebels "attacked our positions at Eringeti and we repelled them all night," said a Congolese army spokesman in the region, Lieutenant Mak Hazukay, declining to give any figures.


The mostly Muslim rebels, who have been active in the forested region since being driven out of their homeland in 1995, are accused of a series of killings which have claimed the lives of more than 450 civilians since October 2014.


In December that year, Congolese and UN troops launched a joint operation that helped to restore a degree of calm to the region, but the killings did not stop and spread northwards.


The ADF, which first emerged in Uganda with the aim of toppling President Yoweri Museveni and setting up a hardline Islamist state, is accused of numerous serious violations of human rights.
Its leader Jamil Mukulu was arrested in Tanzania in April and extradited to Uganda in July.


The rebels also engage in a profitable illegal traffic in prized tropical timber.


MONUSCO -- the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Congo -- comprises about 20,000 uniformed personnel overseeing the disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation and reintegration programme for rebel groups.


 

Friday 27 November 2015

Russia: Attempting a Bridge to Africa

Russia: Attempting a Bridge to Africa


27/11/2015

While Russia's interest in sub-Saharan Africa is nothing new, Russian authorities have realized that it’s time to move back primarily to reclaim its economic footprints and to find old Soviet-era allies, but that step comes with new challenges especially from other foreign players and the changing internal political and economic conditions in Africa.

 
 
“Russia has often failed to capitalize on the historical connection between Moscow and those African elites who had been educated in the Soviet Union."

For the past few years, Russian authorities have taken steady and strategic steps at the possibility of pushing huge investments in lucrative sectors as ways to strengthen bilateral relations and expand economic cooperation in a number of African countries.

That show of corporate investment and business interests has been sealed into various agreements, resulting from high-powered state delegations that frequently visited both regions, Russia and Africa, last year and during the first half of 2015.

Keir Giles, an associate fellow of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London explained to me in an email interview that "Russia's approach to Africa is all about making up for lost time. The Soviet Union's intense involvement in African nations came to an abrupt halt in the early 1990s, and for a long time Moscow simply didn't have the diplomatic and economic resources to pay attention to Africa while Russia was consumed with internal problems."

According to Giles "that changed in the last decade, thanks to two things: the arrival of President Vladimir Putin with a new foreign policy focus, and the massive influx of cash on the back of increased oil prices, which transformed Russian state finances. Russia is interested both in economic opportunities and in rebuilding political relationships that had in some ways been on hold for over a decade."

"Russia's approach to Africa is all about making up for lost time.”

In order to raise Russia's economic influence and profile in Africa, in June 2009, the Coordinating Committee on Economic Cooperation with Sub-Saharan Africa, popularly referred to as AfroCom, was created on the initiative of the Russian Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Vnesheconombank to help promote and facilitate Russian business in Africa. Since its creation, it has had full-fledged support from the Russian Government, the Federation Council and State Duma, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the African diplomatic community.

The vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Georgi Petrov, noted at AfroCom's annual executive meeting held in April 2015 that "in view of the current geopolitical situation in the world and the economic situation in Russia, Russian businesses have to look for new markets. In this regard, of particular interest is the African continent, which today is one of the fastest growing regions in the world with an annual GDP growth of 5%. In addition, opportunities for projects in Africa are opened with the accession of South Africa to the BRICS bloc." Brazil, Russia, India and China are members of BRICS.

Reports also showed that Russia has started strengthening its economic cooperation by opening trade missions with the responsibility of providing sustainable business services and plans to facilitate import-export trade in a number of African countries.

“Russia is interested both in economic opportunities and in rebuilding political relationships.”

But these Russian trade centers must necessarily embark on a "Doing Business in Africa" campaign to encourage Russian businesses to take advantage of growing trade and investment opportunities, to promote trade fairs and business-to-business matchmaking in key spheres in Africa.

Maxim Matusevich, an associate professor and director, Russian and East European Studies Program, at the Seton Hall University, told me in an interview that "in the past decade there was some revival of economic ties between Africa and Russia – mostly limited to arms trade and oil/gas exploration and extraction. Russia's presence in Africa and within African markets continues to be marginal and I think that Russia has often failed to capitalize on the historical connection between Moscow and those African elites who had been educated in the Soviet Union."

"It is possible that the ongoing crisis in the relations between Russia and the West will stimulate Russia's leadership to look for new markets for new sources of agricultural produce. Many African nations possess abundant natural resources and have little interest in Russia's gas and oil. As it was during the Soviet times, Russia can only offer few manufactured goods that would successfully compete with Western-made products. African nations will probably continue to acquire Russian-made arms, but otherwise, I see only few prospects for a diversification of cooperation in the near future," added Maxim Matusevich.

As Buziness Africa gathered in May 2015, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has held talks during the first quarter of this year with a number of state delegations at various levels and that included foreign ministers from Burundi, Tanzania, Algeria, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Libya and Zambia.

“Opportunities for projects in Africa are opened with the accession of South Africa to the BRICS bloc."

