Posted on July 31, 2008

On July 22, 2008, the Interdepartmental Commission of the Commission of audit and Good Governance of the Democratic Republic of the Congo made public the names of those involved in embezzlement of 1.3 billion US dollars.  Among those named are three financial institutions (DGI, DGRAD, OFIDA) and six public enterprises (ONATRA, OCC, REGIDESO, SNEL, SONAS and RVA).  The government promised to bring to justice individuals and agencies found guilty of this crime.  However, Mr. Rachidi Akida, president of Anticorruption and Fraud League encouraged the government to continue its investigation, bring the criminals to justice and make sure they return all that they took.  In a report by Radio Okapi on July 23, Mr. Akida expressed his skepticism and mistrust in the Congolese judicial system saying that “what is unfortunate for us is that one can denounce this diversion and at the end of the day one is not able to put the hand on the criminal, and especially to bring him to justice. If you remember, when there was a denunciation of certain ministers of the previous government, they were dismissed from their duties, but after that they no longer were bothered. And, moreover, they were not brought to justice, and never returned the amounts they were accused to have stolen.”

The Cost of Corruption to a Nation
Corruption has been institutionalized and remains one of the weaknesses of the DRC government.  The cost of corruption is extremely high.   Rooted in the culture of not applying laws, corruption is an expression of a resistance to accountability.

On June 30, 1960 , the Democratic Republic of the Congo was formally proclaimed independent from Belgium .  What kind of independence has it had?   Like many African nations, the period since independence has been very similar to the time before independence.  After the assassination of the elected Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba , president Mobutu Sese Seko ruled the Congo like his personal property making the Congo a favorable ground for neo-colonialism . As a result, today's Congolese patriots continue to face one big challenge:  to free the country from neo-colonialism.  As the independence freedom movement believed that independence was past due and demanded it, the war against neo-colonialism has to be fought with renewed energy.  

Congolese Independence in the African Context

The Congo and African nations in general have to demand freedom from western powers.   This includes the West's African surrogates who have accepted to work for them instead of working for the African people.  Africans need to claim their pride, prosperity, peace, and independence from Africa's "strong men" who were once part of the freedom movement but who are now the continent's oppressors.  African neo-colonial freedom fighters should be aware of the errors of people such as Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Iddris Deby of Chad, and many more who have failed their nations, killing the democratic process by manipulating the constitution to stay in power.  With its political instability, the Congo is at risk of experiencing failure in its presidential electoral process.  The Congolese people have to stay vigilant to ensure President Joseph Kabila abides by the needs of the Congolese people instead of the post-colonial African leadership example of staying in power by all means for as long as one lives.

by Bahati Ntama, Posted June 30, 2008 

AFJN applauds Condoleezza Rice and the leaders of the United Nations Security Council for their new resolution forcefully condemning sexual violence against women. The Resolution, approved unanimously by the UN Security Council on Thursday, June 20, affirms the role of rape and other acts of sexual violence “as a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instill fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group” and calls for a stronger commitment by world leaders to act against the horrific practice.

Condoleezza Rice, who introduced the resolution to the Security Council in a special meeting called by the U.S. to focus on the issue, told the Council, "We affirm that sexual violence profoundly affects not only the health and safety of women, but the economic and social stability of their nations." Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon agreed that, “Violence against women has reached unspeakable and pandemic proportions in some societies attempting to recover from conflict.” AFJN has been following the issue in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the cases of rape are particularly severe.