Good News, Bad News

So in the good news department, Congo's economy may grow at 7 percent this year, a point higher than earlier IMF predictions.

The SEC will finally issue regulations on Dodd-Frank 1502 on August 22. The wording of the SEC's notice is a little odd: It says the SEC will vote on "whether to adopt rules regarding disclosure and reporting obligations with respect to the use of conflict minerals." I don't think the SEC actually has the latitude to decide whether to adopt rules or not. This is presumably just some archaic way of announcing that the SEC's rules will be issued and voted on at a public meeting on the 22nd.

Francois Hollande's announced his intention of moving France away from some of its bad habits and toward regaining influence in Africa, according to Le Congolais. He's appointed diplomat Paul Jean-Ortiz and two Africa experts, Hélène Le Gal et Thomas Mélonio, to run his Africa policy. The best thing Hollande has going for him, say some Africans, is that he never participated in the Paris-Africa mafia that for decades dominated France's relationship with its post-colonial states.

That's it for the good news. The bad news:

The ICRC is reporting ongoing violence in remote hillside regions of North Kivu, which is forcing many people to flee. "The trauma connected with a hasty departure – over and above the lack of food and other essentials – should not be underestimated," said Mr Rauchenstein. "The fear of falling victim to violence or, for those who survive, of being attacked again, is very stressful."

Radio Okapi is reporting that North Kivu civil society is concerned about the presence of numerous armed groups of unknown origin in Rutshuru and Lubero.

The Inter Press service reports that some 200 Rwandaphone children may have joined the M23.

Donors upped Rwanda's aid budget by 7 percent this year, to some 300 billion Rwandan francs ($500 million). Rwanda's invasion of its neighbor seems not to have provoked any discussion among the donors about the wisdom of increasing aid.