DRCONGO: IT'S BEEN ALMOST FOUR MONTHS SINCE GOVERNMENT STOPPED ISSUING PASSPORTS AND CONGOLESE ARE NOW GETTING FRUSTRATED

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been unable to issue its citizens with new passports, almost four months after it ended its contract with controversial Belgium company Semlex.

 And now with the lifting of some travel restrictions, frustration is growing among Congolese travellers who are unable to access this necessary document.

For the Minister of Foreign Affairs Marie Tumba Nzeza, the file concerning the issuing of passports was held up at the Ministry of Budget. The Minister has since called on her fellow compatriots to be patient as she has sent a communication to her colleague to expedite the process.  

According to Tumba  Nzeza, her department had already completed the necessary work in terms of how it will go about producing and issuing the passports. The file was then sent to the Ministry of Budget to be granted the necessary support, once this was done a communication will   be issued to the public, she said. 

The  government of Congo had refused to renew its contract with Semlex, which was  awarded the right to produce Congolese passports, after an earlier investigation tainted the company as being corrupt.

The investigation  detailed how Semlex was overcharging for the cost of each passport, to the benefit of the company and members of Congo's political elite. 

DRCONGO: PRESIDENT TSHISEKEDI APPEALS FOR INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE IN SANCTIONING THOSE FUELING THE CONFLICT IN THE EASTERN REGION

Delivering his speech at the 75th United Nations General Assembly Meeting, via a video link, the Congolese President told members that his country cannot eradicate the presence of arm groups if networks offering them support are not dismantled. According to reports from various Non-governmental organisations, multinational companies have been funding rebel groups in Congo by purchasing mineral resources extracted from mines controlled by the rebels; these minerals are transported to neighbouring countries, mainly Rwanda and Uganda, where they are then distributed to the global market.

 

It's for this reason President Felix Tshisekedi is appealing to the international community to help his country by identifying companies involved in conflict minerals and apply effective sanctions. 

Tshisekedi is under heavy domestic pressure as the seems to be no end in the brutal killing taking place in the country's east. The latest  incident took place just last Sunday 20 September 2020, where 12 people were massacred in the village of Mbau , in North Kivu Province. 

After coming to power President Felix Tshisekedi made a commitment to end the conflict in the east before his term expires. 

DRCONGO: OPPOSITION LEADER FAYULU CONTINUES TO MAKE CLAIMS OF FORMER PRESIDENT KABILA BEING IN CHARGE.

According to Martin Fayulu, the December 2018 General Elections never brought about change in the country's leadership as the Congolese people were made to believe; instead current President Felix Tshisekedi illegally grabbed power from the mass population, and as a result of that Joseph Kabila continues to rule.

Many independent observers, including the Congo's powerful Catholic Church, have always held the view that Martin Fayulu won the Elections of 2018, and that Joseph Kabila struck a deal with Felix Tshisekedi for the latter to become the Head of State.

The 63 year old opposition leader is now calling on all stakeholders to come together and take a brave stance in favour of political reforms. Fayulu added that the country cannot wait until the next Presidential Elections in 2023 to anticipate change.

In an interview with online publication France Info Afrique , Martin Fayulu also delved into the catastrophic and tragic situation unravelling in the eastern parts of the country.

He questioned why the killings and massacre of innocent civilians have gone on for decades. According to Fayulu more than 140 arm groups are operating in eastern Congo and despite the deployment of around 17000 United Nations (UN) force, the violence just doesn't seem to be coming to an end. In addition to that, the main perpetrators of the violence are yet to be held accountable, even with the conclusion of the UN mapping report, which named these main perpetrators. For Fayulu, the United Nations and the international community must tell the truth about what's really going on and who is benefiting from the ongoing conflict. 

DRCONGO: FINANCIAL DIRECTOR FOR VODACOM CONGO RELEASED

The financial director for the Democratic Republic of Congo's most profitable cellular network Vodacom Congo, has been released from custody.

 

Oomar Chuto was set free on 18 September 2020, after spending four days in detention, at the Office of the State Prosecutor.

