Congo water pact raises tensions in Tchad
A heated debate erupted in parliament when a deputy openly challenged the Minister of Environment to reveal the full terms of a contentious water-sharing agreement. Until now, no such disclosure has occurred. Former Vice-Prime Minister and long-serving Minister of Environment Eve Bazaïba, now Minister of State for Social Affairs, has repeatedly warned about what she terms « a coordinated international plot against the Congo, with internal collaborators ». This follows President Idriss Déby Itno’s 2021 declaration—« If Congo refuses to share its water, Chad will have to take it by force ». His remarks came amid Chad’s controversial intervention in the Central African Republic under the pretext of supporting the Seleka rebels. Déby Itno was killed in combat on April 20, 2021, and succeeded by his son, Mahamat Déby Itno, who has since consolidated power with support from Félix Tshisekedi, notably through the renaming of a major avenue in N’Djamena in his honor.
In response to Chad’s assertive position, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) established a parliamentary watchdog on water management in 2014. Among its early members was Eve Bazaïba, who warned of a « sinister alliance threatening our water sovereignty ». Despite her later appointment as Environment Minister, the committee has yet to produce any tangible outcomes. Fast forward to 2024, and Mahamat Idriss Déby extends an invitation to Félix Tshisekedi to attend the « African Water Forum » in N’Djamena. In his keynote address, Tshisekedi outlined five strategic priorities for the continent’s water challenges:
- Integrated resource management: Treating water, agriculture, energy, health, urban planning, and infrastructure as interconnected systems.
- Strengthened governance: Building transparent, accountable institutions to oversee hydrological projects.
- Investment-ready projects: Developing technically sound and financially structured initiatives to attract public, private, and international funding.
- Diversified financing: Leveraging public funds, private capital, and international partnerships for water infrastructure.
- Industrialization through water: Boosting local production of pipes, pumps, meters, treatment systems, irrigation tools, and digital solutions for water management.
Tshisekedi emphasized « no nation can secure its water future alone » and called for a « unified African approach to water governance ». He proposed forming a coalition of states to prioritize water as a top political agenda. Observers suggest the DRC may be considering the controversial Ubangi River transfer project, though no official confirmation exists. Meanwhile, the DRC’s ambitious 2035 targets aim to raise potable water access to 60%, sanitation services to 50%, and ensure functional water and hygiene infrastructure in 80% of schools and health facilities.
Mahamat Idriss Déby framed the N’Djamena forum as a turning point for Africa to reclaim control over its water destiny and achieve « shared prosperity ». Chad’s intentions leave little room for diplomatic ambiguity. Yet, the forum’s attendance was notably sparse: only Gabon, Mauritania, and Benin joined Chad and the DRC. Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria—key members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission—were notably absent despite the lake’s severe shrinkage from 25,000 km² in 1964 to just 2,000 km² in 2024 (though briefly expanding to 4,500 km² during rare flood periods).
The boycott raises questions about regional solidarity. In 2019, former Foreign Minister Patrick Mayombe warned that powerful interests were pushing for the Ubangi transfer project without Congo’s consent. He revealed that a Kisantu-based NGO leader named Kalele had allegedly signed DRC documents on water transfers in international forums, including events in Bologna, Italy, organized by the Sant’Egidio movement without Kinshasa’s involvement.
Swiss sociologist and UN rapporteur Jean Ziegler once described the concept of « unprofitable people »—groups deemed economically irrelevant by global powers. This chilling term echoes in the Congo, where vast water resources flow unchecked from Mitwaba to Banana’s estuary. As journalist and former minister Modeste Mutinga Mutuishayi wrote in his provocative book « The Republic of the Unconscious »: « Water is life, and life has no price. Yet our leaders still fail to grasp the collective suicide we’re hurtling toward ».