And at the start of this year, the high-ranking Russian delegation headed by special presidential representative for the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov, participated in the 24th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of States and Government of the African Union and on the sidelines held a series of diplomatic discussions with representatives from some African countries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

"On the sidelines of the forum, Mikhail Bogdanov had meetings and talks with President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of Mauritania, Mohamed Abdel Aziz, President of Madagascar Hery Rajaonarimampianina, President of Equatorial Guinea Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Gabon Ali Bongo, Vice President of Angola Manuel Vicente, Deputy Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Ben Helli."

"The parties discussed current bilateral and regional agendas, further improvement of diverse cooperation between Russia and Africa, including cooperation with sub-regional organizations of the continent," according to the transcript posted to the official website of the Foreign Ministry.

Further, Lavrov held a meeting on the sidelines of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The meeting was attended on the SADC side by representatives of Zimbabwe (the SADC presiding country), Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, the Republic of South Africa, as well as the SADC Executive Secretary.

“Russia has not been as aggressive as China in pursuing opportunities in Africa.”

Without a doubt, Russia's strategic return to Africa has sparked academic discussions at various levels where academic researchers openly admitted that political consultations are on track, arms export has significantly increased, but other export products are extremely low. Russia's involvement in infrastructure development has also been low for the past decades on the continent.

In an interview, Themba Mhlongo, Head of Programmes at the Southern Africa Trust, thinks that Africa should not expect higher trade flows with Russia simply because Africa has not engaged Russia.

Mhlongo told Buziness Africa that "there is still low Africa-Russia Dialogue or mechanism for dialoguing with Russia, and on the other hand, Russia has not been as aggressive as China in pursuing opportunities in Africa because Russia has natural resources and markets in Eastern Europe, South West Asia. Russian exports to Africa might be dominated by machinery and military equipment which serves their interest well."

He suggested that Africa must engage all BRICS members equally including Brazil and Russia in order to build alliances and open trade opportunities including finance and investment opportunities. Also African countries must not seem to show preferences in their foreign policy in favor of Western Europe if they want to benefit from trade relations with Russia. They must learn to be neutral!
“Russia never colonized Africa.”

Mhlongo suspects that Africa still holds an old view about Russia being a communist state and less technologically developed or unsophisticated compared to Western Europe. But Russia never colonized Africa and therefore there are no colonial ties between the two.

"If you look at African trade flows to Europe they reflect colonial ties most of the time. However, modern Russia is now one of the important emerging market countries and a member of BRICS. The Russian society is also closed and orientation is towards Western Europe in particular the United States (probably as a result of the period of bi-polar global power system that existed before). Russia exports to Africa but rarely sets up businesses. The language (or culture in general) could be one of the barriers to the development of trade relations with Russia," he pointed out.

He further proposed that both Africa and Russia can initiate a dialogue in the form of Africa-Russian business summit to explore economic opportunities between them. However, there are other avenues to engage each other through the BRICS bloc or through bilateral diplomatic channels. Russia has embassies in Africa and African countries have diplomatic representations in Russia. Africa may have to pay special attention to cultural issues and try to understand Russia in this ever-changing environment and find an entry point to engage Russia.

“Russia exports to Africa but rarely sets up businesses.”

On her part, Alexandra Arkhangelskaya, a senior researcher at the Institute of African Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences and a staff lecturer at the Moscow High School of Economics told Buziness Africa in an interview that Russia and Africa needed each other – “Russia is a vast market not only for African minerals, but for various other goods and products produced by African countries.”

The signs for Russian-African relations are impressive – declarations of intentions have been made, important bilateral agreements signed – now it remains to be seen how these intentions and agreements will be implemented in practice, she pointed out in the interview.

The revival of Russia-Africa relations should be enhanced in all fields: political, economic, trade, scientific, technological, and cultural. Obstacles to the broadening of Russian-Africa relations should be addressed. These include in particular the lack of knowledge in Russia about the situation in Africa, and vice versa, suggested Arkhangelskaya.

"As we witness rapid deterioration of relations between Russia and the West unfold, Russia's decision to ban the import of some agricultural products from countries that have imposed sanctions against Moscow offers great opportunities for the expansion of trade of such products from Africa," the professor observed in her discussion.

Experts who have researched Russia's foreign policy in Africa at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute for African Studies have reiterated that Russia's exports to Africa can be possible only after the country's industrial based experiences a more qualitative change and introduces tariff preferences for trade with African partners. As a reputable institute during the Soviet era, it has played a considerable part in the development of African studies in the Russian Federation.

“Total U.S. two-way trade in Africa has actually fallen off in recent years.”

"The situation in Russian-African foreign trade will change for the better if Russian industry undergoes technological modernization, the state provides Russian businessmen systematic and meaningful support, and small and medium businesses receive wider access to foreign economic cooperation with Africa," according Professor Aleksei Vasiliev, the director of the RAS Institute for African Studies and full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Evgeny Korendyasov, an expert at the RAS Institute for African Studies.

Statistics on Africa's trade with foreign countries vary largely. For example, the total U.S. two-way trade in Africa has actually fallen off in recent years to about $60 billion in 2013, far eclipsed by the European Union with over $200 billion and China, whose more than $200 billion is a huge increase from $10 billion in 2000, according to a recent "Africa in Focus " website post by the Brookings Institution. According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Russia's trade with Africa, south of the Sahara, is only $3.2 billion.

