RENOWNED CONGOLESE WRESTLER, MWIMBA TEXAS, DIES AT THE AGE OF 53

Mwimba was a source of inspiration for people living with albinism.
 One of the greatest sportsman to fly the Congolese flag, Mwimba went on to wrestle in  more than 650 fights without suffering a single loss.

Through his foundation, Mwimba Texas Foundation (launched in 1998), the former wrestler  led the fight against discrimination and misconception directed at people living with albinism. He also worked to eradicate the phenomenon belief that a wrestling fight is won by casting a spell on the opponent


According to his son, Mwimba had been sick for quite some time before taking his last breath at a hospital in  Kinshasa, on Sunday 30 August 2020

DRCONGO: PRESIDENT FELIX TSHISEKEDI THREATENS ACTION AGAINST MINING COMPANIES WHO ARE YET TO RETURN $1.5 BILLION TO THE COUNTRY

According to the Congolese mining charter (article 269) , mining companies operating in the country are obliged to deposit 60% of their export earnings into a Congolese held account.
However since June 2019 some companies have failed to comply with this regulation, costing the Congolese government around US$1.5 billion , the President denounced.

President Felix Tshisekedi has since instructed the Central Bank and the General Directorate of Imports (DGRD) to sanction and apply  stiff penalties on  companies who do not settle their dues within 15 days.

Tshisekedi, who was elected in December 2018, has been reluctant to review the Democratic Republic of Congo's mining code, which  some multinational companies believe is detering even much bigger investment.
 The current mining code was introduced by former President Joseph Kabila with the aim of increasing loyalty fees and  provide greater earnings and benefits to the government and the Congolese people.

Under the code mining companies are also expected to pay 50% tax on excess profit. Another sticking point is that companies will need to secure  at least 40% funding before venturing into a new project; and this amount should not be financed through debt.

DEFIANT CONGOLESE DOCTOR CONTINUES TO CALL FOR JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIMS OF MASSACRE COMMITTED IN HIS COUNTRY

Nobel Laureate and renowned doctor, Denis Mukwege, has made another public call for justice to be served for the victims of war crimes committed particularly in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This comes as Dr Mukwege and  his organisation, The Panzi Foundation, are  commemorating the horrific event of the August 24 1998 Kasika  massacre.

The massacre, which according to the doctor, is well documented in a United Nations report , saw rebel soldiers from the ANC/ APR movement kill more than a 1000 civilians. The victims included children and  women, who were first subjected to torture and rape before being brutally murdered. The incident took place in the village of Kalama, Kilungutwe and Kasika; located 108kg from the South Kivu Provincial capital of Bukavu.

Dr Mukwege expressed his disbelief that 22 years after the unimaginable man inflicted horror, the perpetrators continue to walk freely.
For the doctor this kind of impunity is what has contributed to the cycle of violence that has plagued  eastern Congo over the decades.

Dr Denis Mukwege again insisted on the implementation of the recommendation tabled by the United Nations report, which details the massacre of Kasika. According to him this will act as a deterrent for  those fuelling the violence in the region and prevent further atrocities

The call by the doctor can be seen as a sign of defiant after he began receiving death threats when he initially requested for the re-tabling of the United Nations mapping report on Congo.

Last week, Physicians for Human Rights , an American rights organisation, accused former Rwandan defense minister James Kabarebe for making a threat on the doctor's life when he spoke ill of him on a Rwandan television channel.

The United Nations report had also named Rwanda as the country that had countless times  sponsored rebel groups in Congo.

FORMER CONGOLESE VICE PRESIDENT INSISTS ON ELECTORAL REFORMS

In a written statement former Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba said that electoral reforms in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was not an option.

This message was conveyed by the Secretary General of his party Eve Bazaiba, during an organised high level political forum under the theme "Efficient Electoral Reform in the DRC" , held in Kinshasa.

According to Jean-Pierre Bemba, implementing electoral reforms was the main condition for the country's revival , the restoration of confidence among the population and for Congo to regain its position at the Concert of Nations.

Bemba further argued that, in today's era Congo should no longer be debating about holding free, fair and transparent elections; and instead the focus should have moved towards  finding  solutions on how to emerge the country so that it's on track to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal.

The forum which was orgarnised by the Africa-Caribbean Political Support Center, based at the University of Liege (Belgium), received a backlash from major political parties in Kinshasa.
 The political party  of former President Joseph Kabila, which still holds strong influence with their Parliamentary majority ,  refused to recognised such  forum being  discussed outside the institutions of the state, calling it a joke.

Even UDPS , the political party of current Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, snubbed the 5 days event.

