Re: The conflict in the DRC Congo: War for Profit

[Bantu_Kelani]

Congo 'suffers as pillage goes on'

By Evelyn Leopold of Reuters at the United Nations
(Filed: 22/10/2002)

The plunder of gems and minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is continuing unabated, a United Nations-appointed panel reported yesterday.

Although fighting that once involved armies from seven African nations has diminished, so-called elite networks are running a self-financing war economy centered on pillage.

Criminal groups linked to the Rwandan, Ugandan and Zimbabwean armies have benefited from regional "micro-conflicts", the panel's 59-page report to the UN Security Council said.

"The elite networks derive financial benefit through a variety of criminal activities, including theft, embezzlement, diversion of public funds, undervaluation of goods, smuggling, false invoicing, non-payment of taxes, kickback to public officials and bribery," it added.

Much of the death and malnutrition in eastern Congo is due less to fighting than pillaging that has left villagers without a livelihood.

Diamonds from Kisangani, for example, are marketed by criminal networks and the profit laundered through the purchase of large quantities of sugar, soap, cloth and medicines from Dubai, thereby devastating local industries.

The researchers, who issued two previous reports over the past year on how natural resources were fuelling the Congo war, called on the UN to impose financial restrictions on 29 companies and 54 individuals involved in the pillaging.

Most are in Africa but the list includes four Belgian diamond firms and the Belgian Groupe George Forrest mining operation, which is in partnership with the OM Group, based in Cleveland, Ohio.

The report also names 85 multinationals in South Africa, Europe and America that it says have violated ethical guidelines on conflict zones set down by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

These include Anglo American plc, Barclays Bank, Bayer AG, De Beers diamond company and the Cabot Corporation, among others.

While Rwanda has withdrawn some troops, it has left soldiers behind disguised as Congolese. It runs a "Congo Desk of the Rwandan Patriotic Army," which in 1999 contributed £210 million, or 80 per cent, of the military budget.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/10/22/wcong22.xml&sSheet=/news/2002/10/22/ixworld.html

[Bantu_Kelani]

D.R. Congo: U.N. Must Address Corporate Role in War

(New York, October 27, 2003)

The United Nations Security Council should insist that member states launch immediate investigations into the involvement of multinational corporations accused of profiteering from the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), said a leading group of nongovernmental organizations today. The Security Council on Thursday will examine the final report of a Panel of Experts examining illegal exploitation of natural resources in the DRC.

The Security Council has failed to act on previous reports from the panel showing the link between the activities of multinational corporations and armed groups guilty of massacres and other atrocities. The war in the DRC is estimated to have caused the deaths of more than three million people, the highest death toll in terms of civilian lives since World War II. According to the Panel of Experts, established by the Security Council in June 2000, the drive to control natural resources was a major motive for the war.

"The Security Council can no longer ignore clear evidence linking the exploitation of resources to the war in the Congo," said the nongovernmental organizations. "It must insist that member states hold the companies and individuals involved to account, including companies based in Western countries. Business must demonstrate its commitment to change the way it operates in conflict situations."

Despite criticism of the Panel of Experts, its central findings have been corroborated by a growing number of independent reports. Human rights groups have recently concluded that the desire to exploit DRC's mineral and economic wealth has been the biggest single factor in the continuing violence in eastern DRC. Natural resources have been exploited by all warring parties allegedly to finance the war and acquire weapons, often resulting in widespread human rights abuses against civilians.

In an October 2002 report, the Panel of Experts alleged that 85 companies involved in business activities in Congo breached international norms, including the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises formulated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). None of the governments participating in the OECD has yet investigated the conduct of any of the companies listed. Instead, several governments have pressured the Panel to remove from the list the names of companies registered in their jurisdictions or to declare that such cases have been resolved.

"It is not just the Security Council but also the governments of member states that must live up to their responsibilities," said the nongovernmental organizations. "They must conduct open and transparent investigations using the OECD process or other judicial procedures to clarify the role that companies have played in the conflict in Congo."

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, has stated that his office may also investigate the way businesses have contributed to the prevalence of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the DRC. The Security Council should ensure that information gathered by the Panel is made available to the prosecutor to assist in his investigations.

Since August 1998, the DRC has been enmeshed in one of Africa's most widespread wars, directly involving six other countries. The armies of Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi along with Congolese rebel groups were pitted against the DRC government, supported by Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia. Under increasing international pressure, the bulk of the foreign armies have withdrawn from Congo in the past year but they left behind many vested interests and a network of economic ties. Illicit economic exploitation reportedly continues through armed groups linked to neighboring countries and corrupt government officials.

"The Security Council has heavily invested in the current fragile peace process in the DRC, but its efforts risk failure unless it also addresses the underlying economic motivations that have driven the war," said the nongovernmental organizations. "The council must follow through on the findings of the Panel of Experts."

http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/10/drc102703.htm