DRC entrance into EAC

The hot topic around the region outside the upcoming legendary showdown between Kenya vs Tanzania. Is that DRC has formally written a requested to join the EAC, where it will share union with the 5 member states.

Before we can count the big news. We need to remember that DRC though rich in minerals, arable land, timber, and water, etc. We must not forget about its people who have been suffering and have never known peace. Can the EAC bring change to those people?

What would this mean for Kenyan Businesses?

I doubt the EAC can bring peace when it comes to DRC. We are here to do business and make money and thats the sad truth.

Although peace would be great as it will provide people with security to do business i dont see that happening anytime soon.

Peace in DRC is rather complicated. We can’t match interest EAC will have in DRC in comparison to 1st world’s like France, Belgium and the rest who mine there. It’s a very thin line

To understand DRC now, learn its history up to the present then you will understand it’s decision to join EAC.

First DRC is only a country on paper, its a two state, DRC from Atlantic ocean to the rain forest and East Congo DRC. Before independent and just after independence the country was split into various state provinces that governed itself but nationally it was under belgium colonial rule. After independence we had a prime minister Lumumba running national government but the belgium king as Head of state. The provinces were also ran separately. That’s how Katanga Province predominantly at the south west along Zambia border was a state in itself within a DRC state. DRC is so vast its the size of western europe and in between is a vast, dense rainforest that separate towns and provinces. colonial Belgium tried yo build infrastructure and predictably that followed the resources line and the towns that sprung around them. Katanga Prince rebelled against Lumumba at the behest of the west, arrested him and handed him over to cia and belgium spies to butcher, kill and dissolve his remains in acid. Mobutu was picked as their puppet head of state and the blunder continued. One day in the UN in New York Mobutu had a rare sense of good morals and read an historic speech condemning the west blunder in DRC and how he is fixed to accept it. The next day usa, france and belgium stopped aid to DRC. Mobutu realized without it he couldn’t pay salaries, he would have to share his loot to run the country. He came up with a policy that led to the death of civil service and administration in DRC. He turned to the soldiers and told them he has no money to pay them now or ever again. He has already given them the guns so he can’t also give them money to carry the guns. He told them to chose the gun or salaries. Predictably they decided to stay with the guns. So Mobutu said in order to keep them loyal to him then they were given permission to collect taxes from the people as they wish. They have the guns for that. That’s how lawlessness spread in DRC. Soldiers and cops taking payoffs from businesses and people as their salaries. Mobutu also realized how vast the country was that even the colonial rule was a collection of various administrations of the country. So he gave up on East DRC to care for itself. He let the few roads build up that connect Kinshasa to Katanga province to deteriorate on purpose. The same to other roads into the interior. This was because rebel groups had formed to either breakaway from Kinshasa or tried to match non the capital to depose him. He fought internal wars with them, lost but promoted himself as victor. The west were supporting both sides, they only cared to have a window of blunder through their companies. Mobutu realized with bad infrastructure, rebel will need months to match to Kinshasa. By the late 70’s to early 80’s there were no roads to talk about in interior DRC. As Mobutu grew senile his greed become too much for the west masters to ignore. He was the new king of the Congo literary. In the east usa had it two blue eyed boys in M7 in Uganda and Kagame in Rwanda. Anything and everything the USA wanted in East Congo was provided by the two Hq’s. Kampala or Kigali. They asked them to get a new person in DRC to take over the east build up momentum to move to the capital. Rwanda was particularly happy with this as it wanted to chase after the Hutu interhamwe in East DRC for the hell that was the genocide. They picked Kabila, armed him, trained his militia and embedded their own troops to capture East DRC. The interhamwe moved deep into the rain forest such that chasing after them wasn’t feasible. With the usa pushing they moved to Kinshasa to take power. For once the country was whole again. It was short lived. The difference between the east and west showed. Kiswahili speaking easterners were in sharp contrast to the french speakers in the west and capital. Soon kabila disagreed with many, the east broke up to various rebel groups, the west miners sponsored rebellion rather than pay taxes. Kabila literary took diamonds and gold to Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia to send its troops into DRC ton prop him up. Kampala and Kigali supported the rebels as ordered by Washington to fight to overthrow kabila. Africa’s first regional war courtesy of uncle Sam took place for two years. Ug-Rwanda lost and a stalemate was reached. DRC was too big for anyone to rule. Uganda controls North East DRC up to Kisangani, Rwanda controls the central regions starting with its two bigger town city of Bukavu and Pemba. Katanga province in the south west is most running like an independent state with its border with Zambia as the main route for exports to Beira port in Mozambique. Central and North DRC mostly connects to Mombasa port. Tanzania inaction in DRC is their own undoing. Maybe they felt their own country is too big southwards to care for DRC and its many problems.

Presently President Tseshekedi has realized he needs a more practical solution for east DRC. Luckly kabila jnr has agreed, he is still smarting from the west betrayal on him despite being their man. It involves linking DRC west to East through roads and railways. Something kabila realized belatedly and gave Dubai port to build a port in the Atlantic. Their current port is a joke for a mineral richest country in the world. China is to build the infrastructure. To control the east he is banking on good relations with Rwanda and Uganda through joint infrastructure linkups. He wants the three nations to beef up the UN mission in East Congo to end the menace of the 20 rebel groups operating there. All those link up naturally come to Mombasa. That’s why we are backing them to join.

GREAT READ PROFFESSOR , but swali was , will EAC bring change to DRC…even with it’s fragmented state with rebel controll as you have put it ,
Will EAC bring peace to DRC or fight off these eauropean leeches ? ama EAC 's work is to provide PORTS AND RAILWAYS to transport their minerals ?