Blood Gold in the Congo

by Peter Ralph

  “If you release those emails, the people will revolt. They were furious after they watched your interview. I’ve had my men on the streets egging them on. It won’t take much more for them to attack the palace.”

  “No, I can’t. Not yet. I don’t want to show our hand to Sir Richard while he’s still under investigation. He doesn’t know what cards we’re holding, but once he does, I’m sure he’ll prove adept at covering his tracks.”

  CHAPTER 50

  ..................

  THE LATE AFTERNOON CALL FROM Jack Costigan was unexpected. “Joseph, if I had known what you were going to do, I would’ve made sure you never set foot in the Congo,” he said. “I’ve been mopping up for you ever since that interview. Bodho’s first reaction was to throw all U.S. companies out of the country. I’ve been groveling for the past month to save them. Did you give any thought to the impact your claims would have?”

  “Jack, the feeling’s mutual. I wish I’d never represented those companies. They get their permits through bribes and then rape the country. They don’t pay taxes, and they work the Congolese to death for a pittance. I’m not sorry I spilled the beans.”

  “You might be. Their Department of Justice is claiming you bribed immigration officials before you kidnapped Moise. They want him back.”

  “You were there. You know there’s not an ounce of truth in that. I have papers.”

  “Didn’t you hear me? They’re claiming those documents were forged by the officials you bribed.”

  “That’s bullshit! I didn’t kidnap him.”

  “I told you once before, you didn’t know what you were doing. Welcome to the big leagues. Did you think you could tip a bucket of shit all over them, and they’d smile and walk away? They’re a sovereign nation. They’ve imprisoned the immigration officials, and they want Moise back and you charged.”

  “What’s going to happen?”

  “I don’t know. The Justice Department’s handling it. I only got wind of it today. It doesn’t look good.”

  “It’s bullshit.”

  “I heard you the first time. Does Maya want to go back to the Congo to practice medicine?”

  “You know she does. She’s a citizen.”

  “So what?” Costigan laughed. “It’s not the U.S. or the U.K. If they don’t want to let her in, they won’t, and she won’t be able to do anything.”

  “What’s that have to do with Moise?”

  “Nothing, but they’re not going to let her back into the country. They’re going to do you over every which way. You attacked some dangerous people. Didn’t you think they’d hit back?”

  “Moise’s my son. No one’s taking him from me.”

  “That’s no longer in your hands. If the government says he has to go back, there’s nothing you’ll be able to do to keep him here.”

  “He’ll go back over my dead body,” Joseph growled.

  “I hope not,” Costigan replied.

  As Joseph was about to respond, his secretary came in and whispered, “Sir Richard Corson-Devlin’s holding for you. He’s an arrogant pig. He demanded I cut Mr. Costigan off.”

  “Jack, I have to go. Keep me informed.”

  “This is a surprise,” Joseph said. “I never expected to hear from you. What do you want?”

  “That’s hardly the way to greet an old friend.” Sir Richard laughed. “I don’t want anything. I just called to see how you’re holding up.”

  “Don’t play games. Get to the point.”

  “You’re very testy. Calm down. I called to find out how you’re feeling now that SOCA’s dropped the investigation into your ludicrous claims.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, hasn’t that silly Crennan woman told you? Did you believe her when she said her recommendation would be rubber-stamped by the director general? Like you, she’s an insignificant pissant.”

  “I-I don’t under-understand.”

  “Of course you don’t. Surely you never thought the British government would assist a kidnapper. Once the DRC filed charges against you, there was no possibility of SOCA continuing to investigate your unfounded claims. Don’t worry, though. My lawyers say it is unlikely they’ll extradite you. In some ways, it’s a shame because the little boy you kidnapped will be going back to the Congo alone.”

  “It was you, you bastard! You told Bodho to rig that kidnapping charge and the extradition charges.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sir Richard laughed. “Truth be told, you should be facing murder charges. If I were you, I’d think myself lucky.”

  “No one’s taking Moise away from me.”