In one of his speeches posted to the official website, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted frankly in remarks: "it is evident that the significant potential of our economic cooperation is far from being exhausted and much remains to be done so that Russian and African partners know more about each other's capacities and needs. The creation of a mechanism for the provision of public support to business interaction between Russian companies and the African continent is on the agenda."

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

Bishops urge Congolese to reject third term for Kabila

Bishops urge Congolese to reject third term for Kabila

 Nov 27, 2015

Democratic Republic of Congo's President Joseph Kabila
 (front C) walks along a street in Bunagana. DRC's powerful
 Catholic church called on citizens on Nov. 26, 2015, to defy
 any attempt by President Joseph Kabila to hold on to
 power beyond the end of his term next year

 KINSHASA - Democratic Republic of Congo's powerful Catholic church called on citizens on Thursday to defy any attempt by President Joseph Kabila to hold on to power beyond the end of his term next year.

More than 40 percent of Congo identifies itself as Catholic. The church has been outspoken on the subject of Kabila's future, notably condemning the government's crackdown on anti-government protests in January that left about 40 people dead.
 

Kabila, who became president in 2001 and won disputed elections in 2006 and 2011, is barred by the constitution from standing for a third term. But opponents say he is determined to stay in power by delaying a vote scheduled for November 2016.
 
  
"We ask the Congolese people to prove their vigilance in the spirit of article 64 (of the constitution)," said the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) in a statement signed by the leader of Congo's Catholics, Cardinal Laurent Mosengwo Pasinya.
 
     
"(This) stipulates that 'All Congolese have the duty to thwart any individual or group of individuals that takes power by force or exercises it in violation of the provisions of the present constitution.'"
 
     
Kabila has refused to comment publicly on his political future. A spokesman says he intends to respect the constitution, but some of his allies have suggested delaying the presidential election by up to four years to clean up voter rolls.

Earlier this month, the church declared its support for a national dialogue to discuss the upcoming elections as long it does not delay polls. The government has said that Kabila will convene the dialogue "imminently".
 
     
Most opposition parties have said they will not participate, calling the dialogue part of a strategy to delay the election. 
 

Reuters

DRC: Draconian crackdown on dissent one year ahead of elections

DRC: Draconian crackdown on dissent one year ahead of elections

27 November 2015


Activists and political leaders who speak out against attempts by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Joseph Kabila to stand for a third term in office are being subjected to arbitrary arrest and, in some cases, prolonged incommunicado detention, said Amnesty International, a year before presidential elections are officially due to take place.

"In the lead up to next year’s elections, the justice system has been compromised for political purposes to crush dissent. Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International"
 
A new report, Treated like criminals: DRC's race to silence dissent in the run up to elections, reveals how DRC’sjustice systemis being used to silence critics of a third term by President Kabila. It focuses on the cases of eight individuals who were jailed after peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, one of whom spent 145 days in incommunicado detention.

“In the lead up to next year’s elections, the justice system has been compromised for political purposes to crush dissent,” said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.

“People peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression are being arrested and detained incommunicado for months on end.”

Tensions have been rising amid fears that President Kabila may overturn constitutional term-limits and stand again in presidential elections, due to take place on 27 November 2016.

This supporter of Étienne Tshisekedi was shot by President
 Joseph Kabila’s Republican Guard while marching
to meet Tshisekedi at N’djili Airport in Kinshasa.

Protests against a Bill perceived as an attempt to delay elections triggered widespread demonstrations in January 2015. Security forces used excessive force to respond to these protests, killing dozens of people and arresting several hundred.

Political opposition leaders, Ernest Kyaviro and Cyrille Dowe, arrested during the January protests, were held without access to their lawyers for 86 and 145 days respectively. Ernest Kyaviro was sentenced to three years in prison, while Cyrille Dowe was acquitted.

On 15 March, Fred Bauma and Yves Makwambala, were arrested by security forces during a press conference launching the Filimbi (Swahili for whistle) youth platform. They were held by the National Intelligence Agency (ANR), which reports directly to the President, for 50 and 40 days respectively, incommunicado, without charge and without access to lawyers. Despite a lack of evidence against them, they were labelled “terrorists” and accused of planning to violently overthrow the government. They remain in arbitrary detention.

Protests calling for the release of those detained have been systematically repressed with activists arrested, detained and subjected to ill-treatment by the ANR.

"Lessons should be learnt from Burkina Faso and Burundi where mass protests were sparked by incumbents attempting to extend constitutional term-limits creating longer-term crises
Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International"

Those brought to court have been denied bail without a clear justification and records of interrogations conducted during incommunicado detention have been used by prosecutors.

“The justice system has become instrumental in DRC’s crackdown against those speaking out against a third term by President Kabila. Political opposition leaders and activists have been arbitrarily arrested by the ANR and convicted by courts that flout Congolese, African and international human rights standards,” said Sarah Jackson.

“Lessons should be learnt from Burkina Faso and Burundi where mass protests were sparked by incumbents attempting to extend constitutional term-limits creating longer-term crises.”

