Corruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Last updated

Corruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , which used to be an institutionalized part of the state, has been relatively lowered in recent years. However, it continues to exceed corruption in comparison to most states. The BBC's DRC country profile calls its recent history "one of civil war and corruption." [1] President Joseph Kabila established the Commission of Repression of Economic Crimes upon his ascension to power in 2001. [2]

Contents

History

The Mobutu era (1965–1997)

Mobutu Sese Seko ruled Zaire from 1965 to 1997, looting his country's wealth for personal use to such a degree that critics coined the term "kleptocracy". A relative once explained how the government illicitly collected revenue: "Mobutu would ask one of us to go to the bank and take out a million. We'd go to an intermediary and tell him to get five million. He would go to the bank with Mobutu's authority, and take out ten. Mobutu got one, and we took the other nine." [3] The Congolese explained the lack of support from the government by the humorous article 15 : Débrouillez-vous ("Figure it yourself").

Mobutu institutionalized corruption to prevent political rivals from challenging his control, leading to an economic collapse in 1996. [4] Mobutu allegedly amassed between US$50 million and $125 million during his rule. [5] [6]

The Kabila Era (1997–2019)

Laurent Kabila led an insurgent group against Mobutu and quickly assumed power after Mobutu was overthrown. [7] During this time period, Kabila issued a statement making himself president with near absolute power in the government. [8] With people supporting him for overthrowing Mobutu, he was not initially met with much public opposition. [9] However, Kabila's and his government's goals for the regime were said to be unclear and vague. [9]

He refused immediate elections in fear of the country returning to Mobutuism, and continued to postpone promised elections. [8] The constitution was not changed, and he and his peers exploited resources for their personal benefit. [10] Laurent Kabila led a regime that upheld corruption through clientelism by appointing his clients as cabinet members. [11] Under the Kabila regime, the DRC has failed to pull itself out of its “collapsed state” status from when Mobutu was in power. [12]

The government has not implemented security and human rights reforms, free media, and the decentralization of power. [13] The economy plummeted, forcing workers to be underpaid and living conditions to deteriorate. [14] Laurent Kabila was killed in 2001 by one of his body guards in an attempted coup d'état. [15]

During that time period, The Democratic Republic of Congo received a score of 1.9 out of 10 in the Corruption Perception Index, which reveals high levels of corruption. [11]

His son, Joseph Kabila was elected president after Laurent Kabila's death. [7] Joseph Kabila is working with the World Bank to curtail corruption and improve economy. [16] In addition, the Commission of Economic Crimes was implemented in 2001 by President Joseph Kabila. Nonetheless, there are still reports of high-ranking officials exploiting resources for their personal benefit and other forms of corruption. [10] In 2006, the constitution changed the president's minimum age from 35 to 30 years old to include Joseph Kabila, who was 33 at the time. [11]

In 2017, Reuters exposed a scheme involving overpriced biometric passports. [17]

After Kabilas (2019–)

In June 2020, a court in the Democratic Republic of Congo found President Felix Tshisekedi's chief of staff Vital Kamerhe guilty of corruption. He was sentenced to 20 years' hard labor, after facing charges of embezzling almost $50m (£39m) of public funds. He was the most high-profile figure to be convicted of corruption in the DRC. [18] However, Kamerhe was released already in December 2021. [19]

In November 2021, a judicial investigation targeting former president Joseph Kabila and his associates was opened in Kinshasa after revelations of alleged embezzlement of $138 million. [20]

Corruption Perceptions Index

YearScoreRank
2017 21 161 [21]
2018 20 161 [22]
2019 18 168 [23]
2020 18 170 [24]
2021 19 169 [25]
2022 20 166 [26]
2023 20 162 [27]

The table above shows how the Democratic Republic of the Congo fared in seven successive years of Transparency International's ranking of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index. Countries are scored on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean") and then ranked by score; the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. [28]

See also

General:

Related Research Articles

The earliest known human settlements in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been dated back to the Middle Stone Age, approximately 90,000 years ago. The first real states, such as the Kongo, the Lunda, the Luba and Kuba, appeared south of the equatorial forest on the savannah from the 14th century onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span>

The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has declined drastically around the 1980s, despite being home to vast potential in natural resources and mineral wealth; their gross domestic product is $69.474 billion as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span>

Politics of the Democratic Republic of Congo take place in a framework of a republic in transition from a civil war to a semi-presidential republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurent-Désiré Kabila</span> President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997–2001

