BRIEFING

13 – 19 June 2013

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EDITORIAL

This week saw Russ Feingold nominated as new US Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region and the UK pledge US$1.2 billion in aid to the DRC. Meanwhile, MONUSCO has refuted M23 denials of child recruitment and expressed further concern over the rebel groups stated intention to try 11 young people detained during a special operation in Kiwanja. The M23’s police camp in Buchizi was attached by Nyatura this week, causing considerable displacement in this locality of Rutshuru.

In Equateur, a large presence of Congolese military has sparked concerns amongst locals, whilst in Province Orientale 30 armed men surrendered to the FARDC, reportedly as part of a military demobilisation effort. In North Kivu clashes between the APCLS and FARDC have taken place in Masisi, though the Congolese army regained control of Kibua. In South Kivu FARDC also managed to dislodge the Raia Mukombozi from villages in the Mulumba groupment, and in Katanga armed hostilities have taken place between the FARDC and Bakata Katnaga, though accounts of the events remain conflicting and unconfirmed. The population of Kimpamba is reported to have chased 6 FARDC officers from the locality following allegations of abuse against civilains.

In the Central African Republic a cabinet reshuffle instigated by the international community in a bid to reduce militia influence at the heart of government has left Seleka rebel leaders in top positions in the executive. Meanwhile, 400 militiamen from the Convention des patriotes pour la justice et la paix (CPJP) led by the CAR’s incumbent Minister for Youth, Art and Culture, have entered Bangui, reportedly to join the process of military reform in the country.

As the G8 summit got under way this week, the African Development Bank denounced the exploitative practices of developed world extraction and energy companies, specifically as regards payment of taxes in developing countries. Meanwhile, Tullow is reported to have seen legal victory at the hands of the UK courts in its compensation claim against Heritage oil in respect of the payment of capital gains dues accrued during transactions between the two.

Arms Trade and Security in the Great Lakes Region

Recent news on conflict, security and arms trade across the Great Lakes Region. 
US Special Envoy to Great Lakes region appointed

Press Briefing Announcement Regarding Great Lakes Special Representative | 18 June 2013 | U.S. Department of State
Ex-Senator Feingold Chosen as Special Envoy to African Region | 18 June 2013 | New York Times
US Names New Envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes | 18 June 2013 | Voice of America
Feingold Named U.S. Special Envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes | 18 June 2013 | Bloomberg
Russ Feingold, nouvel émissaire des Etats-Unis pour la région de Grands lacs | 19 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday selected a former Senate colleague, Russ Feingold, to serve as a special envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa, promising to raise the profile of a region torn by conflict and yet largely overshadowed in American foreign policy by other global crises.

Advocacy Groups Welcome New US Great Lakes Envoy | 18 June 2013 | Voice of America
Advocacy Groups, Congo Experts Applaud Appointment of Feingold as Envoy | 18 June 2013 | Enough Project
Big boost to DRC peace process | 19 June 2013 | OSISA
Open Letter to U.S. Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region, Russ Feingold | 18 June 2013 | Enough Project
Advocacy groups urge new US envoy to push Congo governance | 19 June 2013 | Reuters
Nineteen advocacy groups and Congo experts are giving the thumbs up to President Barack Obama’s appointment of former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold as the new U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC)

New ‘super’ combat brigade: creation of an African elite? | 14 June 2013 | Institute for Security Studies
At the African Union’s (AU) 21st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa from 26-27 May, the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC) was tabled – by South Africa.

Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)

L’ONU réaffirme son soutien aux efforts de l’Union africaine dans la lutte contre la LRA | 17 June 2013 | UN News Centre
Le Représentant spécial du Secrétaire général de l’ONU pour l’Afrique centrale, Abou Moussa, a réitéré lundi la ferme détermination des Nations Unies de continuer à apporter leur appui aux efforts de l’Union africaine (UA) dans le cadre de la lutte contre l’Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA).

DRC 

Kampala talks

Kampala : la délégation congolaise attend de la médiation l’agenda de la suite des travaux | 13 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The DRC delegation in Kampala has asked the Ugandan mediator to offer “exactly the agenda and duration of work” to close the Kampala talks that began last December 9, according to the coordinator of the monitoring mechanism of the Framework Agreement Addis Ababa, Francois Mwamba. On Wednesday, delegates met in Kinshasa with mediator Crispus Kayonga for nearly five hours.

M23 Rebels Accuse DRC Government of Rejecting Negotiations | 14 June 2013 | Voice of America
RDC: la guerre des mots se poursuit entre Kinshasa et le M23 | 14 June 2013 | La Voix de l’Amérique
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s M23 rebels are accusing the government of refusing to negotiate at peace talks in Kampala, Uganda.

Le ministre Tshibanda – « La finalité des pourparlers de Kampala, c’est de mettre fin à la rébellion du M23… » | 17 June 2013 | Le Potentiel | allAfrica

M23

Nord-Kivu : le M23 veut juger 11 jeunes accusés de détention d’armes | 13 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The M23 has announced that it will “judge” a dozen young persons arrested in Rutshuru last week. Most of these young people were arrested during an M23 operation in the city of Kiwanja 75 km north of Goma. Military spokesman for the M23, Vianney Kazarama, says that these eleven young people will be judged in a court in Rumangabo. The “prosecutor” appointed by the M23 as well as civil and military judges are already investigating cases, the source said.