Background

Jean-Bertrand Ewanga, an MP and leader of the political opposition Union for the Congolese Nation party, was sentenced to one-year in jail on charges of insulting the President, the Prime Minister and the heads of the Senate and National Assembly.

Jean-Claude Muyambo and Vano Kiboko, both members of the President’s ruling coalition, were arrested after they spoke out against the third term. Kiboko has been sentenced to three years in jail. Muyambo’s trial is still underway.

Christophe Ngoyi, a human rights defender, was arrested after monitoring the use of excessive force during the January protests in the capital, Kinshasa and held incommunicado for 21 days. His trial continues.

Activists of youth movements, such as Filimbi and LUCHA, have been targeted by the ANR.

Two of the people featured in Amnesty International’s worldwide annual Write for Rights campaign, from 4-17 December, are Fred Bauma and Yves Makwambala. Hundreds of thousands of Amnesty International supporters and activists around the world will send letters, emails, SMS messages, faxes and tweets calling for their release.

DRC’s Constitution limits a President to two consecutive terms. It also prohibits the number and length of terms from being changed by constitutional review, making President Kabila ineligible to stand again in November 2016. There are fears the elections may be delayed.

 

Democratic Republic of Congo: Treated Like Criminals: DRC's Race to Silence Dissent

Democratic Republic of Congo: Treated Like Criminals: DRC's Race to Silence Dissent


27 November 2015

This supporter of Étienne Tshisekedi was shot by President
 Joseph Kabila’s Republican Guard while marching
to meet Tshisekedi at N’djili Airport in Kinshasa.

As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s presidential election draws closer, calls by politicians from the Presidential Majority and the opposition, religious leaders and activists for President Joseph Kabila to step down in November 2016 when his constitutionally mandated two-terms end have increased. Simultaneously the government’s crackdown on those voicing these views has intensified.

This report documents the DRC government’s crackdown on politicians and activists speaking out or peacefully mobilizing against these developments. It exposes a pattern of arbitrary arrests, prolonged incommunicado detentions by the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) and trials based on trumped-up or illegitimate charges violating the rights to liberty, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

Choose a language to view report:

 

French: https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/AFR6229172015FRENCH.PDF.                        

By Amnesty International
 

Wednesday 25 November 2015

Why Dependence on Natural Resources is Bad for DR Congo

Why Dependence on Natural Resources is Bad for DR Congo




Excavators and drillers at work in a copper and cobalt mine
 near Lubumbashi. Mineral resources are a big part of
the DRC’s economy

Many African countries have in recent years shown phenomenal economic growth. But recent developments on global markets – including the drop in prices of commodities such as oil, copper, and cobalt – have raised questions about the sustainability of Africa’s economic growth.

The instability of global market has lowered investors’ confidence, and led to questions being raised about the health of the global market. There is a feeling of uncertainty and fears of financial global crises, especially due to a slow down in China’s economy.

The impact of the fall in commodity prices, particularly minerals, is being felt in many countries around the world, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC has been hit by the drop in the price of copper. Glencore, the Anglo-Swiss multinational commodity trading and mining company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland, is considering closing some of its operations in Katanga province.

The DRC’s economy is driven by agriculture, mineral resources, manufacturing and services. Over the past decade, the agricultural sector has been declining as the country’s major contributor to its GDP while commodities-related industries have been rising. The mining sector accounts for one-quarter of the country’s GDP.

Last year the economy grew by nearly 9%, driven by the extractive and manufacturing industries, agriculture, commerce and construction, and a high export demand for raw material. Sustaining this growth has now been threatened by the dramatic fall in commodity prices.

In addition, there are fears of increased political instability as President Joseph Kabila is accused of attempting to remain in power beyond his second and last five-year term.

According to the IMF, the DRC remains a fragile country with vulnerabilities on the rise.

A shaking global economy with local impact

Closing mines in the Katanga province would have a devastating impact, with severe social and economic consequences.

Thousands of workers and their families depend on the mining industry. Mine closures would result in a large job losses. The company employs an estimated 5,000 people in Katanga without counting subcontractors.

New cities and communities have been established and sustained through mining. Small businesses have been created and new forms of commodities trade initiated by people living in the areas surrounding the mines.

The impact of mining houses shrinking their operations could cripple the DRC’s economy which is highly dependent on mineral exports. Up to 87.2% of the economy is export oriented.

According to the OECD, the DRC’s exports were worth US$7.03 billion in 2013, making it the 103rd-largest exporter in the world. Refined copper accounted for one-third of all exports, followed by copper ore (19%), raw copper (7.5%), cobalt (8.8%), cobalt ore (6.9%) and crude petroleum 12%.

The country is therefore extremely vulnerable to commodity prices, or to drops in demand for minerals. The question that needs to be answered is: what should be done to avoid this permanent economic and social vulnerability?

An employee stands in an open pit at Banro’s Twangiza mine
in eastern Congo

Diversification is key

Many African countries, including the DRC, have for years maximised and concentrated their economic activities, at least at the macro level, in only one sector.

