Vol 52 No 25 | CONGO-KINSHASA Kabila: from farce to tragedy 16th December 2011 Having stayed silent on corrupt mining deals, the United Nations and the West want the embarrassing election crisis to disappear Millions of Congolese question the spending of more than US$300 million on national elections on 28 November – if the true results aren't released. There is a broad acceptance by t...
Vol 52 No 25 | CONGO-KINSHASA Timeline of a troubled vote 16th December 2011 • September 2011: The International Crisis Group reported that the registration of electors by the Commission électorale nationale indépendante (CENI) showed 'surprising results', ...
Vol 52 No 24 | CONGO-KINSHASA Fraud and violence 2nd December 2011 Calls for the election results, due on 6 December, to be annulled have revived fears of violence. More than a score of people died on 26-28 November, five of them when the Republic...
Vol 52 No 23 | CONGO-KINSHASA Bargain mine sales draw fire 18th November 2011 The government’s secretive, and cheap, sale of lucrative mining assets is fast becoming an election issue Mining companies stripped of valuable concessions have been sounding out the opposition before the presidential election, which is expected to take place on 28 November. President ...
Vol 52 No 23 | CONGO-KINSHASA Troubled waters, no oil yet 18th November 2011 Potential investors in Congo-Kinshasa worry not only about opacity and corruption but also about the boundaries of concessions. Trinity Oil and Gas, of Houston, United States, want...
Vol 52 No 22 | CONGO-KINSHASA Fears grow of poll delay 4th November 2011 Electoral officials are trying to make the polls happen on time but the obstacles are many The pre-election atmosphere is deteriorating. The government claims that the opposition is preparing an uprising and the government of neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville has accused Pr...
Vol 52 No 19 | CONGO-KINSHASA A rocky electoral road 23rd September 2011 Polling looks almost certain to be postponed but President Kabila’s opponents may try to test their support on the street The 25 November presidential and parliamentary elections were always going to be difficult but the violence has already begun. On 5 September, a crowd of supporters of President Jo...
Vol 52 No 17 | CONGO-KINSHASA Prison politics 26th August 2011 Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo is not letting his status as a prisoner on trial at the International Criminal Court get in the way of standing in the presidential election, set for 28 Nov...
Vol 52 No 16 | CONGO-KINSHASAMINING Mutatis mutandis 5th August 2011 Mystery surrounds a sale by the state-owned Générale des Carrières et des Mines to a company linked to Dan Gertler, a close friend of President Joseph Kabila. Just three months bef...
Vol 52 No 15 | ANGOLACONGO-KINSHASA Bad fences, bad neighbours 22nd July 2011 Disputes over politics, oil and diamonds are dividing the two neighbouring governments Relations between Luanda and Kinshasa could deteriorate sharply after a series of disputes. Angolan border police expelled about 15,000 Congolese in April and May after rounding th...