RDC : le M23 nie avoir tenté d’enrôler des enfants | 13 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The M23 has denied trying to enlist fifty-three children in the territory of Nyiragongo in North Kivu. “These kids have their place in their families and at school,” it said on Tuesday.

Nord-Kivu: la Monusco identifie 6 de 53 enfants menacés d’enrôlement au sein du M23 | 13 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
MONUSCO has identified six of the fifty-three children at risk of recruitment by the M23, a MONUSCO spokesman said in response to the M23’s denial of any attempt to recruit new children.

Pour avoir refusé de rejoindre le M23 : seize étudiants rwandais cherchent asile en Ouganda | 18 June 2013 | L’Avenir | Digitalcongo.net
Article stating that students refusing to join the ranks of the M23 have sought refuge in Uganda.

La MONUSCO s’inquiète de l’annonce par le M23 de la tenue imminente du procès de 11 jeunes gens | 19 June 2013 | UN News Centre
La Mission de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en République démocratique du Congo (MONUSCO) a exprimé mercredi sa préoccupation concernant la déclaration du Mouvement du 23 mars (M23), annonçant l’organisation d’un procès contre 11 jeunes gens.

UN Intervention Brigade

Bigger guns are on their way | 13 June 2013 | The Economist
A new UN intervention force in eastern Congo has the most robust of mandates.

Art of darkness. The United Nations in Congo | 15 June 2013 | The Economist
Almost unnoticed, the UN is about to fight its first war. That is a gamble worth taking.

FEATURE-World Bank, U.N. join hands in conflict zones but face hurdles | 15 June 2013 | Reuters
When the heads of the World Bank and the United Nations flew into the violence-wracked African city of Goma on a cloudy day last month, it was the first time the giants of international development had joined forces in the struggle to help the world’s most fragile regions.

RDC : la brigade d’intervention encore en “reconnaissance” du terrain | 17 June 2013 | Jeune Afrique
Un mois après le début du déploiement de la brigade d’intervention de la Monusco à Goma, les opérations de traque des groupes armés n’ont toujours pas commencé dans l’est de la RDC. La société civile locale s’impatiente. La mission onusienne explique que les troupes déployées sont encore en phase de “reconnaissance” du terrain.

La situation politique et sécuritaire en RDC, au Zimbabwe et à Madagascar examinée au cours du sommet extraordinaire de la SADC à Maputo | 17 June 2013 | Digitalcongo.net
La SADC va renforcer le déploiement de ses troupes en RDC | 17 June 2013 | Le Potentiel | Digitalcongo.net
Les participants au sommet de Maputo ont approuvé, entre autres, le déploiement davantage d’éléments en vue de renforcer la brigade d’intervention de la SADC à l’Est de la RDC.

British Aid to the DRC

La Grande-Bretagne promet à la RDC une aide de 1,2 milliard de dollars américains | 16  June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Britain has promised 1.2 billion U.S. dollars to the Congolese government said British Ambassador, Diane Corner, on Saturday, June 15 in Kinshasa. She said that this assistance will focus on humanitarian aid and support for efforts to end the armed conflict in eastern DRC.

Equateur

RDC: le député Makila dénonce une présence massive des militaires au nord de l’Équateur | 14  June 2013 | Radio Okapi
A massive military presence in the north of Equateur province has sparked concern among the  local population. The national deputy José Makila has demanded an explanation from the Minister of the Interior for this presence.

Kasai-Oriental

Kasaï-Oriental : 4 morts et 2 blessés suite à un conflit foncier entre deux groupements | 15 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Four people were killed and two others seriously injured on Friday, June 14, in an arson attack on the agricultural lands of the groupment of Mpeta Bena,in the  territory of  Kabeya Kamwanga, in Kasai Oriental. Residents of Bena Kelende burned several houses in this group. Administrative authorities of the two territories speak of violence due to an old land dispute between the two groups.

Province Orientale

Ituri : un officier de l’armée arrêté pour désertion et exploitation illégale des minerais | 14 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Lieutenant Colonel John Unega Anewa and two of his bodyguards have been detained since Thursday, June 13, at the Prosecutor military garrison in Ituri. The officer is particularly charged with desertion, torture and illegal exploitation of minerals. The accused denies all charges.

Roger Meece reste optimiste quant au retour de la paix dans l’Est de la RDC | 15 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC, Roger Meece, remains optimistic about the return of peace to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo  he said on Friday, June 14,  in Bunia.

Province Orientale: un conflit foncier oppose les habitants de Romain Congo à un particulier | 17 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The inhabitants of Romain Congo, 50 km west of Kisangani have opposed the purchase of about a thousand acres of forest in their community, holding a march to express their anger. The people of Romain Congo say they are running out of space to cultivate their crops since their forest was sold.

Province Orientale: près de 30 hommes armés se rendent aux FARDC à Aru  | 18 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
In Ituri, about thirty armed men have surrendered to the FARDC with weapons of war in Ariwara and Ingbokolo in Aru territory. According to the FARDC commander in Ituri, this surrender is the result of a campaign initiated by the military authorities with the support of MONUSCO and local traditional authorities.

Province Orientale: 5 militaires condamnés à perpétuité à Dungu | 18 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The Military Garrison Court of Upper Uele has sentenced five soldiers to life imprisonment after public hearings held in the Central Prison of Dungu.  The defendants were also dismissed from the FARDC and fined 200,000 Congolese francs, upon their murder convictions.