This lack of economic diversity and extreme concentration on one sector has never benefited the continent, and will never benefit the DRC. Diversification is key – not only for GDP, but for local economic development, small businesses and entrepreneurship.

In addition to this, the DRC relies heavily on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), mainly financial investment, at the expense of local capital investment. The country should not be depending almost exclusively on FDI to run its economy. Rather, local as well as national companies should be allowed to invest in strategic sectors such as farming, agriculture, transport as well as mining.

There are other policies the government could put in place. These include:
  • The DRC should encourage and stimulate local investment and support start up businesses. Many of the economic or financial challenges that the DRC has known for many years are linked to economic dependency. It is imperative that the government creates a friendly environment for citizens to invest in their communities and get all the necessary support to establish and grow their businesses in a safe economic space.
  • The country must accelerate local economic inclusion by taping into the potential of the informal market. A big part of small trades are conducted by women and youth in the informal sector. These people constitute a class of informal entrepreneurs who, if supported financially and with the necessary skills and logistics, would be able to grow the economy and generate more jobs.
  • Strengthen interprovincial economic activities and integration based on small-scale economic activity and trade.
  • The role and place of women in local economic development needs to be considered and promoted.
It is important to mention that many efforts need to be deployed to insure sustainability, growth, and development of the DRC. Political stability and peace are also key for long-lasting economic growth and development.

By Yvan Yenda Ilunga

Tuesday 24 November 2015

Burundi: Civilians at risk as government forbids them from fleeing to neighbouring countries

Burundi: Civilians at risk as government forbids them from fleeing to neighbouring countries


November 24, 2015

Burundian refugees take it in turns to prepare food
 for 14 people twice a day in Rwanda's capital,
Kigali


Thousands of Burundians have been forbidden from leaving their country, a humanitarian organisation has claimed. UN officials and human rights groups have urged action against what witnesses call a deadly government crackdown on opposition members, after scores died since President Pierre Nkurunziza launched a controversial bid to prolong his term in office in April.

A wave of assassinations in the capital, Bujumbura, has targeted politicians of all parties, military officers, and human rights defenders, and corpses appear on a near-daily basis. The UN has cited at least 240 deaths since April, but the real toll is likely much higher.

Blocked at the border

One important way for individuals to obtain protection is through flight to another country. More than 233,000 civilians fled to neighbouring countries (See Boxout), but Refugees International (RI) has found that some of these displaced citizens are trapped inside Burundi, unable to leave because of abusive government agents and armed militias along the country's borders.

In September and October 2015, RI travelled to Burundi, Tanzania, and Rwanda to assess why people continue to flee and the scope of internal displacement. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Burundi and refugees in Tanzania claimed that the Burundian authorities are preventing civilians from fleeing the country and have been doing so for months.

RI was told that this obstruction is carried out not only by Burundian government agents – including border agents, National Intelligence Service, police, and the military – but also by Imbonerakure, members of the ruling CNDD-FDD party's youth wing.

IBTimes UK first revealed the government was preventing refugees from fleeing in June, when Interior Minister Edouard Nduwimana had ordered the closure of the PAFE police authority's offices on 19 June. The authorities closed off a number of exit points at the borders with Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to human rights defenders and UN officials, the Burundian government started cracking down on cross-border movements in early June.

"The threats against these hidden displaced must stop, and the international community must be allowed to protect them," said Michael Boyce and Francisca Vigaud-Walsh, authors of You are either with us or against us: persecution and displacement in Burundi.
RI found compelling evidence that there are indeed IDPs, some of whom are in grave danger. The organisation has found that would-be refugees, who would like to seek protection outside of Burundi, cannot because they fear being arrested at the border by Burundian authorities. RI said IDPs were too scared to even seek humanitarian assistance.

Hiding in the forest

14 refugees are living in 'Little Burundi' in Rwanda's
capital Kigali


The authors interviewed IDPs who spoke about fleeing their homes, living underground in their own cities, frequently moving to different trusted friends' homes under the cover of the night or even hiding in the forest along the Burundi-Tanzania border.


Those currently displaced have lost their sources of income and are suffering from immediate food insecurity. With no access to shelter or healthcare, their health is in imminent danger, RI said.


One young paramedic student told RI that he was jailed for two months, accused of "revolting against the state" and "promoting dissension meetings with youth" after participating in opposition protests.
Shortly after human rights groups helped secure his release, his house was ransacked and a friend informed him that the police were looking for him.



Burundi's refugees


The scale of Burundi's internal displacement situation is largely unknown, and there is no comprehensive understanding of its resulting humanitarian impact.
According to the UNHCR, there were 233,312 Burundi refugees as at 23 November 2015. Here's a breakdown by settlement:
Uganda: 16,000
Rwanda: 71,000
Tanzania: 110,000
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): 18,000



Reluctant to repeat his incarceration experience and fearing the worst, he set off on foot to the forest, where he had been living for two weeks. He had an injured foot and was visibly ill, but was too afraid to leave the forest in search of medical assistance, stating, "someone from the National Intelligence Service (SNR) could see me".