  “Enjoy your last few days with him. You’re going to find the Congo’s minerals are far more important to the U.S. than a kidnapped little boy. I warned you not to mess with me. You didn’t listen. Now you’re going to pay.”

  “You won’t get away with it.”

  “I already have,” Sir Richard said. “I don’t expect we’ll talk again. Goodbye, Mr. Muamba. Have a nice life.”

  Joseph sat behind his desk, stunned. He stared out the window to see the last of the setting sun and the offices in the buildings around him lighting up. He knew what he had to do, but moving early would be risky. He would let Maya and his father know what he had to do after dinner.

  Joseph couldn’t conceal his disquiet, and conversation around the dinner table was stilted. After dinner they adjourned to his father’s study, where Joseph related what had occurred during the day.

  “Corson-Devlin’s a nasty piece of work,” Frank said. “The firm’s lost some major clients, no doubt as a result of his and his partner’s influence. You were right about George Faraday, Son. Money is more important to him than loyalty or friendship.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Dad?”

  “You had enough on your plate, and there’s no direct link to you and the loss of those clients.”

  “I’m sure your partners aren’t as understanding. You’ve been fighting to save my job, haven’t you?”

  “It’s irrelevant. Saving Moise from being returned and you from extradition is all that counts.”

  “According to Jack Costigan, the application to extradite me will fail, but Moise’s another matter.”

  “He’s our son,” Maya sniffled. “If he’s sent back to the Congo without us, his life will be destroyed. So will ours.”

  “I’ll brief the best lawyers money can buy,” Frank said. “We’re not going to let them take Moise.”

  “It won’t work, Dad. Sir Richard said the minerals are more important than Moise. Lawyers might stall Moise’s return, but that’s all. I have to go back to the Congo.”

  “I knew this day would come, even though I prayed it wouldn’t,” Frank said. “You think your calling’s the presidency?”

  “Yes, but after I take power, I’ll hold elections within nine months and let the people choose who they want to lead them.”

  “My God. You should listen to yourself. You don’t have the means to overthrow the government. If you go back, they’ll throw you in prison. We’ll never see you again.”

  “Dad, there’s more than five thousand in Yannick’s army, and he controls northern Katanga and all the mines. He is preparing to take Lubumbashi.”

  “So it’s your friend! The rebels taking over the mines is not going to help the nation or the people. Foreign companies aren’t going to invest in a war-torn country where the government can’t guarantee it will protect their investments. Without foreign capital, the Congo will grind to a standstill.”

  “Dad, they’re not rebels, they’re freedom fighters. I’m sorry, but you’re starting to sound like George Faraday and Jack Costigan. It’s rubbish. The New Dawn Gold Mining Company paid $375,000 in taxes when it should be paying $150 million a year. Without penalties, New Dawn owes more than a billion in taxes. That’s vastly more than the size of Sir Richard’s and his partners’ investment. Multiply that by every foreign company, and the Congo d
oesn’t need foreign investment – it needs to collect the taxes it’s entitled to.”

  “What you say may be true, but your friend doesn’t have the firepower to topple the government. Even if he can get his freedom fighters to Kinshasa, they’ll be hopelessly outnumbered. The president has an army of one hundred fifty thousand. Yannick might take Lubumbashi, but he’ll never take Kinshasa.”

  “Soldiers are already deserting to join him, and the people are angry. After watching my interview with Floyd, they blockaded the streets for a week. All they need is a catalyst, and they’ll revolt. I’m going to give them one.”

  “What? What can you do from here?” Frank asked.

  “He can leak the emails to WikiLeaks,” Maya said, “and name those in them. The people are already disgruntled. After they see the size of the payments to Bodho, Zamenka, Gizenga, and the others, they’ll be furious.”

  “If all goes to plan, the people will rise up, and the soldiers will desert en masse and join Yannick,” Joseph said.

  “He’s going to stage a coup,” Frank said in disbelief. “Thank God you won’t be there.”

  “But I will be. I’m flying into Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Then I’ll cross the border into the Congo by boat and join him.”

  “You’re going to enter illegally. If they catch you, you’re dead. It’s suicidal.”

