“[OSLEG has] the resources to protect and defend, support logistically, and assist generally in the development of commercial ventures to explore, research, exploit and market the mineral, timber, and other resources held by the state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Extract from the partnership agreement between the Zimbabwean company OSLEG and the Kinshasha based Comiex-Congo, whose majority shareholder was Laurent Desire Kabila, former president of the DRC. Global Witness Ltd P O Box 6042, London N19 5WP, United Kingdom telephone: + 44 (0)20 7272 6731 fax: + 44 (0)20 7272 9425 e-mail: [email protected] http://www.globalwitness.org/ ISBN 1 903304 05 9 Recommendations contained on page 2 2nd edition: Updated February 2002 Branching Out Zimbabwe’s Resource Colonialism in Democratic Republic of Congo A Report by Global Witness. February 2002 Branching Out – Zimbabwe’s Resource Colonialism in Democratic Republic of Congo 40 20 ∞ ∞ 0∞ 20∞ 40∞ 60 ∞ Contents 40∞ 40∞ Recommendations M e d Algiers i t e Tunis r r TUNISIA a Rabat n Madeira Is. e a n S e Preface (PORTUGAL) a MOROCCO Tripoli Canary Is. Cairo (SPAIN) ALGERIA Introduction Laayoun LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA EGYPT Western Sahara The timber deal R e d S 20 e 20 ∞ MAURITANIA a ∞ . The creation of SOCEBO CAPE VERDE Nouakchott NIGER MALI ERITREA Dakar CHAD Khartoum Praia Asmara . Supporting information SENEGAL Niamey Lake GAMBIA Bamako Chad n Banjul SUDAN Ade BURKINA FASO f of Socotra N'Djamena DJIBOUTI Gul Bissau (YEMEN) Ouagadougou Djibouti GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA . Will the deal happen as planned? B E NIGERIA G T Conakry H N ETHIOPIA O C‘TE- A I Freetown G N Abuja N A D'IVOIRE A O Addis Ababa SIERRA CENTRAL I LEONE Yamoussoukro L Monrovia Accra AFRICAN REPUBLIC A . The Malaysian element e Porto LIBERIA m Novo CAMEROON Bangui M Abidjan o L O Malabo YaoundÈ S Lake EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA Turkana Principe Lake O Albert Mogadishu Zimbabwean military involvement in G Kampala SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE Sao Libreville Tome N KENYA 0 Sao Tome 0∞ ∞ GABON O DEMOCRATIC C RWANDA Nairobi DRC AnnobÛn REPUBLIC Kigali (EQUATORIAL GUINEA) Lake OF THE Victoria INDIAN OCEAN Brazzaville Bujumbura CONGO BURUNDI Kinshasa Pemba Amirante Is. Cabinda Lake Dodoma Victoria (ANGOLA) Tanganyika Zanzibar . Operation Sovereign Legitimacy ATLANTIC UNITED REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES Ascension TANZANIA (UK) Luanda Aldabra Is. Providence Is. (OSLEG) – the corporate structure Lake Farquhar Is. OCEAN Nyasa Moroni Agalega Is. ANGOLA COMOROS (MAURITIUS) develops Lilongwe ZAMBIA MALAWI E Tromelin St. Helena Lusaka U R (FRANCE) (UK) I Q A Cargados . The Structure of ZDF’s holdings in Harare Lake B C Carajos Kariba M SAntananarivo ZIMBABWE A A MAURITIUS Z G Port Louis DRC 20 A 20 ∞ O ∞ NAMIBIA D RÈunion M BOTSWANA A (FRANCE) Windhoek Gaborone M . The cost of Zimbabwe’s Pretoria Maputo Mbabane SWAZILAND intervention in DRC AFRICA Bloemfontein Maseru SOUTH LESOTHO AFRICA Conclusion Cape Town References 0 500 1000 km 40 40∞ ∞ The boundaries and names shown and the designations used 0 500 1000 mi on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. 40 60 20 ∞ 0 ∞ 20∞ ∞ ∞ Map No. 4045 Rev. 2 UNITED NATIONS Department of Public Information March 2001 Cartographic Section 10° 15° CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 25° 30° SUDAN 5° Uban Bangassou 5° Bangui g i Juba DEMOCRATIC Zongo Yaoundé Gbadolite Bondo Faradje REPUBLIC OF THE Libenge Businga U e le Ki Gemena Aketi Buta Isiro Watsa bali CONGO g ala Gulu on Lisala Bumba PROVINCE Mungbere M International boundary o ORIENTALE UGANDA i n g i Lake u o opor A ruwim i Bunia Lake District boundary Ouesso g C L Basoko Albert n Kyoga a a Bafwasende National capital b ong Basankusu u l Lu Kisangani District capital O EQUATEUR Yangambi Kampala Jinja Libreville Butembo Kasese Town, village Mbandaka S 0° CONGO Boende Ubundu NORD- 0° Main road Ts L Lake hu L u N ap o a Edward Secondary road a m l Lubutu KIVU Lo a Lake L m a b I m a Victoria Railroad u el Ikela Punia il a i Goma ak U a ( Airport l A Inongo C in Lake RWANDA d o i Kivu Bolobo n Kigali g 0 100 200 300 km Lac T Kutu o Bukavu Butare Mai-Ndombe ) KASAI SUD- 0100 200 mi L Kindu N Bandundu u ken ie Lodja Uvira Bujumbura K Kampene asa ORIENTAL KIVU K i Kibombo U BURUNDI Brazzaville w San il k MANIEMA Kinshasa u Ilebo KASAI u r O SA u A Bulungu Kasongo SH Kenge Mweka Lusambo Kigoma Pointe-Noire BAS-CONGO KIN 5° OCCIDENTAL Tabora 5° L Cabinda Kikwit Lubao Kongolo M Mbanza- a (ANGOLA) Boma Matadi uga k Ngungu BANDUNDU uk e UNITED Mbuji-Mayi Kabalo L Kananga Kalemie Tshikapa L REPUBLIC u ATLANTIC Kabinda a K K l OF a a w b T sa OCEAN a i a A a TANZANIA N'zeto n n g Mwene-Ditu Manono g o SHABA Moba a n Sumbawanga B L y (KATANGA) u v i u a k Kapanga Pweto