Laurent-Désiré Kabila or more succinctly, Laurent Kabila, was a Congolese rebel and politician who served as the third President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 until his assassination in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> Country in Central Africa

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country in Central Africa. By land area, the DRC is the second-largest country in Africa and the 11th-largest in the world. With a population of around 112 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populous Francophone country in the world. The national capital and largest city is Kinshasa, which is also the economic center. The country is bordered by the Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, the Cabinda exclave of Angola, and the South Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Kabila</span> President of the DR Congo from 2001 to 2019

Joseph Kabila Kabange is a Congolese politician who served as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between January 2001 and January 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination of his father, President Laurent-Désiré Kabila in the context of the Second Congo War. He was allowed to remain in power after the 2003 Pretoria Accord ended the war as the president of the country's new transitional government. He was elected as president in 2006 and re-elected in 2011 for a second term. Since stepping down after the 2018 election, Kabila, as a former president, serves as a senator for life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AFDL</span> Anti-Mobutu military coalition (1996–1997)

The Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire, also known by the French acronym AFDL, was a coalition of Rwandan, Ugandan, Burundian, and Congolese dissidents, disgruntled minority groups, and nations that toppled Mobutu Sese Seko and brought Laurent-Désiré Kabila to power in the First Congo War. Although the group was successful in overthrowing Mobutu, the alliance fell apart after Kabila did not agree to be dictated by his foreign backers, Rwanda and Uganda, which marked the beginning of the Second Congo War in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> Political elections for public offices in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Direct elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo occur for the Presidency, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies. The Senate, and provincial governors are elected indirectly by members of the provincial assemblies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Étienne Tshisekedi</span> Congolese politician (1932–2017)

Étienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba was a Congolese politician and the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the main opposing political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A long-time opposition leader, he served as Prime Minister of the country on three brief occasions: in 1991, 1992–1993, and 1997. He was also the father of the current President, Felix Tshisekedi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vital Kamerhe</span> Congolese politician

Vital Kamerhe Lwa Kanyiginyi Nkingi is a Congolese politician, currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Economy and the leader of the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC) party. He served as the President of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2006 to 2009. After resigning from that office, he went into the opposition and founded the UNC. He ran in the 2011 presidential election. He supported Félix Tshisekedi as a coalition partner in the 2018 presidential election, and became chief of staff when Tshisekedi took office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election</span>

General elections were held in Democratic Republic of the Congo on 28 November 2011; a facultative run-off on 26 February 2012 was shelved with a change in election laws.

Médard Mulangala Lwakabwanga is a politician from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is President of the Union for a Republican Majority and a leader of the Union Sacree pour l’Alternance, an umbrella grouping of opposition parliamentary parties and community groups that forms the third-largest political structure within the opposition and Rapporteur of the National Assembly's Committee on Economics and Finance, making him the opposition's lead spokesman on budgetary, economic and investment policy in the Republic.

The Congolese Rally for Democracy–Goma was a faction of the Congolese Rally for Democracy, a rebel movement based in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the Second Congo War (1998–2003). After the war, some members of the group continued sporadic fighting in North Kivu. The movement also entered mainstream politics, participating in democratic elections with little success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frédéric Kibassa Maliba</span> Congolese politician (1939–2003)

Frédéric Kibassa Maliba was a politician in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Kibassa held the positions of Deputy Minister of Mines and then Minister of Mines in the Laurent-Désiré Kabila government. He was accused of misappropriating funds in June 2000, while he was Minister of Mines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union for the Congolese Nation</span> Political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Union for the Congolese Nation is a political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was founded in 2010 by Vital Kamerhe, who was at the time a close ally of the former president Joseph Kabila. Kamerhe had previously served as the Chief of Staff to Kabila and as the Speaker of the National Assembly.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a truth commission which ran from July 2003 - February 2007 to investigate and promote national unity as a response to the atrocities committed in the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo between the Congolese army, Congolese rebels, and foreign insurgents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Félix Tshisekedi</span> President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo is a Congolese politician who has been the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 24 January 2019. He is the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the DRC's oldest and largest party, succeeding his late father Étienne Tshisekedi in that role, a three-time Prime Minister of Zaire and opposition leader during the reign of Mobutu Sese Seko. Tshisekedi was the UDPS party's candidate for president in the December 2018 general election, which he was awarded, despite accusations of irregularities from several election monitoring organisations and other opposition parties. The Constitutional Court of the DRC upheld his victory after another opposition politician, Martin Fayulu, challenged the result, but Tshisekedi has been accused of making a deal with his predecessor, Joseph Kabila. The election marked the first peaceful transition of power since the state became independent from Belgium in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Fayulu</span> Congolese politician (born 1956)

