KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo celebrated its 50th independence anniversary on Wednesday amid a row over mining rights that threatens to delay billions of dollars in debt relief.
The event, to be attended by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Albert II, king of former colonial power Belgium, also drew fire from rights groups who cited growing concerns over human rights abuses in the central African state.
Congolese President Joseph Kabila had pushed for some $8 billion debt to be canceled by the celebration to show the world his country was putting its painful past behind it following a 1998-2003 war in which some five million people died.
But a World Bank official told Reuters a decision on writing off the debt had been postponed at Canada's request due to a legal dispute between Canada-based First Quantum Minerals and the Kinshasa government over mining rights.
"A short postponement of the board discussion was requested by one of the executive directors," a bank spokeswoman said.
Separately a Canadian official who requested anonymity said Ottawa sought the delay "due to ongoing concerns related to governance, rule of law, and preoccupations about what these realities mean for sustainability of the debt relief programme".
An official at the World Bank's sister organisation, the International Monetary Fund, said it was still considering whether to hold its meeting on the debt relief on Wednesday. Both bodies must give green light for the deal to go ahead.
Investors in Congo's lucrative minerals sector were unnerved by its move last September to close First Quantum's Kingamyambo Musonoi Tailings (KMT) copper and cobalt project. The company is seeking international arbitration.
First Quantum president Clive Newall told Reuters this month it had also become aware that Congo had signed a contract of association with a third party over KMT and that First Quantum was seeking to establish the credibility of the contract.
Last month Congo's Supreme Court also annulled the basis for the Vancouver-based company's rights on two other mining titles.
ACTIVIST DEATH
The party mood in Kinshasa, where 500,000 Congolese were expected to parade on Wednesday, has been further dampened by the still-unexplained death earlier this month of Floribert Chebeya, the country's leading human rights campaigner.
Congo has suspended national police chief John Numbi and arrested several police officers but is under pressure to fully explain the death of Chebeya, whose body was found in his car shortly after being summoned for a meeting with Numbi.
Rights groups fear the incident is part of a pattern of deteriorating human rights including arbitrary killings and torture of political dissidents against which Chebeya spoke out.
"It is nothing short of hypocritical for Congo to throw nationwide celebrations without acknowledging the appalling state of human rights in the country today," Amnesty International said in a statement.
Despite high levels of public dissatisfaction at the state of the country before a 2011 general election, and continued violent rebellions across the country, there is also a streak of pride that it can hold such a celebration at all.
"Despite all the problems facing our country we are proud today," said polio victim Baudouin Mangula, named after a Belgian king and celebrating his own 50th birthday on Wednesday.
"It's thanks to peace in our country that we can parade here -- that is a big achievement".
