Tintin is no longer in the Congo – A Transformative Analysis of

Belgian Defence Policies in Central Africa

 DR. Nina Wilén – Royal Military Academy (Belgium)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This study examines Belgium’s involvement in Central Africa over the last two decades, with a particular focus on the role of the Belgian Defence. The objective is twofold: on the one hand to analyse Belgium’s changing policies towards its former colonies during the last twenty years, and on the other hand to take an in-depth look at the military collaborations on the ground and establish an empirical and practical take on what role they fill, how they function and what aims they achieve through interviews and field observations. The analysis is made through the adoption of a transformative approach which includes evolutionary explanation factors, such as national political-administrative history, culture, and style of governance and static factors like national polity features, visible in constitutional and structural factors.

The author argues that the divided nature of Belgian internal politics, which is noted both in its polity features and its political-administrative history, influences its foreign policy towards Central Africa in an inconsistent manner. This is exemplified in the absence of a long-term strategy for the region. Yet, Belgium shows a strong desire to remain involved in the region, which, in the absence of a comprehensive and coherent strategy, results for the most part in a variety of one-dimensional short-term projects. It is recommended that Belgium, as one of the most trusted partners in the region, exploit its expertise in a more efficient manner and develop long-term three-dimensional projects, involving the three D’s (Defence, Diplomacy and Development), which would both benefit the reform processes under way in the partner countries, and Belgium’s visibility in the latter.

An extract of the Study

« Quite a few officers also believed that there were some sort of economic interests linked to individual politicians, behind the investment in the region. Here it might be appropriate to recall that Belgium’s external trade with the Congo represents less than a thousandth of all Belgian trade and that Belgian export and import to the Congo is less than 0,1 %; putting Congo at the 60th and 67th place respectively. Regardless of these statics, both high officers and some diplomats evoked personal enrichment as one of the reasons behind Belgium’s presence in the region:

“I think that there are economic interests on the side. It is very nice in theory, giving trainings and all that, but there is something else behind it”.

A cooperation attaché voices a similar belief:

“There are politicians who have interests here, the richness of this country…/…/I think that there are private interests, financial, that are behind our presence here in the Congo”.

Despite the low figure for Belgian trade with the Congo, Belgian private enterprises have, during a long time, been present and active in the Congo. Most noteworthy here is perhaps the fact that thirteen Belgian private companies were cited in the first UN group of experts’ report on exploitation and illegal trade of resources in the Congo in 2001. This led to the Belgian government creating a commission of enquiry, examining Belgium’s role in the exploitation of natural resources in 2003. Yet, the analysis was criticized in the OCDE peer evaluation for lack of depth and follow-up, in particular as Belgium in 2005 was Congo’s largest client for diamond and coltan, two natural resources which are closely linked to bad working conditions and a negative impact on the environment, which are factors that clash with Belgium’s public policy of promoting sustainable development and human rights. In the following peer review by the OCDE in 2010, there was no particular comment on Belgium’s private companies in Africa, however, there was a general remark noting that Belgium should continue and amplify its efforts of promoting the code of good governance for multinational companies. The degree to which these enterprises, mainly established in the Congo, have an impact on policy makers in the Belgian government is obviously difficult to determine as links in these cases remain unofficial. Yet, publicly at least, economic benefits can at present not justify Belgium’s interest in the Great Lakes region. » (…)

To read the complete study open this link : : FINAL STUDY Tintin is no longer in Congo – Belgium in Central Africa).