North Kivu

Nord-Kivu : des miliciens Nyatura attaquent des rebelles du M23 à Buchuzi, 2 morts | 13 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Nyatyura militiamen attacked an M23 police camp in Buchuzi in Rutshuru territory this Thursday, June 13. Local sources report two civilians killed and four wounded. The same sources indicate that this attack is a reaction to the militia attacks five days ago by the rebels against their positions.

Les guerres ont freiné le développement du Nord-Kivu, affirme Julien Paluku | 14 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The governor of North Kivu, Julien Paluku, has said that the recurrent wars in the province did not allow him to work well during his tenure. He was responding to a motion of no confidence initiated by some who accuse him of mismanagement.

Nord-Kivu: les habitants de Buchuzi redoutent de nouveaux affrontements entre M23 et Maï-Maï | 14 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Much of the population of the village of Buchuzi located ten kilometers from Rutshuru center (North Kivu) fled on Thursday, June 13, to the nearby town of Rwanguba, afraid to return to their village after an attack by the Nyatura against an M23 police camp. According to local sources, their humanitarian situation is deplorable.

Nord-Kivu : échange de tirs entre l’armée et des miliciens à Sake, 2 morts | 14 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Two soldiers were killed and one girl wounded in an exchange of fire between militiamen of the Alliance of Patriots for a Free and Sovereign Congo (APCLS) and the FARDC on the morning of Saturday, June 15, at Sake in Masisi territory. This incident has paralyzed activities in the city where all the shops were closed.

Nord-Kivu : les FARDC ont repris le contrôle de Kibua | 16 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
FARDC resumed control of the town of Kibua, about 80 km north of Walikale-center in the Wanyanga sector on Saturday. Local sources say the Cheka men who had taken the town, withdrew a day before the redeployment of the regular army.

Beni: le chef du bureau de la Monusco appelle la population au calme | 18 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The head of the MONUSCO office in Beni, Jacob Mogeni, has called upon the people of the city and its surroundings to remain calm after panic created by the forced landing of two MONUSCO helicopters at Nyaleke airport, 12 km from Beni.

Nord-Kivu: un réseau de bandits démantelé à Goma | 18 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
FARDC has arrested civilians and military personnel, accused of belonging to a network of bandits who stop and impose fines on civilians on behalf of the State in Goma. These impostors were caught in the act in downtown Goma.

South Kivu

Sud-Kivu : 9 enfants de 1 à 12 ans sauvagement violés en deux mois, selon le Dr Mukwege | 15 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Nine children aged between one year and a half to twelve years have been violated with extreme violence since the beginning of May in South Kivu, it was revealed on Friday, June 14, by  Dr. Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist specializing in the repair of trauma caused by sexual violence. He calls for the organization of mobile courts to bring justice to victims, punish criminals and to shed light on the reasons for such atrocities.

Sud-Kivu: les FARDC délogent les Raïa Mukombozi de plusieurs positions | 18 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
FARDC dislodged the Raïa Mukombozi from the localities of Luntukulu, Masiba, Kabogoza,and  Kalagule of the groupment of Mulamba, 70 km from Bukavu on Monday. The militiamen have been directed towards the town of Busolo, say local sources. The two days of clashes have left seven dead militiamen and slightly wounded the FARDC ranks.

Katanga

Katanga : 2 femmes arrêtées à Tenke-gare pour séquestration et viol de mineur | 14 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Two women have been detained since Wednesday, June 12, in Tenke-police station accused of having kidnapped and raped a young boy of 14 years. One of two women, aged 53, is alleged to have organized the kidnapping of the boy for sexual exploitation over  two months.

Des affrontements entre FARDC et miliciens Bakata Katanga signalés près de Lubumbashi | 16 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Clashes took place this Sunday, June 16, between Congolese soldiers and Bakata Katanga militiamen in Shindaika village nearly 20 km from Lubumbashi. Local sources  state that one soldier has been killed and several militiamen and civilians injured.

Insecurity in Congo copper province a “serious concern”: U.N | 17 June 2013 | Reuters
Security in Congo’s copper-mining heartland of Katanga is a “very serious concern” that must be tackled politically and militarily, the outgoing head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission said on Monday.

RDC: des milliers d’enfants exploités dans les mines et les groupes armés dans le Tanganyika | 17 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Thousands of Congolese children are exploited in mining sites and hundreds of others in armed groups in the Tanganyika district of northern Katanga. On the Day of the African Child, celebrated on Sunday, June 16, local child rights defenders urged the authorities to secure these children.

Lubumbashi: retour au calme après les combats entre FARDC et Bakata Katanga | 17 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Calm has returned to Lubumbashi and the village Shindaika since Sunday afternoon after the panic created by clashes between the Bakata Katanga and the FARDC in  Kipushi territory. Accounts of events and the casualties generated vary, with some speaking of more than four beheadings.

Katangai: la population chasse 6 militaires du village de Kimpamba | 18 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The people of Kimpamba, a town about 250 kilometers  from Kamina (Katanga) drove six soldiers out of the village on Monday, June 17. These soldiers, all intelligence officers, are accused of committing atrocities against the civilian population rather than protecting them. Torture and extortion ere alleged. According to police sources, a hundred men demanded the departure of the military.

