DRC: the five key areas of anti-corruption reform

Civil society is sounding the alarm about the need to fight high-level corruption that is plaguing the DRC. She believes that the international community should focus on five key areas that can have a lasting impact on state resources.

For the Enough Project, the United States, the European Union and the African Union should allocate diplomatic and technical resources for the implementation of reforms in the priority areas put forward by Congolese civil society.

Primo. Gecamines should be the target of urgent reform measures. According to Enough Project, it will be a question of requiring this state mining company Gécamines, at the heart of a large number of corruption scandals, « (i) to publish its annual financial reports, (ii) be independently audited and published, and (iii) investigates its senior management and replaces, where appropriate, those involved in large-scale corruption cases.»

The second area of ​​reform concerns the Declaration of Heritage. Enough Project proposes to enforce the existing law requiring public servants to publicly declare their assets before and after the exercise of public office. This measure, he insists, should also apply to the current president, Felix Tshisekedi, and his predecessor Joseph Kabila.

The third key area of ​​reform is the revival of the formal program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Inviting the Bretton Woods institution to resume bilateral cooperation would, according to the Enough Project, improve the country’s financial situation while strengthening the transparency and control of the mining sector and the Central Bank of Congo. One of the main institutions involved in corruption scandals.

The fourth target area of ​​reforms should promote transparency in mining and petroleum contracts. In this regard, the Enough Project pleads for the adoption of a decree announcing that the Congolese government will now make public all oil and mining contracts, in accordance with the law.

« President Felix Tshisekedi should also open investigations into opaque contracts under the Kabila regime», Sasha and Sarah insist.

Finally, the fifth area of ​​these anti-corruption reforms is the responsibility of the security sector. It is a matter of putting in place, with the support of the international community, an effective mechanism for demanding accountability for crimes and serious international corruption cases.

«Law enforcement, armed groups and Congolese officials have been guilty of multiple human rights violations and corruption. It is essential that justice be done for these crimes. Congolese and foreign civil society organizations have called for the creation of – mixed specialized chambers – composed of both Congolese judges and», calls Enough Project.

This updated mechanism, he argues, should be established on the basis of further consultations with civil society associations, with the support of the United States, the European Union and the African Union.

He added: « Senior law enforcement officials facing sanctions for violence in the context of elections should be immediately removed from office and held accountable for their crimes.»

New #DRC report: US, EU, AU should focus on anti-corruption in Congo. 5 reform ideas + 5 financial pressure measures to suppt the reforms #RDC https://t.co/77jmf8JqL0

— Sasha Lezhnev (@SashaLezh) May 2, 2019

If nothing is done to effectively counter this large-scale corruption, warns Enough Project, the endemic armed conflict,
maintained largely by corrupt individuals within the Congolese army, will continue without diminishing intensity, as will other human rights violations and poverty.

« Efforts to improve the investment climate in the DRC and put in place the security, justice and governance reforms that the country badly needs would also be undermined», said Sasha Lezhnev., the director in charge of Enough Project’s policy.

Emilie MBOYO