In their report, Boyce and Vigaud-Walsh made a number of recommendations such as calling on the government to cease all forms of persecution that lead to displacement, as well as prohibit and prevent other actors from doing so.


"In the first place, we need security," another IDP, said. "It doesn't matter who – the United Nations, the African Union – but someone needs to provide security for people under threat."


By Elsa Buchanan
International Business Times 

Monday 23 November 2015

Congo cuts growth forecast to 7.7 pct as copper output falls

Congo cuts growth forecast to 7.7 pct as copper output falls


Nov 23, 2015



 Democratic Republic of Congo lowered its 2015 economic growth forecast to 7.7 percent from an earlier prediction of 8.4 percent due to weak commodity prices and lower mining output, the prime minister's office said in a statement on Monday.

The economy of Africa's largest copper producer grew by 9.5 percent in 2014, according to the government, which had predicted growth of 10.3 percent for 2015 in May.

But demand has been hurt by falling demand for minerals, particularly in top industrial metals consumer China. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange hit a fresh 6-1/2 year low on Monday at $4,444 a tonne before recovering slightly to $4,500.

Congo's economy is heavily dependent on the export of raw minerals. Copper and cobalt exports alone accounted for 79 percent of the value of Congo's exports in the first half of 2015, according to the Central Bank.  

In another blow, Swiss-based trading house Glencore began an 18-month suspension of copper and cobalt production at its Katanga Mining unit in the country's southeast in September. 
  
The mine produced about 15 percent of Congo's total copper output prior to its suspension. The country's chamber of mines estimates that the production freeze combined with power shortages will cause output of the metal to fall from 1.03 million tonnes in 2014 to about 980,000 tonnes this year.   

Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo said last month that the mine's suspension would cost the government about $215 million in tax revenues next year.   
 
The statement from Matata Ponyo's office on Monday promised that the government would study measures to diversify the economy, without elaborating further.  

Reuters
Reporting By Aaron Ross; Editing by Dominic Evans

Sunday 22 November 2015

Congo-Kinshasa: Kabila Seeks Mugabe Help to Retain Power

Congo-Kinshasa: Kabila Seeks Mugabe Help to Retain Power

22/11/2015




Harare — TOP government officials say Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila wants Zimbabwe to assist him circumvent the constitutional requirement that he steps down after serving two terms as president, amid growing unrest caused by his bid to stay in power.
 
Kabila, who visited Zimbabwe last week, took over power in 2001 when his father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated and went on to win disputed elections in 2006 and 2011.
 
However, the DRC constitution (Article 220) clearly stipulates that the president cannot seek a third term after his second presidential mandate.
 
"The republican form of the State, the principle of universal suffrage, the representative form of government, the number and length of the terms of office of the President of the Republic, the independence of the Judicial Power, the pluralism of political parties and trade unions may not form the object of a constitutional amendment," reads article 220 of the DRC constitution.
Despite this, Kabila has attempted to extend his stay in power.

Congo-Kinshasa: Kabila Seeks Mugabe Help to Retain Power

Congo-Kinshasa: Kabila Seeks Mugabe Help to Retain Power

22/11/2015




Harare — TOP government officials say Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila wants Zimbabwe to assist him circumvent the constitutional requirement that he steps down after serving two terms as president, amid growing unrest caused by his bid to stay in power.
 
Kabila, who visited Zimbabwe last week, took over power in 2001 when his father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated and went on to win disputed elections in 2006 and 2011.
 
However, the DRC constitution (Article 220) clearly stipulates that the president cannot seek a third term after his second presidential mandate.
 
"The republican form of the State, the principle of universal suffrage, the representative form of government, the number and length of the terms of office of the President of the Republic, the independence of the Judicial Power, the pluralism of political parties and trade unions may not form the object of a constitutional amendment," reads article 220 of the DRC constitution.
Despite this, Kabila has attempted to extend his stay in power.

Friday 20 November 2015

KAGAME'S PREDATOR DRONES PROJECT: THE SECRET "CYBER-OCCUPATION" OF DRCONGO

KAGAME'S PREDATOR DRONES PROJECT: THE SECRET "CYBER-OCCUPATION" OF DRCONGO

20/11/2015
 
Military Droneport
 
The Rwanda Vision 2020 policy document sets the timeframe for the country to have science , technology and innovation capacity as the country was left in ruins after the genocide in 1994. The Rwandan government efforts have rapidly pushed mobile phone and internet coverage across the landlocked nation to enhance communication.

The UN group of Experts claims that the governments of Rwanda and Uganda have  provided direct support to the M23 and finally suggested the use of Drones in the East Region of Congo; to improve data collection and intelligence gathering in the peacekeeping campaign against the powerful M23 rebels; monitor; and prevent future rebels' infiltration in the DR Congo. The Rwandan government -which continues to deny their support of M23- systematically opposed the idea by stating that; "this would be a threat to the national sovereignty of states in the region given that drones can cross boarders without being detected"; and " that not enough was known about the technology, and Africa should “not become a laboratory for intelligence devices from overseas.”

