After changing the constitution in late 2015, and winning a profoundly flawed election in March 2016, President Denis Sassou Nguesso, remains faithful to the old Maoist ideology: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” Indeed, following the 2016 election, from April 4 to December 23, his militia bombed an entire region of the country, which was seen as loyal to the political opposition. At the time, Amnesty International and other human rights groups claimed that at least 30 bombs were dropped on residential areas.
To be sure, Sassou Nguesso’s relationships with China’s communist elite dates back decades. The Republic of Congo was actually one of the first countries in the world to recognize the People’s Republic in 1963. Shivering with his Maoist fever, Sassou Nguesso in fact “donated” two million dollars to inaugurate in July 2012 a “Sassou Nguesso School for Sino-Congolese friendship,” located in occupied Tibet.
Like his Chinese idols, Sassou Nguesso — who has now occupied power for over 40 years — has often used brute force to impose himself on the people. As a result of this repression, he has also become isolated on the international scene. To break this diplomatic quarantine, Sassou Nguesso decided to put an end to the little autonomy that Congo maintained by further strengthening an alliance with the oppressive regime in Beijing. Speaking on CCTV — the Chinese state broadcaster — in 2016 before the arbitration of Case No. 2013-19 between the Republic of the Philippines and China, the president flatly stated: "The Republic of Congo supports China's position on the South China Sea, and we will coordinate closely with China on international affairs." This irresponsible conduct in a case as sensitive as the South China Sea is likely to exacerbate military tensions and undermine peace and stability in the region.
More recently, in June 2019, the kleptocratic Congolese regime, with an assist from China (and also France), secured a $449 million bailout from the International Monetary Fund, despite billions of dollars being looted by the Congolese regime over the past decade. Today, the hideous debt owed to China amounts to more than 80% of Congo’s GDP and has merely filled the belly of an irresponsible family, insatiable and totally incapable of delivering development and prosperity to the Congolese population.
To pay back its Chinese godfather, the Congolese kleptocracy compromised itself again in late July 2019, by helping to whitewash the crimes against humanity being perpetrated against the people of Xinjiang province.
In short, China’s growing influence in the Republic of Congo is not just due to the former’s economic largesse. It is quite simply an “anti-imperialism” scam to suppress local communities and the people’s democratic aspirations, all while draped in Pavlovian nationalism. Because ethical leadership matters and because true democracy is integral for our development, Congo’s upcoming 2021 presidential election remains our best shot to unroot this Maoist-inspired repression. We urge the democrats of the world to stand with us.
Andréa Ngombet is a civil society leader, a One Young World Ambassador, and is currently running for President of the Republic of the Congo. He is an anti-corruption expert and a member of the International Coalition for Democracy Renewal. Previously, Ngombet served as Global Coordinator of the #Sassoufit Collective, which advocates for democracy and the rule of law in the Republic of Congo.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Vanguard Africa or the Vanguard Africa Foundation.