Affaire « Bakata-Katanga » – Le dessous des cartes | 18 June 2013 | Le Potentiel | allAfrica
Whilst the Congolese state has successfully thwarted uprisings by followers of “Bundu dia Kongo” in the Bas-Congo and Enyele in Equateur, in the Katanga province the “Bakata Katanga” have managed to stir insecurity for months. This article states that the State’s sluggish reaction is surprising and that there are obscure interests that operate in the shadows and that escape the understanding of the general public.

CAR

Centrafrique : 400 hommes d’Abdoulaye Hissen arrivent à Bangui | 13 June 2013 | Afrik.com
Un important contingent des troupes de la Convention des patriotes pour la justice et la paix (CPJP), du général Abdoulaye Hissen, l’actuel ministre centrafricain de la Jeunesse, des Arts et de la Culture, est arrivé mardi à Bangui. Au total, 400 hommes à bord de 10 véhicules ont fait le déplacement dans la capitale centrafricaine où ils vont rejoindre le processus de la réforme de l’armée.

Centrafrique : un gouvernement d’union nationale dominé par la Séléka | 13 June 2013 | Jeune Afrique / AFP
Centrafrique: un nouveau gouvernement à dominante Seleka | 13 June 2013 | RFI
Centrafrique : le gouvernement Tiangaye III formé | 13 June 2013 | Afrik.com
Le gouvernement Tiangaye III enfin dévoilé | 13 June 2013 | Radio Ndeke Luka | Fondation Hirondelle
Central African Republic rebels still in control of cabinet despite reshuffle | 14 June 2013 | Reuters
A cabinet reshuffle in Central African Republic requested by the international community to reduce the dominance of rebel leaders who seized power in a March coup has left the representatives of the Seleka coalition in most of the top cabinet posts.

Centrafrique: les rebelles “en train d’être désarmés”, selon Djotodia | 14 June 2013 | AFP | Reliefweb
Le président centrafricain Michel Djotodia, qui a pris le pouvoir fin mars, a affirmé vendredi que la situation se normalisait à Bangui, où les anciens rebelles étaient “en train d’être désarmés”, à l’ouverture d’un sommet des chefs d’Etats d’Afrique centrale à Libreville.

Centrafrique: la Cémac soutient Djotodia | 15 June 2013 | RFI
Centrafrique : Michel Djotodia maintient le siège de la Cemac à Bangui | 17 June 2013 | Afrik.com
Pour son premier rendez-vous officiel avec les chefs d’Etat de la région, le Centrafricain Michel Djotodia a réussi à tirer son épingle du jeu. Non seulement, la Communauté économique et monétaire de l’Afrique centrale (Cémac) lui apporte un soutien financier conséquent, mais il a tout simplement évité le pire à la Centrafrique, à savoir la mise sous tutelle du pays.

A new grey zone | 15 June 2013 | The Economist
Might another country in the heart of Africa become ungovernable?

LRA raid leaves least 16 dead in Central Africa: army | 16 June 2013 | AFP | Reliefweb
Centrafrique : au moins 16 morts dans une attaque de la LRA dans le centre | 15 June 2013 | AFP | Reliefweb
Nouvelles attaques de la LRA en Centrafrique | 16 June 2013 | RFI
Nouvelles attaques de la LRA en Centrafrique: Djotodia face à ses responsabilités | 17 June 2013 | RFI
Centrafrique: mais où est donc l’insaisissable Joseph Kony ? | 18 June 2013 | RFI
At least 16 people have been killed during clashes between rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and villagers in Central African Republic, a military source said late Saturday. LRA fighters attacked two villages in the central mining region of Bria on Thursday, initially killing six people and wounding about 10 others as they looted houses, said the source.

Journée de l’Enfant Africain : 3500 enfants-soldats à démobiliser en Centrafrique | 16 June 2013 | La Voix de l’Amérique
En Centrafrique, les Ong ont décrié la maltraitance infligée aux enfants depuis le début de la crise enclenchée en décembre 2012 par la coalition Séléka.

CAR’s New President in Khartoum for Talks On Bilateral Ties | 17 June 2013 | Sudan Tribune | allAfrica
Centrafrique : Michel Djotodia à Khartoum | 18 June 2013 | Afrik.com
Les présidents du Soudan et de Centrafrique veulent sécuriser leur frontière | 19 June 2013 | RFI
Michel Djotodia, new president of Central African Republic (CAR), arrived Monday to Khartoum where he held talks with his Sudanese counterpart Omer Al-Bashir. Djotodia who is the first Muslim to lead his nation was elected last April by an acting parliament after toppling the regime of the former president François Bozizé.

Insecurity in Bangui increases food prices, lay-offs | 18 June 2013 | IRIN

Refugee and IDP Reports

Non-comprehensive overview and selected articles on the status of refugees in the Great Lakes Region

Refugee Crisis

UN warns of worst refugee crisis in nearly 20 years | 19 June 2013 | The Guardian
Conflicts in Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mali push number of displaced people to more than 45 million.

Congolese people smuggling network in France

France : démantèlement d’un réseau de passeurs congolais | 13 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
French judicial authorities have dismantled a network of people smugglers smuggling  Congolese individuals into the country with false documents under the pretence that they are  minors.

