Congo soldiers clash with Rwandan rebels in transit camp
By Aaron Ross
11 hours ago
Congolese soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) receive instructions …
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congolese soldiers clashed with
Rwandan Hutu rebels being held in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
on Monday, wounding at least six, as an agreement to move the rebels
from one transit camp to another fell apart.
Congolese troops were moving rebel officers from a camp in
Kanyabayonga in North Kivu province, which is run jointly by the
country's United Nation mission and Congo's army, to a larger camp in
the northern city of Kisangani. From there they would be returned to
Rwanda, or possibly to a third country.
"There was some unrest and the ... soldiers shot in the
air," said Daniel Ruiz, the head of the mission's North Kivu office. "In
principle, there was an agreement. In reality, it turned out
differently." Six people were injured, he said.
It
was not immediately clear what provoked the clash. A local activist said
the rebels had stockpiled arms in the camp, but his claim could not be
confirmed.
A
similar transfer on Monday from a camp in Walungu in neighbouring South
Kivu province to Kisangani went smoothly, Ruiz said. The governor of
North Kivu and an army spokesman both said they did not have enough
information to comment.
More than 11,000 rebels from
the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda have been demobilized
and returned to Rwanda since 2002. Their number includes remnants of
the Hutu militia that took part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide before
fleeing across the border.
But repatriations have slowed to a trickle, as remaining
fighters say they fear reprisals from the Rwandan government. U.N.
officials have raised the possibility of sending them to a third
country, but none has been found yet.
In February, Congo's army launched a campaign against the
estimated 1,400 rebels still active, vowing to eradicate them from
Congolese soil.
COMMENTS:
Timothy
The Congo is where metals for things like iPhones
and EV car batteries come from. So enjoy the human misery behind them,
as you drive to brunch in a Tesla and share photos of the quinoa salad.
=====================
Press Release / Feb. 25, 2015
UK lawmaker calls for investigation into London-listed oil company over bribery allegations
A leader of a cross-party anti-corruption
group of British MPs yesterday called for UK and US authorities to
investigate claims that Soco International, a London-listed oil company,
may have breached anti-corruption legislation in the course of its work
in Africa’s oldest national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Analysis by Global Witness, based in part on undercover footage shot by the makers of the Oscar-nominated ‘Virunga’ documentary, showed that Soco and its contractors have made illicit payments, appear to have paid off armed rebels and talked dismissively about the ecosystem of Virunga National Park. Soco’s oil block overlaps with Virunga, a UNESCO World Heritage site in eastern Congo that is home to around a quarter of world’s remaining mountain gorillas.
Soco denies the allegations made against it in the documentary and in Global Witness’ report, Drillers in the Mist, saying in June 2014: “the Company operates in accordance with the Bribery Act 2010 and any allegation to the contrary is categorically denied.” It added: “[p]ayments to rebel groups have never been nor will ever be sanctioned by Soco”.
At Tuesday’s Westminster Hall debate Tessa Munt, Liberal Democrat MP for Wells and vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption, said: “It is surely incumbent on the UK government and its agencies to ensure that any credible evidence of corruption and other criminal behaviour by a UK company, as we have here, is fully investigated by the relevant authorities.”
Munt explained that Soco’s American executive directors are employed by a Delaware-registered subsidiary. As a result, she said, “these individuals fall within the jurisdiction of the United States, and there seems to be a case to be made that Soco International, under their stewardship, has breached the terms of America’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.” Anas Sarwar MP, co-chair of the anti-corruption group, also raised concerns about the involvement of offshore companies in Soco's corporate structure.
“The questions raised by British Members of Parliament highlight the urgent need for both Soco and the relevant authorities in the UK and the US to closely examine the company’s conduct in Virunga,” said Nathaniel Dyer, a campaigner at Global Witness. “Companies cannot be allowed to get away with criminal behaviour just because it happens in remote locations like Congo – if Soco is found to have broken the law, it must face the consequences.”
David Lidington MP, a Foreign Office Minister responding on behalf of the government, said that the UK’s Serious Fraud Office was aware of allegations against Soco and that he would look into the channels for exchanging information with US authorities.
“The government’s long-standing position has been and remains to oppose all oil exploration in Virunga National Park,” said Lidington, before adding that the UK would object to “any attempt by Soco to seek the redrawing of the boundaries of Virunga”. The government supports an alternative economic vision for Virunga based on fisheries, ecotourism and hydropower, he added.
The comments and questions by MPs add to mounting pressure from Soco’s own shareholders for the company to launch an independent investigation into the behaviour of its employees, contractors and representatives in Virunga.
