Today the front pages of Kinshasa newspapers feature various stories but nothing major.

Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga will "delay the announcement of the [new] government" and this is due to "the funeral of the [Archbishop of Kinshasa], Cardinal Frederic Etsou [whose] body arrives in the capital today, Thursday, ...to be buried here on 15 January 2007," according to L'Avenir.

Mr Gizenga's "consultations with the majority political parties in the National Assembly [over the formation of the government] are [already] completed, L'Avenir notes, saying the Prime Minister has even already "sent the President of the Republic the proposed composition of [the government] team for approval". It notes further that contrary to earlier rumours, "Nzanga Mobutu will be part of this government in which he will be holding the position of Minister of State discharging the duties of Deputy Prime Minister."

In other news, reporting on the United Nations Mission in the DRC's first weekly news briefing of the year 2007 which was held Wednesday, Le Phare notes: "MONUC encourages dialogue between the FARDC [DRC army] and [breakaway officer] Laurent Nkunda in order to put an end the fighting."

Quoting from the same news briefing, L'Observateur reports that such dialogue is expected to enable "soon the mixing of loyal troops with [Nkunda] dissident soldiers." But this is "an intermediate solution [which is] not to be confused with the process of brassage [or integration into the army] for the dissident soldiers," this paper says, quoting the MONUC military spokesman. There have so far been "eight meetings which have produced no significant progress".

"The situation [in eastern Congo] remains volatile," Le Potentiel notes, echoing a recent report by the international think-tank, International Crisis Group (ICG), titled "Congo – Staying Engaged after the Elections." This paper warns that "In the absence of a regular and reformed army, the risks of large-scale violence and unrest remain permanent."

This explains ICG's call for "the renewal of MONUC's mandate throughout the year 2007 and the [continuation of] donor support for judicial reforms," according to Le Potentiel. In its editorial, this paper also recommends setting up "a remodelled formula [for the now defunct] ICST [International Committee In Support of the Transition] without interfering with Congolese national sovereignty."