UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
5 Mar
2009
Press Review
The 6th anniversary of the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie' (RCD) and the news conference organised by its leader, Azarias Ruberwa, are the lead stories in today's local press. Kinshasa's newspapers also raise the capture of 25 troops of the FDLR ('Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda') by DR Congo Armed Forces as well as the imminent expulsion from Angola of the Congolese.
« 2 August 1998 - 2 August 2004: Six years ago, a group of Congolese decided to begin an armed struggle in order to fight bad governance, systematic Human rights abuses, exclusion of minorities and protection of the forces hostile to neighbouring countries», LE PHARE writes, recalling the 6th anniversary of the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD) and the news conference held by the leader of the former rebel movement, Azarias Ruberwa, who is now Vice-president. The paper headlines: Azarias Ruberwa's warning.
Raising the sensitive issue of nationality that is currently discussed by the Parliament, Mr. Ruberwa drew on historical archives of the Ministère des Colonies, kept by Musée de Tervuren in Belgium; he further declared that that the Tutsi population known as the Banyamulenge had settled on the Minembwe plateau in South Kivu before 1885, the paper highlights. Referring to the Congolese population of Rwandan origin, he indicated that they settled in Masisi, North Kivu since 1930 and wonders how they should be repatriated to Rwanda « after living 74 years in Congo where they were legally established in Congo by the authority who set the national borders without prior consultation with the autochthones ». For the RCD leader, the paper highlights, the nationality-relating issue was definitely addressed by the Inter Congolese Talks held in Sun City and « a relevant resolution similar to the ones that put in place national institutions was issued in this regard». Azarias Ruberwa considers that the issue about nationality « is to a nation what a water mark is to a bank note ». « If we mean to stop the transition, we should review the whole Sun City resolutions », declared the Vice-president, « alluding to the people who agree with resolutions as long as they please them (') but question the nationality of the Congolese of Rwandan origin, Hutus and Tutsis alike», the paper writes.
LE POTENTIEL writes that the issue relating to double nationality must be addressed being «the root cause of the eastern DRC war. (') Several transitional actors in power are concerned by the issue».
LA REFERENCE PLUS sees the Vice-president's news conference as his « political comeback» and headlines: Azarias Ruberwa: It would be surprising if Parliament did not invalidate the absentees MPs, indicating that «Not only the MPs were wrong to leave the Parliament, they also wrongly alerted the whole world to an internal affair within their own political party», the paper writes. For the Vice-president «the only best option open to the National Assembly is to ratify RCD's decision »; otherwise « the Parliament would have then deserved such a category of MPs», the paper recalls. For LE POTENTIEL, it is a response from Mr. Ruberwa to the President of the National Assembly « giving the impression of expressing solidarity with his colleagues».
Azarias Ruberwa: the transition's last year must be used to prepare the people for the elections at every level», L'OBSERVATEUR says on its front page. « Our party is determined to win (the elections), and therefore needs to win the confidence of the population, our voters », RCD leader is quoted as declaring.
For FORUM DES AS, RCD has celebrated the aggression of DRC by Ugandan-Rwandan-Burundian coalition. The says that «a day of national mourning must have been declared since there is continued bloodshed in eastern DRC and the Rwandan-backed RCD and Ugandan-backed MLC continue being manipulated into fulfilling the hegemonic goals pursued by DRC neighbours». L'AVENIR, in turn, says, in its editorial, A strange anniversary that «marks a war waged by RCD that reportedly killed over 3 millions people».
The same paper reports on the capture of 25 Rwandan Hutu rebels (FDLR) who refuse to be disarmed. They are cantoned in Mutarule, 45 km South of Bukavu. LA REFERENCE PLUS quotes the Spokesman of the 10th Military region as declaring that they were captured by the Congolese regular army « when they were about to enter Rwanda ». Mbuza Mabe turns over 25 FDLR to MONUC, headlines LE PHARE. L'AVENIR recalls that the MONUC's disarmament of foreign armed groups is conducted on voluntary basis; the refusal of the FDLR troops to surrender their weapons leads the paper to say that The DDRRR process (disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation, resettlement, reintegration) is in jeopardy. It goes on to say that « it would be an illusion» to believe in the voluntary disarmament since they « declared that they would prefer to bitterly resist and die in Congo rather than laying down weapons and returning to Rwanda to be killed».