DRC 

Humanitarian Reports

Bulletin d’Information Humanitaire – Province Orientale N° 23/13, 12 juin 2013 | 13 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
Humanitarian Action in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Weekly Bulletin, 14 June 2013 | 14 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Humanitarian snapshot (June 2013) | 17 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
République Démocratique du Congo : Aperçu de la situation humanitaire (Juin 2013) | 17 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
Nord-Kivu: Situation des personnes déplacées internes (PDI) au 25 mai 2013 | 18 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
Nord-Kivu : Accès sécuritaire humanitaire (Mai 2013) | 18 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
Province Orientale : Aperçu Humanitaire (mai 2013) | 18 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
RD Congo – Province du Sud-Kivu : Aperçu de la situation humanitaire (mai 2013) | 18 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
Bulletin d’Information Humanitaire – Province du Katanga N° 23/13, 19 juin 2013 | 18 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
Situation humanitaire en République Démocratique du Congo : Note d’information à la presse, 19 juin 2013 | 19 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
Bulletin d’Information Humanitaire – Province du Nord-Kivu N° 21/13, 18 juin 2013 | 19 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
Bulletin d’Information Humanitaire – Province du Sud-Kivu N° 25/13, 18 juin 2013 | 19 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Refugees

Un exil de 20 ans oublié pour les réfugiés congolais au Rwanda | 19 June 2013 | IPS
The fear of physical assault in the cycle of violence committed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for 20 years has forced thousands of Congolese to seek refuge beyond the borders of their countries, including Rwanda.

Uganda

Refugees

Uganda, Burundi to Hold Meetings Over Refugees | 15 June 2013 | New Vision | allAfrica
The governments of Uganda and Burundi and the UNHCR are to hold technical meetings that will add inertia to earlier efforts to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees in the country.

Rwanda

Refugees

Un exil de 20 ans oublié pour les réfugiés congolais au Rwanda | 19 June 2013 | IPS
The fear of physical assault in the cycle of violence committed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for 20 years has forced thousands of Congolese to seek refuge beyond the borders of their countries, including Rwanda.

Burundi 

Refugees

Uganda, Burundi to Hold Meetings Over Refugees | 15 June 2013 | New Vision | allAfrica
The governments of Uganda and Burundi and the UNHCR are to hold technical meetings that will add inertia to earlier efforts to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees in the country.

CAR

Humanitarian reports

Central African Republic (CAR) Situation Report No. 20 (as of 14 June 2013) | 14 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
République Centrafricaine (RCA) Rapport de situation No. 20 (au 14 juin 2013) | 14 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb
République centrafricaine : Revue de Presse Hebdomadaire du 10 au 17 juin 2013 | 17 June 2013 | UNOCHA | Reliefweb

Justice and Tribunals 

Non-comprehensive overview and selected articles on major trials and tribunals for crimes committed in the Great Lakes Region

 DRC

ICC Ntaganda hearing postponed

Ntaganda – L’audience de confirmation des charges reportée à l’année prochaine | 18 June 2013 | Hirondelle News Agency | allAfrica
CPI: l’audience de confirmation des charges contre Bosco Ntaganda renvoyée au 10 février 2014 | 18 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
FR: La Cour pénale internationale (CPI) a reporté lundi au 10 février 2014 l’audience de confirmation des charges dans le dossier du congolais Bosco Ntaganga suspect de crimes commis dans l’Est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), apprend-on mardi. ENG: At the request of the prosecutor, judges at the ICC have decided to postpone the confirmation of charges hearing in the case of Bosco Ntaganda to 10 February 2014 (originally September 23). The prosecution asked for additional time to “firmly close its case” arguing that since the issuance of the first arrest warrant against Bosco Ntaganda, in 2006, the case had been “dormant”.

ICC Bemba trial

Another Former Central African Soldier Defends Bemba | 13 June 2013 | Bemba Trial Website | allAfrica
Witness Absolves Bemba Troops of Murder and Pillaging | 14 June 2013 | Bemba Trial Website | allAfrica
Former Central African Soldiers Defend Conduct of Bemba’s Fighters | 15 June 2013 | Bemba Trial Website | allAfrica
Former Soldier Says Patassé Forces Murdered Civilians | 18 June 2013 | Bemba Trial Website | allAfrica

Rwanda 

Theodor Meron accusations

ICTR Judge Accused of Letting Top Suspects Free | 17 June 2013 | The New Times | allAfrica
Rwanda Wants ICTR Judge Meron to Resign | 19 June 2013 | The New Times | allAfrica
Rwanda has called for the resignation of embattled president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Appeals Chamber Theodor Meron, who was recently accused of influencing court decisions by exerting undue influence on judges to let high-profile war crimes suspects go free.

Apprehension of fugitives

Le procureur annonce de nouvelles initiatives en vue de faire arrêter Kabuga et deux autres fugitifs | 17 June 2013 | Fondation Hirondelle
Le bureau du procureur au Mécanisme pour les tribunaux pénaux internationaux (MTPI) annonce qu’il va lancer de nouvelles initiatives pour mettre la main sur l’argentier présumé du génocide des Tutsis de 1994, Félicien Kabuga, et deux autres accusés en fuite.

Final ICTR decision suspended

Le TPIR suspend l’exécution de sa dernière décision de renvoi d’un accusé vers les tribunaux rwandais | 19 June 2013 | Hirondelle News Agency | allAfrica
Le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda (TPIR) a décidé de surseoir à l’exécution de sa dernière décision de renvoi d’un accusé vers les tribunaux rwandais, a-t-on appris mercredi de source judiciaire.

Natural Resources in the Great Lakes Region

Recent news on issues relating to natural resource extraction and governance in the Great Lakes Region.