  “I’ll be all right, Dad, and Yannick’s counting on me. The drums have been beating about my return for months. The people will expect me to be there. I can’t let them down.”

  “Your mother’s going to be distraught. How are you going to break the news to her?”

  “Dad, it’s something I have to do. I know she’s going to be upset. You can help me by not bringing up what you see as the dangers in front of her.”

  “What I see as the dangers?” Frank laughed cynically. “When are you going?”

  “Next Friday. That’ll give Yannick enough time to get another three hundred men to Kinshasa.”

  “Jesus! Why so soon?”

  “It has to be. If Moise’s returned, they’ll use him as a pawn. They’ll threaten to kill him.”

  “They’ll use him to stop the coup.”

  “Yes, but it won’t work. Freeing the country from the president and his cronies is more important than any one person, even if he is my son. Once the revolt starts, there’ll be no stopping.”

  “So the proceedings for the return of Moise forced your hand?”

  “Yes. I have no choice. I have to move now.”

  “It seems so rushed. Aren’t you worried, Maya?”

  “I’m going to go with Joseph,” she said, making little fists with her hands.

  “I wish you’d reconsider, Maya,” Joseph said. “There’s no need for you to come.”

  “I’m going, and that’s final.” Maya pouted.

  “Who’s going to look after Moise if something happens to you?” Frank asked.

  “Dad, if we’re unsuccessful, Moise will be returned to the Congo. I know you’ll try to save him, but Jack Costigan left me in little doubt of what the outcome of the proceedings will be.”

  “I’ll book a plane.”

  “No,” Joseph replied. “We’re traveling by commercial flight. We don’t want to draw any undue attention to ourselves.”

  CHAPTER 51

  ..................

  MOISE WAS IN BED, AND Joseph and Maya were on the sofa watching the late night news. She nestled into his shoulder and said, “I wish there was another way. I’ll never be able to practice medicine. When we have kids, they’ll need guarding around the clock. When Moise joins us, he’ll have to be driven to and picked up from school every day. It’s a horrible life.”

  “How can you be so confident? Dad thinks they’ll throw us in prison if the coup fails, but you know what will really happen. We’ll be found guilty of treason and publicly hanged as a warning to others. I wish you’d think again. You don’t have to come with me.”

  “You of little faith,” she said, punching him in the chest. “Ever since we got back together in Kinshasa, all you’ve talked about is your calling. Why do you now think it’s false? I have belief. Why don’t you?”

  “I do. I’d just feel better if you stayed here.”

  “Well, I’m not. I’m going to have to get used to living in a fishbowl, and this might be one of the few remaining instances where I have a choice.”

  “My calling is to free the country from thugs and rid it of corruption. I don’t need to be president to do that, and like you, I want to lead a normal life.”

  “What? Have you lost your senses? Of course, you’ll be president. Yannick says the people are still chanting your name. You’re the great savior the drums beat for.”

  “Yes, but only until there are elections. If the coup is successful, I’ll call them within nine months. I don’t intend to be a career president. I’ll miss the London Olympics, but I’m going to compete in Rio. No one has ever skipped an Olympics and come back to win gold in the decathlon. I’ll be the first.”

  “Don’t be silly. Who else is going to be president? Don’t say Yannick. He is brave and has a good heart, but he’s uneducated. There is no one else.”

  “There is someone. You don’t know him.”

  “Who?” Maya grinned disbelievingly.

  “I’ll let you know when the time is right.”

  It was a cloudless, humid day when General Gizenga’s motorcade drove into the grounds of the palace. The president was waiting in the reception chamber, a bottle of malt whiskey and full glass on the table next to him. He pointed to a chair but did not offer the general a drink. “How could a small group of rebels defeat ten thousand of the army’s finest?” he shouted. “How?”

  “They attack and run. It’s not like fighting another army. Once they’re in the jungle, they’re impossible to find. Most of the soldiers killed died in the jungle. We tried to − ”

  “Enough,” Bodho interrupted. “You sound like you’re defending that incompetent Colonel Donatien. Are you?”

