DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC CONGO: Diamond mining town of Mbuji Mayi highlights divisions ahead of election

With only a few days left until 60 million people are due to vote for their new president, the diamond mining town of Mbuji Mayi in the south central region of Democratic Republic of the Congo highlights the divisions that tore the Congolese nation apart during the brutal five year war. Mbuji Mayi is one of the world's biggest sources of industrial diamond and home to an important base of one of the opposition parties, UDPS (Union for Democracy and Social Progress), headed by veteran opposition politician Etienne Tshisekedi. UDPS shuns the upcoming poll on Sunday (July 30) - the country's first democratic elections in more than 40 years - as fraudulent. Supporters from each of the town's districts, gather for their daily meetings near the city centre. "We have demanded a debate in order for UDPS members to take active part in the CEI (Independent Electoral Commission), if we are to enrol our combatants to take part and give credibility to this election," said Sana Tshilumbay, during a rally in Mbuji Mayi. In another part of the city, another kind of daily gathering takes place. Near "The Star" roundabout, the home for one of DRC's most important diamond markets, hundreds of traders take their positions, calculators at hand at their stalls, ready to strike a deal. Mbuji Mayi is one of the nation's largest urban areas and the commercial centre for a region in which most of the world's industrial diamonds are produced and millions of dollars change hands here each year. The community was developed by Europeans as a diamond-mining centre of the Belgian Congo after 1910. As the DRC has little capability of cutting and finishing the rough diamonds extracted from its territories, most exporting activities are handled by third parties. The five year war that plagued the country between 1998 and 2003 had an economic as well as a political side. Fighting was fuelled by the country's vast mineral wealth, with all sides taking advantage of the anarchy to plunder natural resources. In times of conflict the gems are a high-value commodity, favoured by militias, rebels, as well as arms dealers, smugglers and criminals of all types. During a three-year U.N.-backed peace process that brought rebels out of the bush, some of the world's largest mining companies have lined up for a stake in Congo, promising hundreds of millions of dollars in investment and thousands of jobs. Mining majors are rushing to begin projects and open offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, drawn by high-quality mineral deposits, high metal prices and the prospect of post-election stability. Around 16 big mining corporations have already opened offices in the DRC. But diamond traders in Mbuji Mayi market have other ideas. "We don't want elections. We want unity, which means negotiations between all political parties," said Gregoire Jean. Despite the vast amount of wealth, most of the people in the city here live on the poverty line. Those who don't work with a mining corporation often start mining or trading illegally. Around a million people live in this area, and water and electricity are scarce. Roads are broken and women travel for miles to the city for a few litres of water. Analysts say this is why the people of this region identify with the UDPS opposition party. "People from the Kasai province have always felt they lost the goods they owned," said Elikia Mbokolo, a high school lecturer. People, he says, were "in the 60's, engaged in a political secession. When that failed, they rallied during the economical recession by forming an independent monetary zone inside Zaire in the 90s," said social sciences professor Elikia Mbokolo. "Having failed in these two situations, they identified themselves in UDPS and Etienne Tshisekedi, who appear as the party of opposition to the centralised power, and centralising power of Kinshasa," Mbokolo added. Landmark elections this month could usher in a mining boom for the vast African state whose mineral riches have in the past produced as much war, corruption and misery as wealth. The polls are seen as a crucial step in bucking a historical trend in Congo: from the 1885-1908 rule of King Leopold through to the recent 1998-2003 war, exploitation of the former Belgian colony's resources has been tainted with blood. For now, in this capital of diamonds, Nagoya Kasengi is king. The rich entrepreneur is one of the most influential people in Mbuji Mayi. On a short visit to the market in 'The Star' area of town, he was received with an equivalent of the Congolese red carpet. Women danced around him and men ran along him chanting his name. In a country where around 70 percent of the population doesn't have access to healthcare, and most live on a dollar a day, Kasengi represents the smell of success. But despite its vast natural wealth, DRC remains one of the poorest places in Africa. Its citizens are hoping this election is a chance to change that.

ITN Source | July 26, 2006

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