UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
9 Mar
2009
DRC Press Review
*Original in French
MONUC's Letter to the Editor of the pro-Kabila newspaper L'AVENIR and the Statement by the Parti Lumumbiste Unifié (PALU) about the end of the transition are the main subjects in today's press.
MONUC's Letter to the Editor of the pro-Kabila newspaper L'AVENIR and the Statement by the Parti Lumumbiste Unifié (PALU) about the end of the transition are the main subjects in today's press.
'MONUC pleads guilty', L'AVENIR writes on its front page, referring to MONUC Public Information Division (PID) Director, Kemal Saïki's letter in response to an article published yesterday in this paper's columns. PID's letter, which the paper published, reads as follows: 'In your newspaper L'AVENIR's edition of Monday 28 March 2005, an article on page 2 takes up and develops the elements of your front-page headline 'In an internal report: the UN lambastes William Swing'. We very firmly protest against this tendency observed in your newspaper to take up information published by other media, without quoting the source, then combine it with fallacious interpretations in the clear aim of distorting the facts. Without citing the 'Financial Times' which has provided the basis for your article or specifying that the article refers to a report written by MONUC itself in a spirit of self-criticism and in order to draw lessons from the past, your paper engages in lengthy tirades about the bad image of MONUC. This type of 'journalism', which by this virulent nature is much closer to gutter press character than to sound analysis, and which consists, once more, in publishing writings where inexactness rivals bad faith, does nothing to improve the credibility of L'AVENIR. So allow us to enlighten you about the lessons drawn by MONUC from these 'errors of the past' since you have suggested that 'numerous compatriots do not quite grasp the contour of such a mission'.
- Since January 2005, the situation in the east of Congo has changed for both the UN forces and their actions on the ground;
-The establishment of a Division of the East, based in Kisangani, permits to shorten the chain of command, eliminate the time lag, shorten the distances and have decision-making centres much closer to the theatre of operations;
- The increase in MONUC troop strength from roughly 10,000 to over 15,000 soldiers favoured an increase in means of transport and of response as well as a higher number of military operations;
The launching in Ituri of a new campaign of cordon, search and sweeping operations has left the militias of this district with theirs backs against the wall. These local militias have engaged in a campaign of atrocities against the civilian populations, consisting in killing of tens of persons, burning hundreds of villages and displacing nearly 100,000 people to date. From now, thanks to MONUC blue helmets, whom you seem so quick to criticize, the Ituri militias, who have seen their arms and ammunition supply lines cut off and their illegal revenue sources destabilized, begin turning up in substantial numbers in order to participate in the special disarmament programme for Ituri. To date, over 5,7000 combatants have already laid down their weapons in Ituri and many others will have to join them because this programme expires this Friday 1 April 2005. This the opportunity for us to greet, once more, the work and courage of Congolese troops of the integrated Brigade of the FARD in Ituri, who, though having not been spared by the murderous acts of militias, have resolutely engaged, alongside their comrades of MONUC, in contributing to returning peace and restoring State authority to the region.
-The mobilization of MONUC, of the international community and of the Security Council has led to the arrest of numerous militia leaders responsible for the violence in Ituri, notably Thomas Lubanga of the UPC and Floribert Njabu of the FNI.
For lack of space, we cannot draw up here a complete list of positive actions by MONUC, which, surprisingly enough, have never been mentioned in your newspaper. Doesn't the expression 'hidden agenda', which you publication seems to be so fond of, sum up what seems to take the place of the editorial line at L'AVENIR''
L'AVENIR, apparently irritated, says 'the public will realize that this report exists and that it is very critical of MONUC, accused of cowardice, irresponsibility.' The paper concludes its editorial with this note: 'our free comment was nothing but a reminder of the facts as MONUC itself recognized them.'
'PALU demands that the head of State be elected before 30 June 2005', reads the leading headline in Forum DES AS. 'It now appears with three months to go before 30 June 2005 that for certain State institutions this deadline would not be met. These institutions are tacitly and maliciously engaged in organizing a postponement of elections set to be held within the period from the date of the establishment [of the Transitional Government] and that of 30 June 2005,' the paper writes, publishing in full PALU's political statement. .
Titling 'Postponement of elections, extension of the transition: the last warning of PALU' and giving its own reading of PALU's statement, LE PHARE notes: 'PALU's political declaration has the merit of recalling that the Transitional Government, in place now for almost 23 months, had, among other essential missions, to achieve the unity of the country torn apart by a 5-year fratricidal war. But alas it has been noted that the action of this government has been marked by childish disputes, regular announcements of embezzlement of public funds, long periods with no government meetings, luxurious train of living, numerous trips with dubious results and, still worse, the smallness of the amount allocated to the electoral process leaves one wondering whether they want to organize elections in the country of Patrice Lumumba.'
