By Sunday Times Foreign Desk Johannesburg IN A move that could drive a diplomatic wedge between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, Harare is demanding $1.8-billion (about R15.3-billion) compensation for its involvement in the war in Congo.
Zimbabwe needs the money to shore up its depleted foreign currency reserves and pay for fuel and other critical imports. It initially claimed it would not demand payment for helping Kinshasa fight Rwandan and Ugandan-backed rebels, but now wants Congo to pay it back in US dollars the Z100-billion it has sunk into the four-year Great Lakes conflict. The demand is said to have come up during a series of meetings between Congolese and Zimbabwean officials in December. The meetings were aimed at formalising shady business deals made during the war. The foreign currency crisis has resulted in Zimbabwe being unable to pay for fuel imports from Libya and Kuwait. A spokesman for Congo's embassy in Harare said he would clarify the compensation issue with Kinshasa because he was not aware that his country was supposed to pay Zimbabwe for its war effort.
