UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
5 Mar
2009
Press Review
The Ituri armed groups' meeting convened by the Government in Kinshasa and the sharing of the territorial Administration are the major issues addressed by today's local papers.
The Government demands that the Ituri armed groups halt the violence, entitles L'OBSERVATEUR, echoing the first day ''of the consultative working session between the 20 chiefs of armed groups or so who are fighting each other in Ituri, North Eastern DRC''. The paper adds that the objective of the two-day meeting is ''to secure a swift restoration of peace and state authority throughout the country, especially in Ituri''.
LA REFERENCE PLUS, for its part, feels that ''it is now time for truth and choice for the chiefs of the Ituri armed groups''. The paper refers to a dialogue of the deaf between the Ituri armed groups and the transitional Government and indicates that ''the Government has just proposed the integration of militiamen in the new Army, while the warlords' ambition is to be integrated into the Transitional Institutions''.
Reporting on the first day of the working session, the same newspaper indicates that the Government's hard-line approach ''places the armed groups before a very difficult choice to make: their survival, political death or prison''. The paper says that ''the crushing blow'' was dealt by the Defence minister, Jean-Pierre Ondekane, who also issued ''a severe warning'' to the Ituri warlords. '' The government will not tolerate that the population be taken hostage by anyone'', the Defence minister said. In the same tone, indicates the paper, ''the Interior minister, Théophile Bemba, also firmly condemned the atrocities committed in Ituri and drew the attention of the leaders of the armed groups and those who committed atrocities to the risk they are taking''. He reminded them that the heinous crimes against humanity which they committed in Ituri remain 'imprescriptible' and should therefore prepare themselves to ''account for their acts one day and to face the consequences of their daily deeds in Ituri''. LA REFERENCE PLUS echoes the statements of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for the DRC, William Swing who said that this forum is ''the last chance and a dignified way out for the leaders of the Ituri militia groups''.
LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES, in turn, refers to the most important act in the consultation today: ''the signing of an Act of Commitments marking the end of hostilities between the Ituri belligerents and the official integration of armed groups into the DRC peace process''. The paper however indicates that the road to peace for Ituri ''has not apparently been very well prepared'', since ''one of the Ituri armed groups has boycotted the meeting and reportedly proclaimed a State in the portion of the land under its control''.
On the subject of territorial administration, LE PALMARES recalls that the power sharing was secured '' with a snatch'', as follows: '' PPRD (Kinshasa, Bas-Congo, and Western Kasaï), RCD (Eastern Province and North Kivu), MLC (Bandundu), RCD-N (Eastern Kasaï), RCD-ML (Maniema), Maï-Maï (Katanga), Political Opposition (South Kivu) and Civil Society (Equateur)''. With regard to this share, ''one might assume that everything went smoothly'', the paper says, warning that ''RCD has not said its last word yet''. Quoting some ''reliable sources'', the paper reports that ''RCD reserves the right to denounce this tacit agreement should they disapprove of the person to be appointed by the political Opposition as governor for South Kivu''.
In this regard, L'AVENIR refers to ''RCD's demands for new negotiations as a volte-face''. It also says that ''RCD calls the whole thing into question for reasons unknown to anyone but their own leadership''. According to the paper, the former rebel movement would have gained the approval of the International Committee to Support the Transition (CIAT) for the new negotiations to be initiated under the sponsorship of this Committee.
In the meantime, new alliances are being formed and there are increasing negotiations within components and entities concerned by the sharing of territorial administration, reports LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES. ''We witness people moving from one side to another and approaching one another just to secure a position'', reveals the paper, which notes, among other things, the case of the Katanga province given to the Maï-Maï, and which is ''coveted by other components''.
Be that as it may, Joseph Kabila is expecting the names of governors this Tuesday in order to sign a presidential decree, indicates FORUM DES AS.
LE POTENTIEL devotes its headline to a Catholic Church's ''scathing statement'' on recent events in the DRC. ''In a real cry from the heart coupled with anger, the Catholic Church, through cardinal Etsou, strongly denounces the presence of foreign armed troops in the DRC'', the paper says.
LA REFERENCE PLUS, for its part, feels that ''it is now time for truth and choice for the chiefs of the Ituri armed groups''. The paper refers to a dialogue of the deaf between the Ituri armed groups and the transitional Government and indicates that ''the Government has just proposed the integration of militiamen in the new Army, while the warlords' ambition is to be integrated into the Transitional Institutions''.
Reporting on the first day of the working session, the same newspaper indicates that the Government's hard-line approach ''places the armed groups before a very difficult choice to make: their survival, political death or prison''. The paper says that ''the crushing blow'' was dealt by the Defence minister, Jean-Pierre Ondekane, who also issued ''a severe warning'' to the Ituri warlords. '' The government will not tolerate that the population be taken hostage by anyone'', the Defence minister said. In the same tone, indicates the paper, ''the Interior minister, Théophile Bemba, also firmly condemned the atrocities committed in Ituri and drew the attention of the leaders of the armed groups and those who committed atrocities to the risk they are taking''. He reminded them that the heinous crimes against humanity which they committed in Ituri remain 'imprescriptible' and should therefore prepare themselves to ''account for their acts one day and to face the consequences of their daily deeds in Ituri''. LA REFERENCE PLUS echoes the statements of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for the DRC, William Swing who said that this forum is ''the last chance and a dignified way out for the leaders of the Ituri militia groups''.
LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES, in turn, refers to the most important act in the consultation today: ''the signing of an Act of Commitments marking the end of hostilities between the Ituri belligerents and the official integration of armed groups into the DRC peace process''. The paper however indicates that the road to peace for Ituri ''has not apparently been very well prepared'', since ''one of the Ituri armed groups has boycotted the meeting and reportedly proclaimed a State in the portion of the land under its control''.
On the subject of territorial administration, LE PALMARES recalls that the power sharing was secured '' with a snatch'', as follows: '' PPRD (Kinshasa, Bas-Congo, and Western Kasaï), RCD (Eastern Province and North Kivu), MLC (Bandundu), RCD-N (Eastern Kasaï), RCD-ML (Maniema), Maï-Maï (Katanga), Political Opposition (South Kivu) and Civil Society (Equateur)''. With regard to this share, ''one might assume that everything went smoothly'', the paper says, warning that ''RCD has not said its last word yet''. Quoting some ''reliable sources'', the paper reports that ''RCD reserves the right to denounce this tacit agreement should they disapprove of the person to be appointed by the political Opposition as governor for South Kivu''.
In this regard, L'AVENIR refers to ''RCD's demands for new negotiations as a volte-face''. It also says that ''RCD calls the whole thing into question for reasons unknown to anyone but their own leadership''. According to the paper, the former rebel movement would have gained the approval of the International Committee to Support the Transition (CIAT) for the new negotiations to be initiated under the sponsorship of this Committee.
In the meantime, new alliances are being formed and there are increasing negotiations within components and entities concerned by the sharing of territorial administration, reports LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES. ''We witness people moving from one side to another and approaching one another just to secure a position'', reveals the paper, which notes, among other things, the case of the Katanga province given to the Maï-Maï, and which is ''coveted by other components''.
Be that as it may, Joseph Kabila is expecting the names of governors this Tuesday in order to sign a presidential decree, indicates FORUM DES AS.
LE POTENTIEL devotes its headline to a Catholic Church's ''scathing statement'' on recent events in the DRC. ''In a real cry from the heart coupled with anger, the Catholic Church, through cardinal Etsou, strongly denounces the presence of foreign armed troops in the DRC'', the paper says.
