Congolese organisations receive death threats after criticising natural resources policy.

The Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa (NiZA) is seriously concerned about the safety of its Congolese partner organisations. Human rights and media organisations in Katanga have received death threats due to their criticism of the corruption in the extractive industry sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
On 18 and 19 April, NiZA organised a meteing in cooperation with its Congolese partners in Lubumbashi, Katanga, discussing the role that the independent media and civil society organisations can play in the problems surrounding the extraction of natural resources in the potentially vastly wealthy Congo.

The threats came as a direct consequence of the publication of the closing statement from this meeting, in which the participants condemn the abuses in the mining sector in their country. During a public meeting, they declared their willingness to fight against the plundering, corruption, human rights violations and environmental damage that characterises the Congolese mining industry.
After the press conference and the publication of the Fatal Transactions report, a commotion was created in the Congolese media and among members of the transitional government. This is primarily due to the selective representation of the contents of the report and the closing statement. The report attempts to expose a system which involves many different national and international parties, including the World Bank. The press, however, has focused exclusively on the involvement of the PPRD, President Kabila's party, in illegal transactions. This creates the erroneous impression that NiZA and its partners have chosen a political side in the debate over natural resources.
NiZA supports its Congolese partners in their efforts to achieve a more just and transparent exploitation of natural resources in a democratic Congo. Together, we ask all those involved - companies, governments, political parties and the international community - to work at developing a long-term vision and strategy for the extractive industry, in which fair and just economic growth should be the guiding principle. A transparent review of the contracts for the state mining companies, as well as the ability to ensure that parties who do not meet their obligations are held legally liable for their actions, will have to play an important role in this process. Congo's mineral wealth should benefit the entire population, rather than a small, elite group. Choosing a political side plays no part in this context.
For more information, please contact Kirsten Hund, international coordinator for Fatal Transactions in South Africa: 27 (0)73 0875743, kirsten.hund@niza.nl, Wiep Bassie in the Netherlands 31 (0) 20 5206210