After 45-day grace period has expired, The remaining group of the Congolese living in the mining sites in Angola will soon be driven out of Angola, announces L'OBSERVATEUR on its front page echoing the statements issued by the deputy head of the Angolan police force to AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE. Congolese Government could have prepared itself to welcome its people back from Angola when expulsion was suspended, the paper further says. « Apparently the DRC Government has done nothing in this regard», it deplores. For L'AVENIR, The Government is faced with a serious warning. « Government credibility would depend much on the way it is going to handle this issue through its relevant ministries. The pretext put forward by the Government regarding the preparation of the welcoming infrastructures risks revealing the real story behind the issue», the paper writes.
Raising the sensitive issue of nationality that is currently discussed by the Parliament, Mr. Ruberwa drew on historical archives of the Ministère des Colonies, kept by Musée de Tervuren in Belgium; he further declared that that the Tutsi population known as the Banyamulenge had settled on the Minembwe plateau in South Kivu before 1885, the paper highlights. Referring to the Congolese population of Rwandan origin, he indicated that they settled in Masisi, North Kivu since 1930 and wonders how they should be repatriated to Rwanda « after living 74 years in Congo where they were legally established in Congo by the authority who set the national borders without prior consultation with the autochthones ». For the RCD leader, the paper highlights, the nationality-relating issue was definitely addressed by the Inter Congolese Talks held in Sun City and « a relevant resolution similar to the ones that put in place national institutions was issued in this regard». Azarias Ruberwa considers that the issue about nationality « is to a nation what a water mark is to a bank note ». « If we mean to stop the transition, we should review the whole Sun City resolutions », declared the Vice-president, « alluding to the people who agree with resolutions as long as they please them (') but question the nationality of the Congolese of Rwandan origin, Hutus and Tutsis alike», the paper writes.
LE POTENTIEL writes that the issue relating to double nationality must be addressed being «the root cause of the eastern DRC war. (') Several transitional actors in power are concerned by the issue».
LA REFERENCE PLUS sees the Vice-president's news conference as his « political comeback» and headlines: Azarias Ruberwa: It would be surprising if Parliament did not invalidate the absentees MPs, indicating that «Not only the MPs were wrong to leave the Parliament, they also wrongly alerted the whole world to an internal affair within their own political party», the paper writes. For the Vice-president «the only best option open to the National Assembly is to ratify RCD's decision »; otherwise « the Parliament would have then deserved such a category of MPs», the paper recalls. For LE POTENTIEL, it is a response from Mr. Ruberwa to the President of the National Assembly « giving the impression of expressing solidarity with his colleagues».
Azarias Ruberwa: the transition's last year must be used to prepare the people for the elections at every level», L'OBSERVATEUR says on its front page. « Our party is determined to win (the elections), and therefore needs to win the confidence of the population, our voters », RCD leader is quoted as declaring.
For FORUM DES AS, RCD has celebrated the aggression of DRC by Ugandan-Rwandan-Burundian coalition. The says that «a day of national mourning must have been declared since there is continued bloodshed in eastern DRC and the Rwandan-backed RCD and Ugandan-backed MLC continue being manipulated into fulfilling the hegemonic goals pursued by DRC neighbours». L'AVENIR, in turn, says, in its editorial, A strange anniversary that «marks a war waged by RCD that reportedly killed over 3 millions people».
The same paper reports on the capture of 25 Rwandan Hutu rebels (FDLR) who refuse to be disarmed. They are cantoned in Mutarule, 45 km South of Bukavu. LA REFERENCE PLUS quotes the Spokesman of the 10th Military region as declaring that they were captured by the Congolese regular army « when they were about to enter Rwanda ». Mbuza Mabe turns over 25 FDLR to MONUC, headlines LE PHARE. L'AVENIR recalls that the MONUC's disarmament of foreign armed groups is conducted on voluntary basis; the refusal of the FDLR troops to surrender their weapons leads the paper to say that The DDRRR process (disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation, resettlement, reintegration) is in jeopardy. It goes on to say that « it would be an illusion» to believe in the voluntary disarmament since they « declared that they would prefer to bitterly resist and die in Congo rather than laying down weapons and returning to Rwanda to be killed».
After 45-day grace period has expired, The remaining group of the Congolese living in the mining sites in Angola will soon be driven out of Angola, announces L'OBSERVATEUR on its front page echoing the statements issued by the deputy head of the Angolan police force to AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE. Congolese Government could have prepared itself to welcome its people back from Angola when expulsion was suspended, the paper further says. « Apparently the DRC Government has done nothing in this regard», it deplores. For L'AVENIR, The Government is faced with a serious warning. « Government credibility would depend much on the way it is going to handle this issue through its relevant ministries. The pretext put forward by the Government regarding the preparation of the welcoming infrastructures risks revealing the real story behind the issue», the paper writes.
