DR Congo elections: Is the DR Congo hybrid democracy a cover-up of the global culture of consumerism?

DR Congo elections: is the DRC hybrid democracy a cover-up of the global culture of consumerism?

15/01/2019

Congolese presidential candidates M. Fayulu, E. Shadary 
and F. Tshisekedi

In the aftermath of the proclamation of Felix Tshisekedi as the DRC president by CENI (Independent National Electoral Commission), certain Congolese denounced the result as an electoral hold-up whilst others welcome it. However, those who do not believe in fair elections in a messy Congo, express a different and deep analysis of the issues that lie behind these elections.

Understanding that neither F. Tshisekedi who met Museveni recently for electoral issues before poll results, nor M. Fayulu supported for instance by J. P. Bemba who said that Uganda never looted Congo, and CENCO who supported Felix Tshisekedi – via his late dad Etienne Tshisekedi – during the “Saint Silvestre Accord” genuinely challenged, at the early stage, the election conformity according to the International Elections Standards. By cons, they all endorsed the idea of going to the polls despite the electronic voting mistrust and all irregularities preconceived by the government-controlled CENI. 

Congo political crisis is orchestrated by multinationals that enable J. Kabila to hold in power in order to access cheap mineral and natural resources such as cobalt, copper, coltan and gold regardless of Congolese human cost. Congo turmoil comes back to most strategic mineral resources’ contracts established by the J. Kabila regime and Uganda-Rwanda interactions in DRC. Indeed, the triad of multinationals, Uganda-Rwanda, and the DRC works very well and is so lucrative and strategic, none of them would like to give it up.

DO THE RESULTS OF THE CONGOLESE ELECTIONS ANNOUNCE ANOTHER "UNNOTICED WEST-EAST CONFLICT"?

The Hypersonic Weapons Race

The world is experiencing the innovation and miniaturisation of storing energy – needed in the fields such as medicine, communication or military – by using strategic mineral resources exploited mostly in Congo. In this new era of the arms race, Russia has developed hypersonic missiles that the US missile defence systems are simply incapable of stopping. Therefore, the US is falling behind in the arms race of hypersonic missiles. In the last year, China has also conducted more hypersonic tests than the US has done in a decade and this has rendered the US military technology obsolete. 

Hypersonic technologies and weapons are both vitally important and inevitable for the US defence system and therefore supremacy. To catch up, the US should have a constant hold on strategic mineral resources engorged in Congolese soil knowing that Russia and China would preventively or competitively obstruct them. Furthermore, the country that controls access to this high-grade Congo “blood cobalt” therefore controls the energy of the future. Therefore, the DRC became the conflictual epicentre of the latest generation of technology, which will shift the world power. It is now Russia’s time to return to African ground, specifically in regions loaded with untapped mineral wealth, for the sake of world supremacy. Russia and China consequently support the provisional 2018 elections outcome in the 2019 Security Council meeting. 

Russian Kamaz-branded vehicles and aircraft 

to serve in December elections in DRC

The recent Congolese elections demonstrate the Russia involvement and meddling of the process. This started from the adoption and implementation of the military and technical cooperation agreement between Russia and the DRC in June 2018 and the supply of logistical equipment –including planes, helicopters and Russian army vehicles– to CENI on 29 October 2018 for the electoral organisation. In this dynamic logic, as the winners of Africa’s World War are losing ground in the DRC, the White House ordered about 80 combat-equipped military personnel –­with the possibility of deploying further forces if necessary –to Gabon to supposedly support its staff in Kinshasa and focus on the DRC elections for an endless period. 

In this context, to support its new ally in the Great Lake region and to safeguard its new interests acquired after pampering Rwanda by giving him the head of Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), France  –after losing the African war in August 1998 – allows the deployment of US forces in its former colony, the Gabon and openly contested via its Foreign Minister the CENI 2018 elections’ result. On 11 January 2019, other Leading western powers including Belgium, the US and UK also questioned the outcome of the 30th December polls in the United Nations Security Council.

Do the trio Kabila-Kagame-Museveni want to maintain the status quo in Congo via F. Tshisekedi?

A true political change in the DRC will disintegrate the Western founded miracle economy of Rwanda, which is mainly based on the looting and instability of the DRC. Rwanda becomes the converter and legitimate supply chain of bloody mineral resources coming from Congo, and an economic hub, which enables international money laundering and terrorist financing. Paradoxically, Rwanda who is not the biggest coltan producer by nature hosted –with British based company “Circulor”, which tracks components from mine to finished product, helping manufacturers and their suppliers to build a sustainable future– the world’s first blockchain-powered tantalum-tracking platform. The tiny Rwanda has surprisingly become the first country to produce 60% of world Coltan despite its limited capacity of producing such a high quantity. As noted, exported Rwandan coltan comes mostly from conflict regions in the DRC. 

On the other hand, Uganda is a clean supply chain and a commercial hub of Congolese gold and other natural resources mainly plundered by so-called a terrorist group “ADF” that is also known as “rebels without borders and goals”, created by Museveni and his cronies. In fact, Illicit conflict monies from looted mineral and natural resources finance the Uganda factory and cradle of mercenaries. Also, Kampala-based traders purchase gold with illegal funds for the purpose of money laundering, and Uganda based refinery (AGR) owns by Goetz and Museveni regime have been fingered by UN investor for dealing in Congo conflict mineral. 

As Uganda refines Congo’s gold and Rwanda with the Malta-based International (PLG Plc) will do the same with coltan by February 2019, the source of minerals purchased by multinationals is intelligently concealed, and behaviours of both protected Rwanda and Uganda are threats to the integrity of the international financial system. Also, they are facing no accountability for their actions noting that the international community portrays Rwanda as an economic success story. 

This electoral masquerade aims to maintain the status quo and “business as usual” in the DRC. In Africa, West and East powers are not standing against each other as ideological antagonists. On the contrary, they are coalescing their forces to control Africa and preserve their shared interests. In reality, everybody needs a piece of Congo for its hegemony, and the Congo issue is therefore complex. The question is; "do world powers really want democracy in the DRC"?

By Ishiaba Kasonga and Serge Egola Angbakodolo 

Founders of the Orion Congo Studies Network (OCSN)