DRC natural resources press review of Monday, February 3, 2014

" An as yet unpublished report by Reuters had access reported $ 3.7 billion embezzled with the complicity of customs authorities of Katanga between 2008 and 2013 amid embezzlement and bad tax practices " , informs edition of Kinshasa of Dépêches of Brazzaville. According to the newspaper , several local mining companies are indexed. This is the first conclusions of the commission of inquiry sent by the Attorney General of the Republic to ensure the veracity of the facts. Addition to the twenty -five cases of potential customs offenses listed , eleven companies were targeted come beholden à-vis the tax authorities with a total of $ 741 million in fines and unpaid taxes. Companies complained support not having been contacted by investigators who have intentionally increased amounts due to harm their interests.

On the oil sector , Radio Okapi reports that civil society in Kyaviyongé chiefdom Bashu in the territory of Beni in North Kivu said opposed the decision of the Congolese Government to allow the British company International Socco operation and oil exploration in Block 5 of the Virunga National Park . According to the radio , the president of the association , Michael Avi- Welle, said Saturday 1 February that oil activity does not benefit the local population with the majority living from fishing . To express his discontent , civil society organized a protest march in the Saturday morning in the town of Kyaviyongé . Walking is part of the office of the town to drop the office of chief administrative management position . Michael Avi- Welle said he filed a memorandum with the police chief . He asked him to convey to the Congolese government and the international business Socco . "This agreement states that the government's budget will increase but what he said in relation to the local population, what will it benefit after oil exploitation ? Nothing at all, " he says.

The manufacturing soap of Mbuji-Mayi ( Savoca ) was inaugurated Thursday, January 30 in the capital of Kasai Oriental. It belongs to a Congolese said to have invested more than U.S. $ 600,000 . This company has a daily production capacity of seventy tons , according to its chemical engineer , announces Radio Okapi. According to the engineer of the company, this soap will produce laundry soaps , towels , liquid soap , soap powder and anti -mosquito soap, but said she is still in its experimental phase. And during this period , the daily production of Savoca will be 15 tons of laundry soaps , sachets each containing 5000 representing 9 bars of soap.

UN radio reports that sweet potatoes have flooded the consumer market Mbandaka ( Equateur ) from Tuesday, January 28 . These products come from the village Ilema , about 30 kilometers from the city where the NGO MND , " Mama is Nzela o Development" , with the support of WFP, had grown 3 hectares, to support the families of malnourished children. To believe the women revendeuses sweet potatoes Tuesday a vehicle meets these tubers arrived in the big market from the locality Ilema . The arrival of these sweet potatoes automatically lowers the price of sweet potatoes on the market. The NGO MND sells a pool of 40 pounds to 350 Congolese francs (U.S. $ 0.38) , whereas before , the bucket 20 kg was sold at 400 Congolese francs (U.S. $ 0.43) .