From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:ZAIRE: Politician accused of human trafficking by French police
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 14:01:28 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1993, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Africa, west
Title: ZAIRE: Politician accused of human trafficking by French police


an inter service feature

by george ola davies

paris, dec 29 (ips) -- a well known zairean politician, mukinaya
lumbala, now living in france, stands accused of human trafficking
after an ongoing in-depth police investigation also pulled in his
associates.

lumbala was a prominent member of zaire's union for democracy and
social progress party (udps), and while living in france has
represented zairean prime minister, etienne tchisekedi wa mulumba.

french police say lumbala used his privileges as a political
refugee to bring in the victims. police also say that he was head
of a european operation which used his house in saint etienne du
rouvray, near rouen, as their headquarters.

french director of airport police yves marchand said: ''the
operation started 18 months ago, during which at least 40 children
and 15 adults had been brought into the country.''

''the victims are being sold for about 3,000 and 2,000 dollars
for each adult and child respectively,'' added marchand.

''in addition, they all come via brazzaville, in the congo, where
the network has strong links which specialise in concocting false
travel documents.''

having being sold the children are then re-baptised, this time
using the new family's surnames, in order to benefit from french
social security allowances.

''for this to occur,'' the police said, ''the children are
provided with forged birth certificates which are mailed, once
again, via brazzaville by a courier service.''

in france the minimum social security and child allowance is 200
dollars per month and it increases with the number of children in
a family.

the in-depth investigation started in october when a congolese
refugee was arrested at the paris charles de gaulle airport as he
was about to board a london-bound flight.

his ticket was in lumbala's name. apparently, according to the
police, he was also a victim who was to have been met a the london
end by his new family.

lumbala, who was at the airport at the time to see him off, was
immediately arrested. in his possession were found false french
and belgian passports, as well as several flight tickets.
(more/ips)

zaire: politician accused of human trafficking by french police(2-e)

lumbala's confession to the police led to the arrest of the two
compatriots, kiangani ndandani and mfumu mumbamun at charles de
gaulle airport and in the seine-maritime region respectively
earlier this month.

together with three other suspects, all of them women, they now
face trial on charges of organising and operating a huge network
of clandestine immigration in france.

the mayor of st etienne du rouvray where there is a huge zairean
community, confirmed that lumbala is a well known figure in his
office.

''many people have registered under his address but they
disappear from his apartment after a few weeks.''

he said that there is a particular woman who came into france
with four children in 1990, ''but today she has three more through
the manoeuvring of mr lumbala''.

''it is not a human traffic,'' said mimi kulenduka, a zairean
political refugee who claims she could not come with her children,
''because it was extremely difficult for her at the time. i cannot
return home because of the situation there and the only way my
kids could join me is to pay some money to those who have the
means to enable them to travel''.

ndali wawama, the president of the association of zaireans in
france, said: ''it is a friendly arrangement with people who are
capable of bringing the children of our compatriots who do not
have the means for their children to join them here.

''all they do is pay consultation fees to those people who can
arrange it for them, that's all. if you call that human
trafficking then i do not understand what the phrase means?''

so far, the police have not been able to trace any of the
victims. the chances are that they may never be traced.

lumbala's involvement in the affair, must have caused some
embarrassment to the zairean prime minister, whose udps party
enjoys strong french support. there are even speculations here
that the french government is prepared to back tchisekedi's
candidature for the presidency of zaire next year. however, there
has not been any official reaction to the speculation.
(end/ips/np/gd/mf/92)