Contrary to his refusal, Kagame turns his country to the drones tech and also allows the world's first airport for drones to be built in Rwanda. Subsequently, Rutayisire Eric, a 23-year-old, a graduate of the University of Minnesota launched  his tech-company dubbed Charis Unmanned Aerial Solutions; and become the first Rwandan UAV industry to make drones.

by Charis Unmanned Aerial Solutions
 
 

Officially the Rwandan Droneport's plan is for medical supplies and  aims to offer an "affordable alternative that can complement road-based deliveries" of medical equipment within the mountainous country by using drones.

"THE BACK SIDE OF RWANDAN DRONES PROJECT"

WHY RWANDA WAS CHOSEN AS  FIRST DRONEPORT?

  • Geopolitical position of Rwanda
Rwanda is in the heart of the mountainous region and the Rift Valley Region; located in the heart of central Africa between the West and the East; and described as chili that strongly stings since the 1994 genocide triggered the greatest African war. The country is also compared to the cork of a bottle which can open and seal a war in the region. Its smallness makes it suitable to be used as "proxy country ". Thus Rwanda offers a chance for the drone's case-study before possible expansion into greater expeditions.

  • The proximity of  Rwanda's UAV industry to the Kivu region
The Washington Post reports states that the Congolese minerals are smuggled into Rwanda to the tune of $6 millions a day. There is no need to demonstrate why the Rwandan UAVs plant is located near Kivu, the richest source of coltan in the world. Therefore the use of drones, in the mining-trade, will attract a great deal of attention from both the mining and UAVs sector investors because the overseas transportation cost will be highly reduced.

In powering a new trend of military applications such as drones, the high-grade metal tantalum - processed from the precious mineral coltan- is highly required. The proximity to the mineral resources of Kivu is strategic for the establishment of the UAV industry. The west, as well as Rwanda,  needs the Congolese coltan for the high tech  and Rwanda would likely be one of the biggest world supplier.

  • The MAPRO initiative and the  Rwandan case test

Drone-obtained images released by the UN shows a village in eastern
 Congo in December 2013, shortly after the UN's first drones were
deployed in the region.

The MAPRO initiative (Mass Atrocity Prevention and Response Operations)- which is about  saving lives without putting U.S. troops in the middle of foreign quagmires; preventing a future genocide; and placing a watchful eyes on the perpetrators of mass atrocities by recording full-motion video of  their crimes - includes the use of drones for humanitarian, surveillance and military intelligence purposes. In fact, the Pentagon choses Rwanda in its program to prevent future genocide.
 
At least that is the theory, but it is expected that the Rwandan drones will be able to cover Rwanda’s countryside and neighbouring countries, with the pretext of tracking -without sending Inkotanyi RPF on the front- the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and other "negatives forces" that are concentrated  in the darkness of the Congolese jungle.

.
Member of the FDLR in  through dense forest vegetation of North Kivu,
in February 2009
 
 KAGAME'S  SHADOW DRONE WARS AND THE VIRTUAL OCCUPATION OF CONGO

  •  Mining Cargo Drones.

                                           Cargo Drone
  Cargo drone  Carcccc
"We want to pioneer ghost railways in the sky," Jonathan Ledgard, a director at Afrotech"
 
It is not a secret that Rwanda's desperate need of Congolese mineral resources- as DR Congo holds an estimated $24 trillion in mineral reserves- is to turn the capital Kigali into a regional hub for investors and multinational companies, and the country into the African Singapore.

 The proposal by architecture firm Foster + Partners hopes to see drones with a three-metre (10-foot) wingspan able to carry deliveries weighing up to 20 pounds for now, and up to 220 pounds within the next decade.

The Cargo-drone routes have utility wherever there is a lack of roads, transcending geographical barriers such as mountains, lakes and unnavigable rivers without the need for large-scale physical infrastructure .


Loading of minerals in Walikale in the region of Kivu

The E-Commerce Drones -which is about doing "more with less" by changing the image  of looting Congo's mines- will be an alternative to high  cost of big logistics such as airplanes, trucks and massive airports.

The use of drones therefore will be crucial for the parcel copter, between Congo and Rwanda, to facilitate the transportation of mineral resources in a system of delivery without borders.

  • Kagame's Predator Drones, "the future Rwandan Lethal Tool"  (RLT)

MQ-9 Predator B Drone firing a missile


As the U.S. expands its shadow wars in Africa, Rwanda's proxy requirements enhance the U.S.' option to be chosen as the first drones port and the test-country for future drones war in Africa.

Used for political and military purposes and once converted to a killing machines, the Kigali's regime could use the drones for electronic warfare as third generation of war and will secretly turn to the drones base for secret  military operation beyond the borders that includes surveillance and targeted killing of opponents inside and outside Rwanda; spying over the region; and controlling the troops movements in DRCONGO, the failed state.

In the light of Kagame's warning to the "enemies of the state"; the predator drones could be used -as alternative to the Traditional Squad of Death- for the elimination of RPF dissidents or DFLR top commanders.