He was arrested by the judicial police on suspicious of forgery and falsification of documents. It's alleged that Oomar Chuto had been forging Vodacom's financial statements as to reduced the tax and revenues the company owes to the State.

Last year 2019, Vodacom Congo, which is 51% owned by parent company Vodacom South Africa, was embroiled in a legal battle after the Congolese Ministry of Telecommunication withdrew its 2G license, citing irregularities in the awarding process. According to Minister Emery Okundji, Vodacom Congo had to pay USD65 million instead of the USD16 million it paid in order to obtain such license.

An agreement was later struck between both parties.

DRCONGO: MORE THAN USD250M OF CIVIL SERVANTS SALARIES DISAPPEARED, SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEM

Interesting enough the electronic  payment system was introduced to end corruption and misappropriation of civil servants salaries, which was rampant when State employees were receiving their pay through sealed envelopes. 

But now  prosecutors in Kinshasa have launched an investigation to trace more than USD250 million of government money, lost under this banking system, put in place in 2011.

Its appears that the Congolese government had been loosing money through the creation of duplicate and fictitious accounts, where civil servants salaries will be swindled. 

The Congolese State recognises 1220 458 employees under its payroll, and would disburse a monthly sum of more than USD100 million for salaries settlements. According to the State Attorney though, around USD25 million of that amount is paid to only 50 individuals. The Attorney also revealed the existence of more than 170000 fictitious agents and duplicate accounts on government's civil servants database.

 Now it wants all banks that have been facilitating the payment transactions for State employees to handover all the financial records relating to such transaction.

 

The  State Prosecutor is also  investigating The Payroll Monitoring Committee PMC), an institution  of government charged with eradicating duplicate accounts and fictitious agents on the civil servant payroll system. Last year the head of PMC, Jean Louis Kayembe, was held in detention over a case involving the embezzlement of USD4,5 millon of treasury money. 

DRCONGO: FORMER PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA ATTENDS PARLIAMENTARY SESSION FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE STEPPING DOWN

The People's Palace, which houses both the Senate and Parliamentary seatings, came to a standstill as former Congolese President Joseph Kabila made his way into the building, to attend  the opening of Parliament.

 Kabila was attending the session in his capacity as the  Senator for life. This marked a very significant step for the country's democracy as it rules out the possibility of Kabila returning in the near future to contest the Presidential Elections.

 

According to the Congolese Constitution, once the President finishes serving a second term , he/she will step down and automatically becomes a Senator for life .

In recent months there have been speculations that Kabila will make a come back and contest the 2023  elections, such speculations are said to be driven by campaigns from some members of his political party, who fear that their political influence and control is slowly drifting away.

Even though Joseph Kabila's coalition movement, The Common Front for Congo (FCC),  holds majority seats in Parliament, they are struggling to push through some of the contentious laws, obstructed by pressure from the  current President, Felix Tshisekedi. 

Earlier in the year some members of the FCC tried to introduce the law that would have weaken the power of the courts and magistrates, but Tshisekedi made it clear that he would not sign into law such bill.

Tshisekedi is also said to be gunning for FCC members, over allegations of corruption, which was committed when Joseph Kabila was in power. 

DRCONGO: BURUNDI SNUBS INVITATION FROM CONGOLESE LEADER TO PARTICIPATE IN A GREAT LAKES MINI-SUMMIT

In a responding letter from Burundi's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government of that country said that due to an already scheduled calendar,  it was not possible for President Evariste Ndayishimiye to attend the mini-summit; which would have included the President of Rwanda and Uganda.

Instead they have proposed that a bilateral meeting, at a ministerial level, be held between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)  and Burundi. Such meeting will discuss issues relating to security along the shared border; Burundi also wants to talk about economic interests and the management of the coronavirus pandemic at the border posts. 

The letter also praised the excellent and brotherly relations enjoyed by both countries, emphasising Burundi's commitment to maintain such relations.

The DRC President Felix Tshisekedi had sent a letter to President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni and Burundi's Evariste Ndayishimiye, to attend a mini-summit in the Congolese city of Goma, which was to be held between the 09th and 13th of September 2020. 

Relations among these countries have been patchy for decades and is believed to be one of the main causes of the instability and killings in the eastern parts of Congo.