Ann: Mining Licence Update, page-540

Hopefully Felix takes appropriate action .

Therein lay the crux of the issue. He could start by reining in Cominiere and Cami, both govt bodies, which along with other players are waging a coordinated attack on AVZ. We're copping it from all sides now including the govt which raises questions over how much power Felix really has.

It would appear rafferty rules apply with no heed paid to his presidency, due process or the rule of law, including their hallowed mining act. If he truly is a reforming president then things would never have got to this.

As it stands a genuine foreign investor in AVZ is being hung out to dry. Non-action by the President creates the perception of impotency and/or being compromised. Consider his opaque settlement with notorious Congo looter, Dan Gertler, heavily sanctioned by the US and triggering the IMF, who has now popped up in the recent oil block auctions. It's a joke.

How can foreign investors, aside from the dodgy, invest in the DRC without the demonstrated support of its leader. The AVZ imbroglio indicates they simply can't with any confidence. Hence the risk factor remains high and the people's poverty is entrenched. God help them.

AIMO.