The Republic of Congo has granted more than 22,000 hectares of agricultural land to Rwanda for a period of 25 years. An agreement that is starting to face increasing criticism from Congolese citizens. Dave Mafoula, an unsuccessful candidate in the 2021 presidential election, calls on his fellow citizens not to accept “things that are done outside the law.”
According to the account of Loïcia Martial, RFI correspondent in Brazzaville, this official from the party Les Souverainistes asserts that more than 11,000 hectares of these granted lands have been sold for a symbolic franc. He considers the land concession agreements “vague” and sees them as a violation of Congo’s sovereignty. Dave Mafoula promises to approach the Prime Minister to request “the withdrawal or cancellation of these texts or decrees (regarding the land grants) that are illegal.”
In a program broadcasted in Rwanda, Rwandans commented on this acquisition of land in Congo-Brazzaville by expressing satisfaction at having acquired lands “larger than Kigali,” their capital in Rwanda. This show annoys some Congolese who see it as a loss of sovereignty over their land. “When Rwandans say that what has been given to them represents six times the size of the city of Kigali, you understand that such things cannot happen. We want things to be done according to law and in respect of the law. If there are things done outside the law, the Congolese are called upon not to accept them,” stated Dave Mafoula.
From the article:
In “live” sessions organized on social networks, particularly on TikTok, some Congolese express strong opposition against this agreement, deemed “dangerous” for the sovereignty of their country. In Bouenza, for example, some farmers view this concession as a “dispossession” of their “ancestral lands.”
During his visit from April 11 to 13, 2022, in Brazzaville, Rwandan President Paul Kagame concluded a total of eight cooperation agreements with his Congolese counterpart, Denis Sassou Nguesso. Among these agreements, one involves the cession, by the Republic of Congo, of a little more than 22,000 hectares of agricultural land to Rwanda over 25 years. With an area of 342,000 square kilometers, of which 60% is covered by forest, Congo has at least 12 million hectares of arable land.
22,000 hectares is a square of about 9 miles on each side, or honestly so insignificant as to be unnoticeable on a map compared to the massive country that is Congo. Seems like this land will be important for the much, much smaller Rwanda to independently feed its people
@protist note this article is about the Republic of the Congo also known as ROC and Congo-Brazzaville, not about the Democratic Republic of Congo also known as DRC and Congo-Kinshassa.
The reason it made headlines is due to Congolese feelings around Rwanda’s hostility to DRC and sponsoring of M23 rebels who have invaded it.
It’s a bit like how Ukraininans would feel if a neighbouring country was giving territory to Russia.
