CSOs in DRC demands the rebalancing of mining contracts for Tenke Fungurume, Sicomine and Sachim
At the end of the mines and hydrocarbons week held in Kinshasa from Tuesday November 29 to Friday December 02, 2022, some forty civil society organizations, grouped together within a synergy of action for the protection, monitoring and citizen control of the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo, made recommendations to take advantage of the various opportunities and meet the challenges facing the DRC.
After the Congolese government recovers assets from Ventora, civil society turns the page on Gertler and focuses on other cases. As a result, it calls for the lifting of sanctions against Gertler in order to promote the exploitation of the recovered assets.
“Dan Gertler returned these assets thanks to the efforts of Civil Society and American sanctions, the man having obviously understood that it was necessary to change the way of doing things, it is a page that is turned. There are now d other cases on which we will concentrate, always in the interest of the Congolese people and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The sanctions having fulfilled their objective, they could prove to be counter-productive, from where we recommend their lifting in order to promote the exploitation of the recovered assets”, recommends the civil society.
Welcoming the government’s approach, which marks a decisive turning point in the fight for transparency and accountability of those who govern in the DRC, civil society recommends the publication of the annexes of the said memorandum of understanding.
“We recommend that the government continue this momentum and publish the annexes in order to consolidate the relationship of trust,” read their statement.
In addition, in the string of recommendations, civil society recommends that the government rebalance all contracts in natural resources for the benefit of the DRC.
“Support the government’s desire to rebalance all contracts in natural resources (mainly TENKE FUNGURUME MINING, SICOMINE, SACHIM) with a view to benefiting the portfolio companies concerned and the republic with their ignored rights”, reads among the recommendations.
In the same vein, civil society participating in the week of mines and hydrocarbons recommends sanctions against all sellers of natural resources in the DRC.
“Identify and sanction Congolese political and military figures who sell off or facilitate the sale of mining, gas, oil and forestry assets, as are the officials of COMINIERE currently in court,” insists civil society.
Civil society is committed to the drive to know, understand, and appropriate the country’s natural resources, to promote good governance.
She promises the launch in the very next day, of a vast citizen dynamic bringing together formal organizations of civil society, citizen movements, women’s organizations, student organizations as well as public figures to train, inform and raise awareness on the management of natural resources in the DRC and thus democratize the debate on this specific issue.