  • Software of Virtual Occupation

The geospatial Apple mapping virtually places Goma
in Rwanda
 
 
In order to maintain the Kivu region as Virtual Economic Zone of  Rwanda, according to Herman J. Cohen's plan, and to keep the access to the Kivu's mines, the introduction of proxy-drones -as a new option- is "vital" for the criminal occupation's strategy as drone's tech overthrows  the sovereignty of countries  and changes the character of war. The Greater Kivu will be kept in  the Rwandan Influence Sphere without high military presence in Congo by using the cyber-tech-system and software.

"Armed drones are a threat to the fundamental right to life and principle of human dignity."

Giving such technology to the most bloodiest regime in the world; the Norman Foster Project for drones in Rwanda ignores the million of victims killed in this regional conflict.

With Paul Kagame, "the African Caesar", who is planning to extend his rule beyond 2034 if not for life  and knowing that  Rwandan genocide was sparked by an anti-aircraft attack; any drone operation will be risky and potentially a threat to the neighbouring countries.

To stop Kagame's hegemony, in the Great Lakes Region, countries must have a strong and dissuasive army that has mastered the Anti Drone Technology‎.

By Serge Egola Angbakodolo
And Ishiaba Kasonga
From ORION CONGO STUDIES NETWORK (O.C.S.N)

Sources:

Rwanda Vision 2020: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCgQFjABahUKEwib7M_U19rIAhVDXRoKHV08CSI&url=https%3A%2F%2Frepositories.lib.utexas.edu%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F2152%2F5071%2F4164.pdf%3Fsequence%3D1&usg=AFQjCNE1RaxYnfzzEsukGc1407HK7YJnMw&sig2=Bpc19FXXs1S7a9aKVLMMQg

The use of Drones in the East Region of Congo: http://www.france24.com/en/20150409-un-drones-future-peacekeeping-democratic-republic-congo-fdlr-humanitarian-drc

 Opposed: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/09/us-congo-democratic-un-rwanda-idUSBRE90802720130109

Rutayisire Eric: http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2014-08-15/77635/

Footage of a Drone built in Rwanda
by Charis Unmanned Aerial Solutions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUK882IA8jI

Rwandan Droneport's plan: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-30/pilot-project-for-cargo-drones-and-drone-ports-in-rwanda/6816858

Coltan: http://friendsofthecongo.org/pdf/coltan_facts.pdf

MAPRO initiative: http://www.wired.com/2011/02/drones-vs-darfur/

Inkotanyi RPF: http://www.focus.rw/wp/2015/07/08/the-tale-of-two-brave-heroic-rpf-inkotanyi-battalions/

 Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Forces_for_the_Liberation_of_Rwanda

Jonathan Ledgard: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-19/airport-for-drones-ferrying-e-commerce-goods-planned-for-Rwanda

The African Singapore: http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/04/02/africas-singapore-dream-rwanda-kagame-lee-kuan-yew/

Proposal by architecture firm Foster + Partners: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-30/pilot-project-for-cargo-drones-and-drone-ports-in-rwanda/6816858

E-Commerce Drones: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/97519/20151020/rwanda-plans-airport-e-commerce-drones.htm

Shadow wars in Africa: http://www.wired.com/2012/10/secret-drone-base/

 DRCONGO, the failed state: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/georgianne-nienaber/why-the-democratic-republ_b_1676305.html

Enemies of the state: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Kagame-wants--enemies-of-state--shot-on-sight/-/688334/2340436/-/150k98z/-/index.html
 
Herman J. Cohen's plan: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/opinion/16cohen.html?_r=1&

The sovereignty of countries: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=g2RwBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA247&lpg=PA247&dq=drones+as+threat+to+the+sovereignty&source=bl&ots=yH3eEFamwi&sig=nmAIQYbDafJHsMspbApXLZlG3Cg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CFIQ6AEwB2oVChMI3oONkO_ayAIVSFcUCh3SFART#v=onepage&q=drones%20as%20threat%20to%20the%20sovereignty&f=false

Changes the character of war: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-predator-drone-changed-the-character-of-war-3794671/?no-ist

Extend his rule beyond 2034: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/10/29/uk-rwanda-president-idUKKCN0SN2BL20151029?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

 Anti Drone Technology: http://www.google.co.uk/aclk?sa=L&ai=CffuK5SwuVv7cGYeobOXFm6AB5L7VkAisqe-DkgKvvNvmmQIQASgHYLvOz4PgCsgBAaoEJE_QSjmMzKc0UsVzexQ7agA6Vj9OYsl6EoJESZTDaIpMCqFsIIAH3IPlP4gHAZAHAqgHpr4b2AcB&num=1&sig=AOD64_1HKWbdlG3YqjmpSaokKPFPadAyqQ&clui=0&rct=j&q=&ved=0CFwQ0QxqFQoTCLPJuKSh4MgCFYXWFAodlAkI_Q&adurl=http://d40.ash.rd43.com/adserver/rclick%3Fcp%3D%252Banti%2B%252Bdrone%2B%252Btechnology%26lp%3D%26v%3D1%26cl%3D40%26ml%3D1534519%26sl%3D%26cat%3D3754735%26mt%3D0%26radid%3D3931233%26adId%3D73403691556%26src%3Ds%26e%3D1%26u%3Dhttp://www.srcinc.com/what-we-do/ew/counter-uas.aspx