Uncertainty and powerlessness in Congo 2012

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Catherine Dom, Pierre Englebert, Miles Larmer, Stelios Moshonas and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article.

Notes

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/12/congo-democratic-bishops-idUSL6E8CC6QC20120112.

Eric Joyce, chair of the UK parliament's Great Lakes of Africa Group, documented a US$5.5 billion loss to Congolese people through questionable mining deals with British Virgin Island ‘shell’ companies. It is widely believed that several of these companies are connected to Israeli businessman and Kabila crony Dan Gertler. See http://ericjoyce.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/summary-5-5m-loss-to-congolese-people-through-questionable-mining-deals.pdf.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/nov/22/congo-violent-election-countdown.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/a-rigged-election-the-latest-chapter-in-congos-sad-history-2377419.html.

http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAJA2658p010-012.xml0/.

http://foweb.unfpa.org/SWP2011/reports/EN-SWOP2011-FINAL.pdf.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cg.html

This has become a very serious problem today because of Rwandan support of the M23. Cutting aid to Kagame could be leverage but could also hurt aid beneficiaries.

http://afrikarabia2.blogs.courrierinternational.com/archive/2011/03/09/kinshasa-et-kigali-dans-la-peur-du-coup-d-etat.html.

http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20121006-rdc-armee-burundaise-combats-sud-kivu.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/world/africa/africas-elephants-are-being-slaughtered-in-poaching-frenzy.html?pagewanted=all.

http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/09/11/dr-congo-m23-rebels-committing-war-crimes.

http://democratiechretienne.org/tag/monusco/.

http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/COD.html.

http://www.doingbusiness.org/~/media/GIAWB/Doing%20Business/Documents/Annual-Reports/English/DB13-full-report.pdf.

Two examples are the introduction of larger value notes (10,000 and 20,000 Congolese franc notes) and the requirement that prices being displayed in Congolese francs alongside the dollar amounts.

http://www.lobservateur.cd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7471:instrument-dintegration-economique-regionale&catid=49:societe&Itemid=85.

The Zongo retreat in August 2012 is a good example of this push for a new leadership strategy: http://www.digitalcongo.net/article/85897.