Congolese NGOs call for US probe into $17.6 million
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Kivu Morning Post
Civil society organisations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are calling on US authorities to investigate a transfer of $17.6 million to Texas Armament & Technology, a Texas-based defence company. In their 26 October letter, they seek clarification on the origin and use of the funds, $5.6 million of which was allegedly intended for the Kennedy Center, according to New York Times and Axios reports they cite.
Civil society organisations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are calling on US authorities to investigate an alleged transfer of $17.6 million from an account linked to the Congolese government to Texas Armament & Technology, a Texas-based defence and security company. The request appears in an open letter dated 26 October 2026 and addressed notably to the US Department of Justice, the FBI and FinCEN.
The signatories are seeking clarification on the origin of the funds, authorisation for the transfer and their destination. According to information from the New York Times and Axios cited in the letter, the sum was allegedly transferred in May 2025 as part of a commercial agreement between the company and the DRC.
The organisations are also questioning the destination of $5.6 million allegedly taken from this amount for a donation to the Kennedy Center, a US cultural institution. The Kennedy Center has not confirmed receiving the funds. The letter notably cites Richard Grenell, a former official at the institution, Alina Habba Mildon, Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, and Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon, and calls for the possible role of Congolese officials to be established.
The signatories link their request to a Belgian investigation into suspected money laundering connected to Congolese mining revenues, during which searches were carried out on 14 October, according to Reuters. They specify that no direct link has been established between this investigation and the disputed transfer, and say they presume no guilt on the part of any person or institution.
The request follows other calls to examine the management of public funds in the DRC, including one by ACAJ for an audit of the $50 million allocated to combating Ebola on 18 October, followed by Kapiamba's call for an investigation into $700 million on 24 October.