On 8th February 2015, the Church of England, which holds £3 million in Soco shares, issued a statement demanding a “wide ranging and transparent independent enquiry of Soco’s operations in and around Virunga National Park”. The Church also demanded that Soco amend a 2014 joint statement with WWF so that Soco commits unambiguously not to explore for oil within the current boundaries of the park.
/ Ends
Contact:
Nathaniel Dyer, DRC Campaign Leader: +44 (0)77 11 006 799, ndyer@globalwitness.org
Notes to editors:
Analysis by Global Witness, based in part on undercover footage shot by the makers of the Oscar-nominated ‘Virunga’ documentary, showed that Soco and its contractors have made illicit payments, appear to have paid off armed rebels and talked dismissively about the ecosystem of Virunga National Park. Soco’s oil block overlaps with Virunga, a UNESCO World Heritage site in eastern Congo that is home to around a quarter of world’s remaining mountain gorillas.
Soco denies the allegations made against it in the documentary and in Global Witness’ report, Drillers in the Mist, saying in June 2014: “the Company operates in accordance with the Bribery Act 2010 and any allegation to the contrary is categorically denied.” It added: “[p]ayments to rebel groups have never been nor will ever be sanctioned by Soco”.
At Tuesday’s Westminster Hall debate Tessa Munt, Liberal Democrat MP for Wells and vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption, said: “It is surely incumbent on the UK government and its agencies to ensure that any credible evidence of corruption and other criminal behaviour by a UK company, as we have here, is fully investigated by the relevant authorities.”
Munt explained that Soco’s American executive directors are employed by a Delaware-registered subsidiary. As a result, she said, “these individuals fall within the jurisdiction of the United States, and there seems to be a case to be made that Soco International, under their stewardship, has breached the terms of America’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.” Anas Sarwar MP, co-chair of the anti-corruption group, also raised concerns about the involvement of offshore companies in Soco's corporate structure.
“The questions raised by British Members of Parliament highlight the urgent need for both Soco and the relevant authorities in the UK and the US to closely examine the company’s conduct in Virunga,” said Nathaniel Dyer, a campaigner at Global Witness. “Companies cannot be allowed to get away with criminal behaviour just because it happens in remote locations like Congo – if Soco is found to have broken the law, it must face the consequences.”
David Lidington MP, a Foreign Office Minister responding on behalf of the government, said that the UK’s Serious Fraud Office was aware of allegations against Soco and that he would look into the channels for exchanging information with US authorities.
“The government’s long-standing position has been and remains to oppose all oil exploration in Virunga National Park,” said Lidington, before adding that the UK would object to “any attempt by Soco to seek the redrawing of the boundaries of Virunga”. The government supports an alternative economic vision for Virunga based on fisheries, ecotourism and hydropower, he added.
The comments and questions by MPs add to mounting pressure from Soco’s own shareholders for the company to launch an independent investigation into the behaviour of its employees, contractors and representatives in Virunga.
On 8th February 2015, the Church of England, which holds £3 million in Soco shares, issued a statement demanding a “wide ranging and transparent independent enquiry of Soco’s operations in and around Virunga National Park”. The Church also demanded that Soco amend a 2014 joint statement with WWF so that Soco commits unambiguously not to explore for oil within the current boundaries of the park.
/ Ends
Contact:
Nathaniel Dyer, DRC Campaign Leader: +44 (0)77 11 006 799, ndyer@globalwitness.org
Notes to editors:
- Westminster Hall Debates take place in the Grand Committee Room just off Westminster Hall. They are a form of private members’ adjournment debate. The debate, “Allegations of misconduct and human rights abuse by a British oil exploration firm in Democratic Republic of Congo”, can be watched here: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/main/Player.aspx?meetingId=17269 (from 16:00)
- Global Witness’s report ‘Drillers In The Mist’ gives further details on Soco International’s operations in eastern Congo and can be found here: http://bit.ly/1nxlePi
- The Netflix documentary Virunga was nominated for Best Documentary awards at the Oscars and BAFTAs in 2015 and has won over 20 international awards. For more information on the film see: www.virungamovie.com. The film can be streamed via Netflix here: http://nflx.it/1vNTrkK
- In May 2014 Global Witness sent 20 questions to Soco (http://bit.ly/ThuH4E). Soco responded, although avoiding specifics, on 4 June (http://bit.ly/1teHTqu). Last month Global Witness published 10 specific questions that Soco has not yet adequately responded to: http://bit.ly/1Ck79Pz
- Human Rights Watch published a report on 4 June 2014 (“DR Congo: investigate attacks on oil project critics”) which contained much detail about allegations of human rights violations by supporters of Soco and of bribery, and Soco’s response to these allegations has been posted online.