Terms of Resource Trade in Africa: “Rip off”

Resource companies ripping off Africa: AfDB chief | 16 June 2013 | Reuters
Resource companies ripping off Africa – AfDB chief | 17 June 2013 | Mining Weekly
Developed world mining and energy companies operating in Africa should pay more taxes to help the world’s poorest continent climb out of poverty, the president of the African Development Bank said on Sunday. “The reality is, Africa is being ripped off big time,” African Development Bank president Donald Kaberuka told Reuters, a day after attending a meeting in London with other African representatives ahead of the G8 summit of rich countries on the “triple-T” agenda of trade, transparency and tax.

DRC and Uganda oil exploration

Honey Malinga | 18 June 2013 |Africa Energy Intelligence
Honey Malinga, vice director of the Petroleum Exploration & Production Department (PEPD), recently took part in a conference organized by International Alert on problems between Congo-K and Uganda regarding oil exploration.  (Requires subscription).

DRC 

Poaching

RDC: l’ICCN salue l’appui des FARDC aux gardes-parcs congolais | 13 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The Director General of the Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), Comas Wilungula, has hailed the support given by FARDC to park wardens who regularly deal with armed groups and poachers. “The attackers are heavily armed and operate with the complicity of the armed gangs who provide weapons and munitions of war “he said. Recurrent attacks by armed men on the national parks of the DRC has led to these parks being listed by UNESCO as endangered World Heritage.

Equateur : 30 okapis abattus dans la réserve d’Abumumbazi à Gbadolite | 14 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Thirty Okapi have been killed since the beginning of the year in the Abumumbazi reserve of North Ubangi in Equateur, said the director of the botanical and zoological garden Gbadolite Katerius Mafoto. Pending further investigation, he said he was not able to give answers on who is behind these acts or the total population of this endangered species.

Video: Invisible Children’s Efforts to Promote LRA Defection | 17 June 2013 | Enough Project
The population of elephants in Garamba National Park in northeast Congo has dropped from 20,000 to just over 2,000 since 1960. The Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, led by Joseph Kony, hunts African elephants in the park to fund the killings and mass atrocities it commits throughout central Africa.

Mining

Too great expectations | June 2013 | Africa-Asia Confidential
The Sicomines deposits contain smaller copper reserves than predicted and some detect deep problems in the partnership with China. In early May, Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo Mapon sent shockwaves through Kinshasa when he told the United Nations-backed Radio Okapi that the partnership between Congo-Kinshasa and China had run into ‘a problem that needs to be examined in depth’. In general, the terms of the state’s main partnership with Chinese companies are being reduced due to concern about smaller than expected ore reserves and also the wariness of Chinese financiers. (Requires subscription).

L’uranium du Katanga, sujet sensible | 13 June 2013 | Deutsche Welle
Officiellement, l’exploitation de l’uranium est interdite en République démocratique du Congo, mais sur le terrain, elle se poursuit de façon illégale dans la province du Katanga, dans le sud-est du pays.

Stefaan Marysse : “L’économie de la RD Congo reste dirigée en fonction des besoins de l’extérieur” | 13 June 2013 | Jeune Afrique
Chercheur au Centre d’études sur la région des grands lacs de l’Université d’Anvers, Stefaan Marysse suit depuis quinze ans l’économie congolaise. Selon lui, la RD Congo a entamé les premiers pas d’une reconstruction qui pourrait l’aider à se relever.

Les ministères de l’environnement et des mines collaborent pour la gestion du domaine minier | 14 June 2013 | Le Potentiel
Le ministère de l’Environnement, de la Conservation de la nature et du Tourisme ainsi que celui des Mines harmonisent leurs vues sur la gestion de l’environnement minier.

Kabwelulu escapes censure motion | 17 June 2013 |Africa Mining Intelligence
Facing a censure motion in Parliament since last month, mines minister Martin Kabwelulu seems to have saved his portfolio, at least for the moment. . (Requires subscription).

RDC: des milliers d’enfants exploités dans les mines et les groupes armés dans le Tanganyika | 17 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
Thousands of Congolese children are exploited in mining sites and hundreds of others in armed groups in the Tanganyika district of northern Katanga. On the Day of the African Child, celebrated on Sunday, June 16, local child rights defenders urged the authorities to secure these children.

Insecurity in Congo copper province a ‘serious concern’ -UN | 18 June 2013 | Mining Weekly
Security in Congo’s copper-mining heartland of Katanga is a “very serious concern” that must be tackled politically and militarily, the outgoing head of the UN peackeeping mission said on Monday. The province, which sits on some of the world’s largest copper reserves, last year exported 600 000 t. Miners including Freeport McMoRan and Glencore already operate there. In March, hundreds of rebel fighters attacked the Katangan capital of Lubumbashi and then surrendered following bloody clashes with security forces. On Sunday, a soldier was killed during fighting between the army and insurgents 20 km from the city. “It’s a quite significant problem, and I think it has all the prospects of becoming worse,” said Roger Meece.

Chinese mining industry contributes to abuses in Democratic Republic of the Congo | 19 June 2013 | Amnesty International
Chinese mining companies operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) need to do more to prevent their operations from leading to human rights abuses, Amnesty International warned today in a new report. “Profits and Loss: Mining and human rights in Katanga”, examines the impact of the mining industry in south-eastern DRC.

