Pope Francis condemns ‘economic colonialism’ in Africa on the first day of his tour

Pope Francis on the first day of his visit to the country strongly denounced the “economic colonialism” that has been “unleashed” in Africa and in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“After political colonialism, an equally addictive economic colonialism unleashed. This largely plundered country therefore fails to take sufficient advantage of its immense resources,” he complained in Kinshasa on Tuesday. His highly political speech to the authorities and the diplomatic corps was met with applause.

“Take your hands off the Democratic Republic of Congo, take your hands off Africa! Stop suffocating Africa: it is not a mine to exploit, nor a country to plunder,” he said again in the gardens of the presidential palace.

This appeal is particularly resonant in the DRC, a country of enormous wealth and fertile soil, where two-thirds of the approximately 100 million inhabitants live on less than EUR 2.07 a day.

“Economic colonialism” was the work of multinational corporations and distant countries, but the DRC’s neighbors are now also accused of adopting the plunder of the DRC’s resources, which benefits them economically and fuels the conflicts that plague the country bleed.

It was a long-awaited response to the endemic conflicts plaguing the east of the country, particularly in North Kivu.

The pope urged Congolese not to “slip into tribalism and confrontation” and encouraged ongoing peace processes “so that commitments are kept”.

Angola has begun mediation efforts to ease tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, accused of supporting the M23 insurgency that has seized parts of North Kivu territory since last year. The fighting continues against loyalist forces and armed groups.

Kenya, for its part, is trying to encourage dialogue between the authorities in Kinshasa and the dozens of armed groups that have been active in the east for nearly 30 years. But these processes have so far not been accompanied by concrete progress on the ground.

The Argentine pope also did not spare the country’s ruling class, calling for “free, transparent and credible elections” despite the threat of corruption as the country prepares for decisive presidential elections in December.

“We will not allow ourselves to be manipulated, much less bribed, by those who want to keep the country in violence to exploit it and do shameful things,” he stressed in the presence of President Félix Tshisekedi, a candidate for re-defense. election that came to power in early 2019 after controversial elections.

Some organizations feel that the process for the next elections has already started very badly and regret the desire to seize power over the electoral bodies.

Comparing the DRC to a “diamond”, the Pope addressed a wide range of themes such as education, environmental protection and religious proselytism – plus “the scourge of child labour”.

“Too many of them die, subjected to slave labor in the mines,” the pope added.

As well as dangerous and degrading working conditions and corruption, allegations of child labor weigh on the artisanal exploitation of minerals such as highly sought-after cobalt, of which the DRC provides about 70 percent of the world’s production.