Martin Madidi Fayulu is a Congolese politician. He is the leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominique Sakombi Inongo</span> Congolese politician

Dominique Sakombi Inongo was a Congolese politician and diplomat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Republic of the Congo–Israel relations</span> Bilateral relations

Formal diplomatic relations between Israel and the Democratic Republic of Congo have existed since 1962. Both countries are members of the United Nations. In 1973, like the majority of African countries that previously recognized Israel, Zaire decided to break its relations with Israel after the Yom Kippur War, but reestablished them, unlike other African countries, in the early 1980s.

References

  1. ↑ "DR Congo country profile". BBC News. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Werve, Jonathan (2006). The Corruption Notebooks 2006. p. 57.
  3. ↑ Ludwig, Arnold M. (2002). King of the Mountain: The Nature of Political Leadership. p. 72.
  4. ↑ Nafziger, E. Wayne; Raimo Frances Stewart (2000). War, Hunger, and Displacement: The Origins of Humanitarian Emergencies. p. 261.
  5. ↑ Washington Post, "Mobutu: A Rich man In Poor Standing". 2 October 1991.
  6. ↑ The New York Times, "Mobutu’s village basks in his glory". 29 September 1988.
  7. 1 2 Isango, Eddy (December 7, 2006). "Kabila Promises New Era for Congo" (PDF). Antigenocide.org.
  8. 1 2 Rosenblum, Peter (May 1998). "Kabila's Congo". Current History. 97 (619): 193–199. doi:10.1525/curh.1998.97.619.193. S2CID   146274596. ProQuest   200705711.
  9. 1 2 Schatzberg, Michael G. (1997). "Beyond Mobutu: Kabila and the Congo". Journal of Democracy. 8 (4): 70–84. doi:10.1353/jod.1997.0065. S2CID   154740659.
  10. 1 2 Nguh, Augustin (December 2013). "Corruption and Infrastructure Megaprojects in the DR Congo" (PDF). International Rivers.
  11. 1 2 3 Matti (2010). "The Democratic Republic of the Congo? Corruption, Patronage, and Competitive Authoritarianism in the DRC". Africa Today. 56 (4): 42–61. doi:10.2979/aft.2010.56.4.42. S2CID   153894995.
  12. ↑ Reyntjens, Filip (2001). "Briefing: The Democratic Republic of Congo, from Kabila to Kabila". African Affairs. 100 (399): 311–317. doi:10.1093/afraf/100.399.311. JSTOR   3518770.
  13. ↑ Dizolele, Mvemba (July 2010). "The Mirage of Democracy in the DRC" (PDF). Journal of Democracy. 21 (3): 143–157. doi:10.1353/jod.0.0189. S2CID   154018859 – via National Endowment for Democracy and The Johns Hopkins University Press.
  14. ↑ Mills, Greg (February 2002). "Africa Portal". Africa Portal. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  15. ↑ Christensen, Christian (2004). "Political Victims and Media Focus: The Killings of Laurent Kabila, Zoran Djindjic, Anna Lindh and Pim Fortuyn" (PDF). Journal for Crime, Conflict and the Media. 2: 17 – via JC2M.
  16. ↑ "Democratic Republic of Congo" (PDF). United Nations.
  17. ↑ "Congo's pricey passport scheme sends millions of dollars offshore". Reuters . 13 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  18. ↑ "Vital Kamerhe: DRC president's chief of staff found guilty of corruption". BBC News. 20 June 2020.
  19. ↑ "DRC: Under what conditions has Vital Kamerhe been released?". The Africa Report.com. 7 December 2021.
  20. ↑ "DRC: Investigation opens on Joseph Kabila over $138 million embezzlement". Africanews. 24 November 2021.
  21. ↑ ""Democratic Republic of the Congo (2017)"" . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  22. ↑ ""Democratic Republic of the Congo (2018)"" . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  23. ↑ ""Democratic Republic of the Congo (2019)"" . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  24. ↑ ""Democratic Republic of the Congo (2020)"" . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  25. ↑ ""Democratic Republic of the Congo (2021)"" . Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  26. ↑ ""Democratic Republic of the Congo (2022)"" . Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  27. ↑ ""Democratic Republic of the Congo (2023)"" . Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  28. ↑ "The ABCs of the CPI: How the Corruption Perceptions Index is calculated". Transparency.org. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.