Oil concessions in Virunga Park

Virunga : le Comité du patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO demande l’annulation des permis pétroliers | 18 June 2013 | WWF
L’organisme international qui supervise les sites du patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco a demandé aujourd’hui l’annulation des permis d’exploration pétrolière dans le parc national des Virunga. Certains de ces permis sont détenus par la société britannique Soco International PLC et la compagnie pétrolière française TOTAL.

Uganda

Oil

Oiling the wheels of better government: Why Uganda’s black gold could be a blessing | 19 June 2013 | OSISA
Analysis piece on governance, oil and Uganda.

Extractive Companies, Energy, Trade and Foreign Investment

Recent news on national and international extractive and energy companies and investment in the Great Lakes Region

Fight against customs fraud

Lutte contre la fraude douanière – L’Afrique centrale et de l’Ouest en concertation à Kinshasa | 18 June 2013 | Le Potentiel | allAfrica
C’est à Kinshasa que les correspondants nationaux des Bureaux régionaux de liaison chargés du renseignement (BRLR) de la région Afrique occidentale et centrale de l’Organisation mondiale des douanes (OMD) se sont donné rendez-vous pour débattre de grandes questions touchant à la fraude douanière et la criminalité transfrontalière.

DRC

Mining

Kilo Goldmines Ltd.: 1100 Metre Gold Geochemistry Anomaly Delineated at Adumbi West Prospect, Somituri Project, Dem. Rep. Congo | 17 June 2013 | Kilo Goldmines Ltd. | Marketwired
Kilo Goldmines Ltd. announced the results and interpretation of the soil geochemical survey on the Adumbi West Prospect, Imbo Licence, Democratic Republic of Congo, which has defined a gold anomaly over a strike length of 1100 m.

Tiger expects more copper from Kipoi | 18 June 2013 | Mining Weekly
Copper miner Tiger Resources on Tuesday told shareholders that it would likely exceed its 2013 production target of 37 000 t of copper concentrate at its Kipoi copper project, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The miner has revised the production guidance for the Stage 1 heavy media separation (HMS) operation to between 41 000 t and 43 000 t for the full 2013. Year-to-date production until the end of May reached 16 182 t of copper in concentrate, supporting a production estimate of 19 500 t for the six months to June.

Chinese mining industry contributes to abuses in Democratic Republic of the Congo | 19 June 2013 | Amnesty International
Chinese mining companies operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) need to do more to prevent their operations from leading to human rights abuses, Amnesty International warned today in a new report. “Profits and Loss: Mining and human rights in Katanga”, examines the impact of the mining industry in south-eastern DRC.

RD Congo : Tractafric équipe le site minier de Kibali d’un système nouvelle génération | 19 June 2013 | Africatime.com | Digitalcongo.net
La mine d’or de Kibali, en RD Congo, est l’une des plus importantes au monde, avec une réserve estimée à plus de 10 millions d’onces d’or.

Inga Dam

Dam number three at Inga Falls | 18 June 2013 | Mining Weekly
Kinshasa seals a deal with South Africa for the third dam in the series. Chinese, South Korean and Spanish companies are among those competing for the contract to construct Inga 3 after Congo-Kinshasa announced on 18 May that it had clinched a deal with South Africa and other partners concerning the projects at Inga Falls. (Requires subscription).

Nationalism rears head on Inga 3 | 18 June 2013 |Africa Energy Intelligence
A month after informing donors in Paris that it planned to start building Inga 3 in October, 2015, the Congolese government is already organizing another workshop on the dam. (Requires subscription).

Hydrocarbons

Virunga : le Comité du patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO demande l’annulation des permis pétroliers | 18 June 2013 | WWF
L’organisme international qui supervise les sites du patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco a demandé aujourd’hui l’annulation des permis d’exploration pétrolière dans le parc national des Virunga. Certains de ces permis sont détenus par la société britannique Soco International PLC et la compagnie pétrolière française TOTAL.

Uganda

Oil

Oil – Bunyoro Kingdom Faces Split | 13 June 2013 | The Observer (Kampala) | allAfrica
The Observer has learnt that some people from the oil-rich Buliisa district have started mobilizing support for the idea to secede from Bunyoro.

Tullow Oil Wins Ruling Against Heritage for Uganda Tax Bill | 14 June 2013 | Bloomberg
Tullow Oil has said that a London court ruled in its favor and against Heritage Oil Plc in a dispute over a tax bill in Uganda. Tullow bought interests in two blocks in the Lake Albert Basin from Heritage in 2010 for about $1.5 billion. In 2011, London-based Tullow paid the Ugandan government $313 million in capital gains tax after Heritage refused to pay and the government threatened to block the deal. The judge “found in favor of Tullow’s indemnity claim for $313 million in its entirety and also dismissed Heritage’s counterclaim,” Tullow said in a statement.

Tullow Oil Wins Case Against Heritage | 14 June 2013 | New Vision | allAfrica
Heritage Oil Plc Judgment in Commercial Court Case | 14 June 2013 | Heritage Oil Plc | Marketwired
Oil – Heritage Unhappy With Judgement | 16 June 2013 | New Vision | allAfrica
Tullow Gets Its Break in London, but What Has Uganda Achieved? | 18 June 2013 | The Observer (Kampala) | allAfrica
Heritage Oil Plc has said it “strongly disagrees” with the London Court ruling in favour of Tullow oil, maintaining that Tullow’s original payments to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), were commercially motivated rather than as the result of a valid legal obligation.

