Kinshasa, August 9, 2024 – Civil society organizations have gathered to analyze addendum number 5 to the SICOMINES contract. Signed on March 14, 2024, this document is supposed to address the imbalances in a mining agreement marred by decades of controversy. However, critics argue that what is being presented now resembles more of a sham of justice than a genuine reform.
Despite impressive commitments on paper—$7 billion for infrastructure, a capital distribution adjusted to 60% for the Chinese and 40% for the DRC in SICOHYDRO, and a 1.2% royalty payment—criticism is rampant. The old adage says, “The devil is in the details,” and here, those details reveal an imminent disaster.
Civil society organizations highlight an unacceptable truth: the addendum does not compensate for the colossal losses of over $10 billion suffered by the Congolese state. Worse still, no control mechanisms are in place to ensure that the $7 billion promised for infrastructure do not disappear into opaque transactions. The share distribution in SICOMINES, where the Chinese hold a crushing 68% majority compared to 32% for the DRC, is an affront to justice. Once again, the DRC seems to be left with a negligible portion of the benefits generated by its own resources.
Addendum number 5 may well be seen as another masterstroke of manipulation. “Promises are like confetti; they fall quickly and scatter,” observes a sharp critic. This unfair share distribution and the glaring imbalance in the management of SICOHYDRO—a dam funded by the mines—highlight once again the contempt of foreign investors for Congolese interests.
Civil society demands firm measures: an urgent renegotiation of the contract terms, a thorough review to ensure fairness, and a ruthless audit. Calls for legal action against those responsible for past abuses are louder than ever. Without genuine reforms, this addendum will be nothing more than a legitimization of historical losses and a new betrayal of the Congolese state.
The ultimate question remains: will the DRC continue to accept the scraps thrown by the powerful, or will it rise to claim what it is owed? As civil society and the public demand answers, it is important to remember that “When one wants to drown a dog, one accuses it of rabies.” In this drama, the real issue is whether the DRC will accept being sacrificed on the altar of foreign interests or will it assert a just and equitable future.
By Franck Zongwe Lukama