DRCONGO: PRESIDENCY LIED ABOUT EXPENDITURE

According to communication from the office of President Felix Tshisekedi, the Presidency spent USD10 million for the month of July 2020. The amount formed part of the 26% the Presidency had already used, out of the USD200 million budget allocation for the financial year, the communication further elaborated.

However as these figures were being released and distributed across the media, the General Directorate of Budget Policies and Programming (the institution that oversees and monitors expenditures across all state institutions) quickly came out with its own report, which clearly contradicted the information provided by the Presidency.

According to the General Directorate of Budget Policies and Programming (PEB) , for the financial year 2020, the President's budget allocation was USD152,8 million - at an exchange rate of 2000 Congolese franc.
Out of that amount the Presidency had instead utilised USD17,3 million for the month of July 2020, which was more than  triple the expenditure amount allocated for that month. This despite the Presidency's claim that it had not exceeded its budget allocation for that period.

 The Ministry of Budget had set aside around USD15 million for the Presidency for the month of July, August and September 2020, putting a cap of USD5 million on monthly expenditures. But it seems the funds was depleted in just a month.

While communication from the Presidency claimed that so far the office of the President of the Republic has spent  USD56 million of its budget allocation, the PEB puts this figure at USD81 million. This is 53% of the Presidential budget spent from January to July 2020, and not 26% as mentioned earlier.

The information given by the General Directorate of Budget Policies and Programming is supported with documents from expenditure chain, including authorisation and transfer of payments.

The budget allocation for the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo is determined through a treasury plan drawn by the Minister of Finance. The funds made available by the Finance ministry will then enable the Ministry of Budget, through the budget commitment plan, to calculate how much it will be able to allocate for the President's expenses.

KINSHASA: EX CHIEF OF STAFF FOR PRESIDENT FELIX TSHISEKEDI, TRANSFERRED FROM PRISON TO HOSPITAL, AMIDST CALLS FOR HIS RELEASE

Vital Kamerhe was rushed to a local hospital in Kinshasa, late on Sunday, after his health situation deteriorated on the day. It's unclear what the former Chief of Staff was suffering from, but according to relatives his condition was critical. Rumours of him having catched the coronavirus remains unfounded as no reliable source has confirmed such revelation.

Kamerhe was taken from Kinshasa's Central Makala Prison where he was serving a 20 year prison sentence for embezzling millions of dollars (usd) disbursed for the development of social houses for the military and police.

 His lawyers have in multiple occasions submitted applications to have him released on health grounds, however this has been rejected by the court. Next month the Appeal Court of Gombe in Kinshasa is expected to hear an application challenging Kamerhe's 20 years prison sentence and demanding his immediate release.

DRCONGO: BORDER OFFICIALS SEIZE 585,5 KG OF COLTAN DESTINED FOR RWANDA

On Friday 21 August 2020, customs officials in the Congolese border city of Goma confiscated  585,5kg of coltan illegally destined for neighbouring Rwanda.

 Improved surveillance at Grand Barrier border post, which includes the  installations of modern scanners,  made it possible   for officials to locate the precious metal stashed in sacs of 22 .

Apart from the upgrade in surveillance equipments, the performance of service at the border has increased significantly, tightening  control over the transportation and passage of goods.

For the Directorate General of Customs and Excise in the Province of North Kivu, the mineral  bust was as a result of commitment made by its officials to prevent smugglers from depriving the Congolese government of its resources, which also tends  to empoverished the Congolese people.

Last week a similar bust was made at the same port of entry with 1200 kg of coltan found hidden in an oil tank. The tank was also said to be destined for Rwanda.

Some of Congo's coltans are sourced from mines controlled by militia groups; and countless reports from international organisations have previously listed Rwanda as the gateway for channelling these conflict minerals to the global market.

HUNDREDS GATHER AT KINSHASA'S POPULAR BOULEVARD TO ASK FOR GOD'S INTERVENTION FOR THE RELEASE OF FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF VITAL KAMERHE

Kinshasa's famous Triomphal Boulevard was crowded with members of the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC), who came together to conduct a prayer session and  ask for divine intervention for the release of their leader and President Felix Tshisekedi's former Chief of Staff, Vital Kamerhe.

Kamerhe was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty in the corruption trial of USD57 million, meant for the construction of social houses for the Congolese army and  police.

Leading the prayer session was Kamerhe's wife Amida Shatur, who according to court papers largely benefited from the funds Kamerhe is believed to have embezzled.

Several attempts by Kamerhe's lawyer to seek his immediate release has failed, as the court refuses to grant such request.

