NGO makes recommendations on monitoring resource exploitation

The investigative NGO Global Witness in June issued a report on the implications of the exploitation of the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) natural resources for the country's peace process.

The report, entitled "Same Old Story", is a background study on the plundering of the DRC's resources by different actors, and of that activity in fuelling the 1998-2003 war, which resulted in the deaths of about 3.5 million people, mostly civilians affected by hunger and disease.

The DRC is rich in a number of resources, including coltan, cassiterite, copper, cobalt, zinc, uranium, silver, diamonds, gold, oil, gas, timber, coal, lead, iron and manganese. These are particularly abundant in the eastern provinces of the Kivus and the district of Ituri, where renewed fighting recently erupted.

Global Witness says that the establishment of a durable peace, and the success of the fragile transitional political process being undertaken by President Joseph Kabila's government, depend on the country's capacity to address the issue of controlling natural resource exploitation.

The report describes a pattern of plundering of the country's resources at the expense of the Congolese, which it traces back to the colonial rule of Belgian King Leopold in the late 19th century. It describes the complex evolution of the war of 1998-2003, detailing the involvement of different factions and of neighbouring countries which relied on the exploitation of these resources to finance their war effort.

The report builds on numerous sources, including the reports of the UN's Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the DRC, as well as those of several think-tanks involved in the Great Lakes region. It presents a timeline covering a number of conflicts and the role of the current transitional government, recently beset by skirmishes in the eastern provinces.

The report provides an overview of extraction and production methods, of the export routes and of the links between control of the wealth and political power in the region. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the different factions involved, some of which have now been co-opted by the government in Kinshasa, and the complex evolution of their links over time.

It also sets forth detailed recommendations to the donor community and the UN, suggesting that the issue be given high priority on the aid agenda, and that it be linked to anti-corruption policies supported by the country's vibrant civil society.

[Full report on the Net: www.globalwitness.org]