The stark contrast between Africa’s history during the Industrial Revolution and today’s contemporary neocolonialism is glaring. Very little remains covert and fearfully worse, Africa’s economy, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, continues to decline at a disappointing rate, seemingly unchecked or, as a result of greed, ignored by its leaders. It is a telltale sign that persistent corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo and resource exploitation worsen historical injustices. Preferential trade with European colonizers and unapologetic dictatorship further aggravate the situation across parts of the continent. While the influence of colonization continues to play its charm, the real gamble lies in policy reforms that hardly ever reflect the reality and leadership that civil society entrusts at its head. Ultimately, it boils down to the imprinted top-down social and economic corruption that impacts the people. Today, we witness the cold snares of leaders who, despite their people's history, cast a stark contrast. They feed into the West, draining the nation’s reserves and increasing poverty. Ironically, even in independent nations across much of the continent, the pretentious language of democracy and independence has achieved little. It has left civilians in despair. As a result, corruption increases and becomes overtly exposed across the world.  

The strain of corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

  In the DRC, a mineral-rich nation comprising one of the poorest populations in Africa, under the rule of Joseph Kabila, the crisp taste of corruption and aggravated poverty continues to linger. While some may argue that his leadership brought security off the back of Africa’s World War, where it concerns the people, much of the wealth of the country fed the richness of his family fueling over 80 enterprises locally and abroad. To put it into context, for a country hailing as the biggest producer of natural minerals including copper and generating 60% of the world’s cobalt, and yet statistically, according to the World Bank, “73.5% of Congolese people lived on less than $2.15 a day in 2024”. Although Kabila succeeded in reshaping the political landscape narrowing it down to one conflict zone in North Kivu, it is still active today, the state of corruption that marks current conflicts and exacerbated poverty overshadows all apparent efforts for praise.  

Revolver against corruption: Through the view of whistleblower Jean-Jacques Lumumba

A mere three years before former president Joseph Kabila stepped down from the presidency following a contentious election in 2019, former banker and whistleblower Jean-Jacques Lumumba denounced and exposed corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo under the former president's regime and was thus forced into exile. However, in November of 2024, he returned home to the capital Kinshasa to defend whistleblowers in the Democratic Republic who track down dirty money and those who profit from it. Amid the ongoing plight against corruption in the DRC, the Inspectorate General of Finance (IGF), headed by Mr Jules Alingete and appointed by active president Felix Tshisekedi to uncover cases of embezzlement and corruption has become the topic of a smear campaign accusing him of being complicit in the same crimes. This reflects a classic case of discrediting the administration's efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for fraud. In an interview with Christophe Boisbouvier with RFI (Radio France Internationale), Mr Lumumba shares that while the efforts of Mr Alingete have produced results that would have been systematically hushed under Kabila’s regime, the country's justice system continues to fall short.  

A justice system in crisis

  According to statistics shared at the States General of Justice held on November 6, 2024 (nine years after those organized in 2015 by Alexis Thambwe Mwamba, then Minister of Justice and Human Rights, under President Joseph Kabila), only 0.8% of these resolutions in the National Justice Reform Policy (PNRJ) 2016-2027 have been implemented. In context, the Congolese justice system is characterized by:

• Understaffing
• Prolonged pre-trial detention leading to prison overcrowding
• The slowness of legal proceedings and their monetization
• Rulings handed down in violation of the law
• Decisions that are not enforced

Although track records announce a few reports that have followed judicial proceedings, the ratio to those passed over is dangerously low.  

The return to aid a nation in need

  While the risks of returning from exile are significant, Mr Lumumba, the grand-nephew of the first democratically elected leader Patrice Lumumba, told RFI that he had to choose between remaining in hiding indefinitely or returning to aid his country. His return also coincides with the Conférence Internationale sur le Lancement d’Alerte en RDC (International Conference on Whistleblowing in the DRC) held from 7th to the 8th November 2024 by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF). To name a few, the conference held significant value in promoting transparency and governance, highlighting and prioritizing the protection of whistleblowers and stakeholder agendas, thus aligning with the UN's recommendations for safeguarding individuals who report corruption.  

Perhaps a new wave of DRC’s economic infrastructure awakens

  To address corruption, Lumumba advocates not only for tighter controls but also for rationalizing state spending, and channelling funds toward social programs and investments that could significantly reduce poverty in the DRC. Additionally, he suggests reducing the funding of major state bodies—such as the government, the presidency, and the National Assembly—and lowering salaries for those in power to ensure a fairer distribution of wealth across all levels. In the same breadth that exiled whistleblowers, former Head of Internal Audit and Internal Auditor Gradi Koko and Navy Malela risked their lives and live under the sentence of death for doing their job, Mr Jean-Jacques Lumbumba sees his return as an act of solidarity with his country and others who, like him, refused to remain silent in the face of corruption.