In a similar tone, LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES titles 'In the face of manoeuvres designed to postpone the elections: Antoine Gizenga (PALU leader) warns.' LE PALMARES, for its part, sees 'the declaration of the leader of PALU as astonishing.'
'Danger at the gates of Kinshasa,' warns L'AVENIR on its front page, revealing that 'unpaid former rebel soldiers sow terror 60 km from the capital.' The paper explains: 'these soldiers, after waiting in vain for their integration into the army, have decided to come down to Kinshasa for a solution.'
- Since January 2005, the situation in the east of Congo has changed for both the UN forces and their actions on the ground;
-The establishment of a Division of the East, based in Kisangani, permits to shorten the chain of command, eliminate the time lag, shorten the distances and have decision-making centres much closer to the theatre of operations;
- The increase in MONUC troop strength from roughly 10,000 to over 15,000 soldiers favoured an increase in means of transport and of response as well as a higher number of military operations;
The launching in Ituri of a new campaign of cordon, search and sweeping operations has left the militias of this district with theirs backs against the wall. These local militias have engaged in a campaign of atrocities against the civilian populations, consisting in killing of tens of persons, burning hundreds of villages and displacing nearly 100,000 people to date. From now, thanks to MONUC blue helmets, whom you seem so quick to criticize, the Ituri militias, who have seen their arms and ammunition supply lines cut off and their illegal revenue sources destabilized, begin turning up in substantial numbers in order to participate in the special disarmament programme for Ituri. To date, over 5,7000 combatants have already laid down their weapons in Ituri and many others will have to join them because this programme expires this Friday 1 April 2005. This the opportunity for us to greet, once more, the work and courage of Congolese troops of the integrated Brigade of the FARD in Ituri, who, though having not been spared by the murderous acts of militias, have resolutely engaged, alongside their comrades of MONUC, in contributing to returning peace and restoring State authority to the region.
-The mobilization of MONUC, of the international community and of the Security Council has led to the arrest of numerous militia leaders responsible for the violence in Ituri, notably Thomas Lubanga of the UPC and Floribert Njabu of the FNI.
For lack of space, we cannot draw up here a complete list of positive actions by MONUC, which, surprisingly enough, have never been mentioned in your newspaper. Doesn't the expression 'hidden agenda', which you publication seems to be so fond of, sum up what seems to take the place of the editorial line at L'AVENIR''
L'AVENIR, apparently irritated, says 'the public will realize that this report exists and that it is very critical of MONUC, accused of cowardice, irresponsibility.' The paper concludes its editorial with this note: 'our free comment was nothing but a reminder of the facts as MONUC itself recognized them.'
'PALU demands that the head of State be elected before 30 June 2005', reads the leading headline in Forum DES AS. 'It now appears with three months to go before 30 June 2005 that for certain State institutions this deadline would not be met. These institutions are tacitly and maliciously engaged in organizing a postponement of elections set to be held within the period from the date of the establishment [of the Transitional Government] and that of 30 June 2005,' the paper writes, publishing in full PALU's political statement. .
Titling 'Postponement of elections, extension of the transition: the last warning of PALU' and giving its own reading of PALU's statement, LE PHARE notes: 'PALU's political declaration has the merit of recalling that the Transitional Government, in place now for almost 23 months, had, among other essential missions, to achieve the unity of the country torn apart by a 5-year fratricidal war. But alas it has been noted that the action of this government has been marked by childish disputes, regular announcements of embezzlement of public funds, long periods with no government meetings, luxurious train of living, numerous trips with dubious results and, still worse, the smallness of the amount allocated to the electoral process leaves one wondering whether they want to organize elections in the country of Patrice Lumumba.'
In a similar tone, LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES titles 'In the face of manoeuvres designed to postpone the elections: Antoine Gizenga (PALU leader) warns.' LE PALMARES, for its part, sees 'the declaration of the leader of PALU as astonishing.'
'Danger at the gates of Kinshasa,' warns L'AVENIR on its front page, revealing that 'unpaid former rebel soldiers sow terror 60 km from the capital.' The paper explains: 'these soldiers, after waiting in vain for their integration into the army, have decided to come down to Kinshasa for a solution.'
