The following information on the Congolese Business Federation (Fédération des entreprises du Congo, FEC) was provided by a representative of Héritiers de la justice, a non-governmental human rights organization in Bukavu, the county seat of the province of South Kivu, in correspondence he sent to the Research Directorate on 6 January 2006.

[translation]

This is a national organization that does indeed exist in Bukavu. It is a forum that brings together Congolese business people . . . its main mission is to defend and promote their interests and rights. Led by oil magnate Chubagala Tshinja, head of the Kivu Industrial Group (Groupe Industriel du Kivu, GINKI), the offices of the South Kivu branch of the FEC are located at the intersection of P.E. Lumumba Avenue (main artery) and De la Cathédrale Avenue in Nyawera, Ibanda Commune [in the city of Bukavu]. Its offices are currently located in the same building as the DHL courier company and the famous food company "Mon jardin." The FEC has 10 permanent employees.

PANAPRESS, the Pan-African news agency, (Agence panafricaine de presse, PANAPRESS), however, citing an official source, reported, on 19 July 2005, that the FEC had decided to [translation] "suspend all activities in Bukavu, the county seat of the province of South Kivu, until further notice." The news agency did not provide the reasons for the suspension (PANAPRESS 19 July 2005). For its part, Radio Okapi, a partner of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and of Fondation Hirondelle, reported on its Website on 9 March 2005 that the members of the South Kivu branch of the FEC had threatened to organize a [translation] "ghost town" protest (journée "ville morte") against the provincial authorities' tax increases (RadioOkapi.net 9 Mar. 2005).

According to information found on the Franconetcanada Website, a site funded mainly by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the FEC headquarters are located at 10 Aviateurs Avenue in Gombe Commune, Kinshasa, and the organization's mission is to

[translation]

serve as a chamber of commerce and as a professional organization for industry, agriculture and skilled labour, and for employers;

promote the interests of companies in various sectors of economic, social and scientific activities consistent with public interests;

represent the industrial, agricultural, commercial, social and skilled labour activities of its members and the activities of employers to the public authorities and to national, foreign and international organizations;

provide advice on economic matters to member companies on the interpretation of national and international legislation and regulations, collect and disseminate these among the members, and settle disputes between members referred to it for arbitration (Aug. 2003).

According to the same source, the FEC, which has regional branches (provincial federations) established in certain provinces, serves approximately 760 members throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo (Franconetcanada Aug. 2003). The FEC's clientele includes [translation] "businesspeople, farmers, companies, and industries that operate in economic areas" (ibid.).

No information on the background of the Bukavu branch of the FEC nor its logo could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence panafricaine de presse (PANAPRESS). 19 July 2005. "La FEC suspend ses activités à Bukavu, au Sud-Kivu, en RDC." http://www.panapress.com/paysindexlat.asp?codepays=fre014&page=16 [Accessed 19 Dec. 2005]

Franconetcanada.org. August 2003. "Fédération des entreprises du Congo (FEC)." http://www.franconetcanada.org/congo/partenariat.htm [Accessed 9 Jan. 2006]

Héritiers de la Justice [Bukavu]. 6 January 2006. Correspondence from a representative.

RadioOkapi.net. 9 March 2005. "Sud Kivu: Les opérateurs économiques menacent l'organisation d'une ville morte." http://radiookapi.net/article.php?id=1904 [Accessed 9 Jan. 2006]

Additional Sources Consulted

Publications: Africa Confidential, Africa Research Bulletin, Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent, Resource Centre country file.

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica, BBC Africa, Digitalcongo.net, Factiva, Mbendi (Africa's Leading Business), World Bank.