Zaire: Information on the Washington, DC-based Zaire Network
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZAR18009.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Zaire: Information on the Washington, DC-based Zaire Network, 1 July 1994, ZAR18009.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab8338.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A representative of the Washington-based North American wing of the Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrés Social (UDPS), a Kinshasa-based opposition party, provided the following information on the Zaire Network (5 July 1994). The organization was founded in 1993, it has a membership of 10 associations that includes churches and interest groups, and it has three full-time working members (ibid.).
According to the UDPS representative, the Zaire Network is a coalition of Zairois exiles and US non-governmental organizations (NGOs) interested in the development of democratic government in Zaire. The organization strives to promote democracy in Zaire by regularly informing the North American public about the need for a Zairois government in Kinshasa that is sincerely committed to democratic principles (ibid.). The organization does not believe the current Mobutu regime is committed to these principles (ibid.). The representative stated that a former journalist of the Kinshasa-based opposition paper Le Potentiel has recently joined the organization to assist it in its information drive (ibid.). According to the UDPS representative, the organization is currently facing financial problems, and in order to stay operational, the network plans to organize fund-raising events throughout the United States and possibly Canada (ibid.).
The deputy director for the African Studies Programme with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, who specializes in the politics of Zaire, corroborated the UDPS representative's information about the goal and membership of the organization (12 July 1994). The source speculated that since the organization operates in the United States and lobbies US politicians, it is probably a registered NGO in the United States. He also indicated that the Zaire Network's lobbyist is Nancy Ross of the Washington, DC lobbying firm of Ross and Green (ibid.). According to the source, the lobbyist is a well-known and active supporter of the democracy movement in Zaire. The DIRB is unable to corroborate at this time the information provided by the deputy director regarding the status of the Zaire Network and the lobbying group that assists it in Washington, DC.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Deputy Director of the African Studies Programme, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington, DC. 12 July 1994. Telephone interview.
Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social (UDPS), Washington, DC. 5 July 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Additional Sources Consulted
Internal Security Section, US Justice Department, Washington, DC.
Corporate House, US Congress, Washington, DC.