  “No, definitely not.”

  “When you left Katanga, he was your choice to replace you. It reflects poorly on you. The man is a coward and an idiot. He still had seven thousand men when he returned to Lubumbashi. What was he thinking?”

  “Well − ”

  “I haven’t finished,” Bodho growled, downing his whiskey in one gulp. “Who are you going to get to replace him? We need someone who’ll take no prisoners.”

  “Do you want me to return?”

  “No. There is too much unrest on the streets here, and those infernal drums never stop. How many troublemakers did you catch after the riots?”

  “Twenty-three. They’re in prison.”

  “Get rid of them. It will send a message to those plotting against us. It’ll also make the soldiers think twice about deserting.”

  “All of them?” Gizenga asked, unable to hide his shock.

  “I’m surprised you need to ask, General. You saw what happened in Katanga with Colonel Donatien. No one respects or fears weakness. I hope you aren’t getting squeamish.”

  “Of course not. We can’t have twenty-three accidental hangings, though.”

  Bodho sighed and rolled his eyes. “I never had to think for General Zamenka. You’ll put them in the back of a truck and drive out into the bush. It’ll give your men some machine gun practice.”

  “Yes, Mr. President. What do you want me to do with Colonel Donatien?”

  “Do what you want with him. Bring him back here, if he can help you. If not, send him to an outpost where he won’t have to lead men into battle. The rebels only ever got a foothold because of him. If he hadn’t let Kyenge escape, we wouldn’t be in this position.”

  Yannick was shocked when he received Joseph’s call to say he wanted the coup moved forward. Yannick liked to plan the minutest details, and rushing distressed him. Not only did he have to take Lubumbashi, but Joseph wanted leaflets printed and dropped by helicopter for those who couldn’t
access the Internet. He also wanted more men in Kinshasa.

  “Yannick, strike Lubumbashi in the early hours of the morning,” he said. “You’ll have the advantage of surprise. If all goes well, it will be a bloodless coup. It’s going to be far tougher for me in Kinshasa.”

  CHAPTER 52

  ..................

  IT WAS MIDDAY, AND LAX was buzzing. Joseph begged Michelle to stay in the car, but she wouldn’t hear of it. “I’ll never see either of you again,” she sobbed.

  Frank held her hand and said, “Calm down, darling. They’ll be all right.”

  Moise had his arms wrapped around Maya’s legs. “Don’t go. Please don’t go,” he whimpered.

  “Mom, you’re upsetting Moise,” Joseph said, putting his arm around her. “We know what we’re doing. Nothing’s going to happen to us. We have to go.”

  Frank shook Joseph’s hand before embracing him. “Make sure what you told your mom is true,” he said, fighting back the tears.

  “Don’t worry, Dad, we know what we’re doing,” he said, picking up Moise. “I’m leaving you here to look after Grandma and Granddad. Can you do that?”

  “Ye-yes,” the little boy said. “I-I don’t want you to go.”

  Maya wiped Moise’s eyes and said, “We’ll see you in three weeks, I promise. You know I never tell fibs.”

  “Come on,” Joseph said, taking Maya’s hand.

  As they joined the line to present their passports, Maya said, “Poor Moise.”

  “Yes, I’m glad that’s over and hope we didn’t lie to him.”

  “We didn’t. Remember, it’s your destiny,” Maya said, squeezing his hand.

  KM0602 took off for Kilimanjaro via Amsterdam on time at 1:45 p.m. Joseph pushed his business class seat back. “I’m going to have a snooze. You should do the same. After we land at Kilimanjaro tomorrow, it will be the end of sleep for God knows how long. We’ll cross the lake and be home before midnight.”

  “Home?” Maya laughed. “So deep down you’re not really an American boy.”

  “Go to sleep.”

  It was 7:45 p.m., and hot and sticky when they landed at Kilimanjaro Airport. They cleared customs, and a small, old, toothless man wearing a faded New York Yankees cap approached them. “Mr. and Mrs. Afua?” he asked.