Key Oil and Gas Meet Set to Begin | 19 June 2013 | New Vision | allAfrica
A key conference on oil and gas licensing and production is set to begin on Thursday in Uganda’s capital Kampala and will run for two days.

Hydropower

Job creation impact study: Bugoye Hydropower Plant, Uganda | June 2013 | ODI
This study looks at the job creation impact of the Bugoye Hydro Power Project (BHPP) in Uganda. The purpose of the study is to enable the Private Infrastructure Development Group to understand the impact that the project has had on jobs and to help develop a methodology for similar studies on other projects.

China to Offer $500m Aid For Uganda’s $2.2b Karuma Power Project | 13 June 2013 | Bloomberg
Concessional funding in addition to Ugandan government’s $700m equity financing, Finance Ministry says in budget document handed to reporters in capital, Kampala. Document doesn’t provide credit terms. Construction of 600MW hydropower plant to start before year end.

Rwanda

Vanoil TEA expires with Rwandan MNR | 18 June 2013 | OilVoice
Vanoil Energy Ltd. reports that the current Technical Evaluation Agreement with the Rwandan Ministry of Natural Resources has expired effective June 13, 2013. The Company has referred this matter to the Conciliation Committee pursuant to Article 10 of the TEA agreement “settlement of disputes”.

Regulation, Compliance and Corporate Social Responsibility

Non-comprehensive overview and selected articles on legal and reputational issues relating to businesses operating in the Great Lakes Region 

G8 Summit, transparency and mining

Shining a light on land deals: sharing lessons for transparency | 14 June 2013 | ODI
The ‘3Ts’ of the G8 summit – tax, trade and transparency – are interlinked, especially through the axis between transparency and tax, as Kevin Watkins outlines.

G8 shines world spotlight on mining transparency, or lack thereof | 17 June 2013 | Mineweb
International and domestic mining’s penchant for secrecy may finally be coming to an end, as fed-up world leaders demand more public scrutiny of miners and their transactions.

EITI in focus at G8 Summit 2013 | 17 June 2013 | EITI
The EITI is a central element to discussions at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland.

Fight against mineral rights abuse is high on agenda | 17 June 2013 | Financial Times | EITI
The problems of tackling the corruption that has often followed the development of mining and oil concessions in developing countries have been put high on the G8’s agenda.

Mining Firms Face New Regulator Scrutiny Amid Deal Probes | 17 June 2013 | Bloomberg
For an industry that routinely makes multi-billion dollar deals with developing-world governments and an array of sometimes controversial leaders, the mining sector has been remarkably free of political scrutiny. No longer.

Scandal of Land Grabs and Tax Dodging Continues At Expense of the World’s Poor – G8 Leaders Must Act to End Hunger | 17 June 2013 | Oxfam International | allAfrica
During the two days of the G8 Summit, which starts today, $2.2 billion in illicit flows will have hemorrhaged from developing countries into tax havens and land one and a half times the size of Manhattan sold off to foreign investors.

Due diligence in Great Lakes region

Advancing due diligence in the mining sector of Africa’s Great Lakes region | 18 June 2013 | IPIS | L4BB
Anna Bulzomi, Business & human rights analyst, IPIS Research writes that: The OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas was met with some skepticism from most companies operating in the Great Lakes region. Three years on, legislative changes in the DRC and Rwanda, clarification of Dodd-Frank’s Section 1502 and self-imposed industry requirements have moved these actors to progressive engagement.

DRC

Hydrocarbons bill

Proposition de loi sur les hydrocarbures : la société civile propose des amendements | 14 June 2013 | Le Potentiel
Des organisations de la Société civile souhaitent que la proposition de loi sur le régime général des hydrocarbures en RDC soit amendée avant son adoption par le Parlement et sa promulgation par le chef de l’Etat.

EITI

RDC: les régies financières du Katanga invitées à collaborer à l’élaboration du rapport ITIE 2011 | 17 June 2013 | Radio Okapi
The EITI has invited the provincial financial authorities and civil society in Katanga to collaborate in data collection for the development of its report for the year 2011. During a workshop on Sunday, June 16 in Lubumbashi, the Minister of Mines, Martin Kabwelulu, 1st Vice-President of the Executive Committee of the EITI, said that the development of this report is to improve the status of the DRC on good governance and transparency in the management of natural resources.

Prochain rapport ITIE – Le Conseil d’administration met l’accent sur six mesures importantes | 18 June 2013 | Le Potentiel | allAfrica
Tirant les leçons de l’invalidation du rapport ITIE 2010, le Conseil d’administration ITIE-RDC analyse six mesures qui devront rigoureusement être appliquées dans le prochain rapport.

Dodd-Frank

GE Publishes Response to Conflict Minerals | 13 June 2013 | CSRwire
GE recently released the summary “GE’s Response to Conflict Minerals” as part of an ongoing supply-chain due-diligence program. Since 2009, the Company has joined in a multi-stakeholder dialogue regarding conflict minerals with nongovernmental organization (NGOs), socially responsible investors and peer companies.

Uganda

EITI

Nigeria’s story should inspire Uganda to join EITI | 16 June 2013 | Oil in Uganda
A week ago, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan ordered Nigerian revenue collection agencies to recover $9.6 billion in underpaid or unpaid taxes and royalties from oil companies operating in Nigeria, following an audit of the country’s oil and gas sector stretching over the last ten years.