TDRC Archbishop Muteba accuses European NGOs of trying to pit Congolese civil societies against the DRC Government

A co-founder of the civil society coalition Congo Is Not For Sale (Le Congo N’est Pas à Vendre, or CNPAV), Archbishop Florimond Muteba, has announced his departure from the coalition, DRC publication ZoomEco reported. In a resignation letter, he has blamed the Belgian NGO 11.11.11, who describe themselves as seeking to achieve "fair world without exploitation" and provides financing to the coalition, for applying pressure on the national DRC NGOs to campaign against the Israeli businessman Dan Gertler, in what he described as “unacceptable blackmail”.

"One of the main reasons why I left the CNPAV was not only because of the differences in approach to implementing civil oversight, but also because of a kind of visceral relentlessness against one person, Mr Dan Gertler, as if that were the only essential reason for the platform's existence. I found it abnormal that they only released large sums of money if organisations agree to campaign against him, while giving no funds for other, equally important issues," he wrote.

Archbishop Muteba claims that Observatoire de la Dépense Publique (ODEP, or the Organisation for Public Spending Oversight), of which he is Chairman of the Board of Directors, has come under pressure from the leaders of the Belgian NGO 11.11.11 for its support for the roundtable held on 13 and 14 April 2022 by the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and also for having headed the education committee for Mining Week in the country in November 2022, given Mr Gertler’s past involvement in the DRC mining sector.

The Chairman of ODEP's Board of Directors says he supported the lifting of sanctions against Dan Gertler so that the DRC could freely use the assets transferred to them. The voluntary settlement agreement between the Congolese government and Dan Gertler, brokered by the Government, over the mining areas and oil blocks, supported by Florimond Muteba, has enabled the Congolese state to recieve assets and cash valued at more than US$2bn.

In a note addressed to the leaders of the Belgian NGO 11.11.11, Florimond Muteba stated that, as a Congolese, "there is no question of selling out his country to the detriment of imperialist interests". According to him, his actions and those of ODEP are motivated by his deep convictions about his country after 80 years of colonisation and 63 years of neo-colonialism.

"For me, for ODEP and for certain sincere patriotic leaders of civil society, our actions are dictated above all by our love for our country, and not by the defence of public policies and the interests of imperialist Western powers," Florimond Muteba wrote to officials of the Belgian NGO 11.11.11.

Referring to the situation of his family, who spent 25 years in exile under former President Mobutu Sese Seko's dictatorship, to support his argument, Florimond Muteba pointed out that his fight against evil is nothing new.

"You have found pawns in civil society, particularly among our young people, who are ready to betray the Congo tomorrow. We'll save them in the end, but I know you. I have been fighting evil for a long time," he insisted in his letter.

Archbishop Muteba believes that for the Democratic Republic of Congo, the best is yet to come, and if the DRC shines, ODEP will shine and be happy with the results of its work, with or without the support of the imperialists.

Florimond Muteba is adamant that ODEP has only one objective, one agenda, one mission, and that is to defend the interests of the Congolese people.

To set the record straight, ODEP says it is ready to part company with the Belgian NGO 11.11.11, which, according to Florimond Muteba, has strayed from the primary mission of a civil society organization.

"We are in complete agreement on this separation, which for me is a possible spiritual deliverance", he asserts.

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