a Kamina M Luanda L Mbeya u l U u Lake ANGOLA a Mweru DEMOCRATIC Katanga T ° REPUBLIC OF THE Saurimo Plateau ° 10 CONGO I 10 Dilolo Kasenga ZAMBIA M M Kolwezi L Likasi a ze Lake k A be Bangweulu e am Lubumbashi M Luena Z L Solwezi Kipushi a A Lobito l The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on a w Sakania W this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the i United Nations. Ndola I 10° 15° 20° 25° 30° Map No. 4007 Rev. 6 UNITED NATIONS Department of Public Information April 2000 Cartographic Section Branching Out – Zimbabwe’s Resource Colonialism in Democratic Republic of Congo Recommendations Preface ● The Government of Zimbabwe should unilaterally The first version of this report was released withdraw from the SOCEBO logging deal, as it is contrary in August . Since then there have been to peace initiatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo. significant developments which make the ● The Parliament of Zimbabwe should condemn the release of an updated report necessary. corporate ambitions of Zanu-PF, the ruling party, some of which are detrimental to regional peace, and undermine Firstly, logging has commenced in DRC’s political stability. Katanga Province. Secondly, in mid – late ● To demonstrate its commitment to regional peace, the the United Nations Panel of Experts Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural should cancel the SOCEBO contract to exploit the country’s forests. Resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), under an extension of their The UN Security Council should: mandate, carried out further investigations ● Endorse and expand upon the recommendation contained and were able to obtain important new in the Report of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of details about Zimbabwe’s logging ambitions Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of Congo, that ‘conflict timber’ be categorised as a in the DRC. commodity banned from international trade.* Accordingly, Since then the political situation in the UNSC should impose sanctions on all timber exports Zimbabwe has seriously deteriorated, very from the DRC until it can be demonstrated that these exports do not fund or otherwise contribute to the probably increasing President Mugabe’s continuation of conflict. dependence on the DRC’s natural resources to The UN Security Council and the Commonwealth Heads of fund the forces, both political and military, State should: necessary to his political survival. Therefore ● Condemn the Government of Zimbabwe’s ‘resource the logging deal detailed in this report could colonialism’ in Democratic Republic of Congo. well become a central plank in Mugabe’s ● Exert pressure on both Zimbabwe and the DRC to cancel funding of his increasingly despotic regime the proposed million hectare logging deal because it and corrupt electioneering. poses a severe threat to the regional peace process, sustainable forestry is not possible in the current climate, and because the forests of DRC have been highlighted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of only countries where conservation efforts should be concentrated. List of acronyms The international community, particularly the EU, its member CIO Central Intelligence Organisation states and the Commonwealth, should: DRC Democratic Republic of Congo ● Place an embargo on imports of natural resources that OSLEG Operation Sovereign Legitimacy SOCEBO Société congolaise d’exploitation have been plundered or expropriated by armed factions, or du bois those linked to them. WHCM Western Hemisphere Capital Management * “New criteria on ‘conflict timber’ should be considered…Failure to abide by WHRE Western Hemisphere Resource [the recommended procedures] should be considered to be complicity on the Exploration part of those countries and they should be listed as countries facilitating ‘illicit ZDF Zimbabwean Defence Forces timber’ and ‘conflict timber product’…” Report of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal ZDI Zimbabwean Defence Industries Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of ZFC Zimbabwean Forestry Congo; . Commission Branching Out – Zimbabwe’s Resource Colonialism in Democratic Republic of Congo Introduction © A P© Photo / Fran HIS REPORT focuses on Zimbabwe’s logging ambitions in the DRC – potentially the world’s largest ever timber deal. However, it ç should be remembered that this deal ois Mori is justT one strand of the powerful and intricate corporate web created over the past few years by Zimbabwe’s ruling party, Zanu-PF, and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, in an attempt to capture both foreign and domestic state and private assets. This network has presumably been created to enhance the personal wealth of those involved, to maintain Zanu-PF’s power base and to recoup some of the costs of Zimbabwe’s chaotic military intervention in DRC.