Some senior members of  UNC attending the prayer meeting, continue to proclaim the innocence of their leader and believed that this will be proven through divine justice. 

After Kamerhe was  sentenced, rights organisation Human Right Watch, warned that if other corrupt politicians were not prosecuted then Kamerhe's case will always be viewed as an act of political settlement.

According to an agreement signed between Felix Tshisekedi's UDPS and Kamerhe's UNC, Tshisekedi was to step down and support Kamerhe's 2023 Presidential  ambition. However with Kamerhe in prison, the agreement no longer seems to hold.

AMERICAN RIGHTS GROUP CLAIMS CONGOLESE DOCTOR AND NOBEL LAUREATE, DENIS MUKWEGE, SUBJECTED TO THREATS BY SENIOR RWANDAN OFFICIAL

 

Physicians for Human Right, an American led rights organisation, has denounced a recent comment made by former Rwandan Defense Minister James Kabarebe on Congolese doctor and Nobel Laureate Denis Mukwege , labelling it as a threat made on the doctor's life.

Kabarebe was quoted on a Rwandan television channel saying that, Dr Mukwege was being used by some organisations to run a propoganda on the deaths of six million Congolese people when evidence of such atrocities did not exist.

The comment was made at a time when the doctor had raised serious concerns surrounding his safety and that of his family. Since July 2020, the doctor has been receiving death threats messages from anonymous sources, and there have been online campaigns to discredit his name.

According to  Dr Mukwege threats to his life began after he once again called for the re-mapping of the United Nations report, which recognised the war and atrocities that took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1993 and 2003, and asked for investigation and prosecutions of the perpetrators of the violence. 

There have been countless reports, including that from the United Nations' panel of experts, accussing Rwanda of having played a major role in fuelling the long standing conflict in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

James Kabarebe, as a senior Rwandan army officer, is said to have commanded various military offensives in Congo and ordered the massacre of innocent civilians.

The American human rights organisation has called on the United Nations mission in Congo to guarantee the protection of the doctor.

ZAMBIAN TROOPS CONTINUE TO OCCUPY CONGOLESE TERRITORY DESPITE SADC RULING

 

According to authorities in the Congolese province of Tanganyika, the Zambian army continues to occupy the locality of Kapanga in the territory of Moba. 

An earlier agreement from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had recommended that Zambia withdraw its troops from the occupied Congolese territories in Tanganyika and Haut-Katanga, this after the Congolese government had sought the assistant of SADC to mediate in the border conflict between the two neighbours.

After the SADC decision was made some Congolese soldiers tried retake the occupied territories but were held captive by the Zambian army. 

 On Friday 14 August 2020, the Congolese delegation pulled out from the work of Zambia-DRC Defense and Security Committee, voicing dissatisfaction with the final report tabled by the group of experts.

The Congolese team wanted the report to acknowledge that Zambia violated the border demarcation  in Kibanga and Kalubamba, and its troops continues to occupy the Congolese locality of Kapanga.

In May 2020,  gun battle erupted between the Zambian and Congolese army in Kalubamba with each side recording a single fatality. 

 

DRCONGO: HEALTH MINISTER ASKED TO JUSTIFY HOW NEARLY USD4 MILLION CORONAVIRUS FUND HAD BEEN SPENT

 

Congolese Health Minister Eteni Longondo has been asked to explained how his department spent almost USD4 million released by the central government, as part of the emergency funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic. 

The request was made by the Minister of Finance Sele Yalaghuli , after his colleague failed to submit  documents providing details of how he used the money allocated to him, to deal with the pandemic. According to the Finance Minister, part of the requirements when  emergency funds are disbursed is for the receiving department to account for such funds by providing details on how it was used. 

For months allegations of corruption and mismanagement have been directed at Health Minister Eteni Longondo. He has been accused of  colluding with other senior government officials and establishing structures in which they can personally benefit from the pandemic funds. 

 Earlier on, Longondo's own deputy, Albert Mpeti, had publicly denounce the minister's actions of signing off disbursements of large sum of money without his input or involvement. 

The country's coronavirus recovery team, led by doctor Jeans- Jacques Muyembe, have also previously complained about lack of funding, with health workers going on for months without receiving their pay check. This despite funds having been allocated.

But it seems the government is ready to get to the bottom of the matter. Under the instruction of President Felix Tshisekedi, the Inspector General for Finance has launched a full investigation into the handling of the coronavirus funds. According to the Inspector General Jules Alingete, his initial report has already found evidence of gross mismanagement, and some files have been handed over to the prosecuting authorities. 

In June 2020 , the Congolese government had made available USD27 million, through different entities and departments, to fight the coronavirus pandemic.