Today's Kinshasa press offers a variety of topics, with each of the newspapers focusing on one or other topic in particular.

At the top of its page one Le Phare runs the headline "War erupts in Minembwe" over a story that says "MONUC [UN Mission] plays down the clashes ..., and the FARDC [Congolese armed forces] remain silent." "It was in the night of Sunday, 28 January, that armed elements launched attacks on the localities of Bidjombo, Minemwe and Kamombo in Sud-Kivu province, causing massive displacement of population," the paper states.

These attacks, Le Palmarès believes, were carried out by "elements loyal to Major Michel Rukunda," whom this paper identifies as "a Congolese army officer who went into dissidence in September 2005... and [then] last December committed to unconditionally rejoin the army." An estimated "hundred loyal men are under his command," it says.

In other news, La Référence Plus expects "a new government to be announced this weekend". "It now only remains to harmonise the Cabinet makeup to meet constitutional requirements as well as the criteria of geographical and gender balance, and of compentence and credibility ...," the paper says, citing the prime minister's spokesman.

Meanwhile, Le Potentiel notes that "the DRC has made some progress towards democratising its political space and its public institutions". However, it remains however that "when one looks deeper into the situation, one quickly realises there is a big problem ..., given the imminence of a reign of mediocrity," Le Potentiel writes, referring to newly elected institutions. The paper explains that the electoral process, "beginning with last year's presidential poll up to the recent elections for provincial governors ..., has been marred by fraud and corruption."

On the recent governorship vote, L'Observateur reports that "in Mbuji-Mayi [Kasai Oriental province], groups of demonstrators protested yesterday against the [Independent Electoral Commission] IEC's invalidation of incumbent governor Dominique Kanku's candidacy for dual nationality." Mr Kanku is a member of the opposition Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) of Jean-Pierre Bemba.