UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
5 Mar
2009
Press Review
Today's local press mainly comments on the nominations of governors, the coordination of the Transitional Government and the disarmament operation of the Ituri armed groups.
Under the headline «Agreement is reached on territorial administration», L'Avenir declares that the putting-in-place of the territorial administration is only a matter of hours. « The components have overcome all their differences. The Head of State is now awaiting the lists to appoint the new governors», adds the paper, highlighting some concerns in this respect. According to L'Avenir, « the natives of the Eastern Province are displeased that their province is to be run by MLC (Mouvement de Liberation du Congo-led by Vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba) and the RCD (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie-led by Vice-president Azarias Ruberwa) » whereas « the protagonists in the Ituri crisis think that it should be time for them to embark in the peace process. » The paper says, « 'the suspense will be cleared against a background of surprise. »
Le Potentiel expresses the same view and feels that «the political strategies used were very good; each party secured the province(s) that can benefit them in the current political context in keeping with the electoral timing. Consequently, the PPRD (Parti du peuple pour la reconstruction et le développement) has snatched Bas-Congo and envisages retaining Tsasa-di-Ntumba (the current governor, a pro- Joseph Kabila.). Joseph Kabila's party has also got the Eastern Kasaï where it will certainly retain the governor, André Claudel Lubaya, said to be very dynamic and could be one of President Kabila's strategists, able to score some points for the Head of State in Etienne Tshisekedi's fiefdom. The ex-government finally got Kinshasa, the seat of national institutions but it is still unclear who it will appoint as governor since the acting governor, doctor David Nku Imbie was put in the back seat after his rejection. » In this regard, La Tempête des Tropiques heralds « Timothée Moleka (former Minister of Youth and Sports) as the next Governor of Kinshasa. »
« The second component having got the best deal, says Le Potentiel, is the RCD that secured the historic fiefdom of North Kivu. MLC, as far as it is concerned, got the Eastern Kasaï and is to leave its Equator fiefdom; MLC cast its net wide for winning a place in the heart of the country. The PPRD has certainly secured the best deal in this game of combinations. The Maï Maï have secured the province of Katanga. The RCD/N led by Roger Lumbala has received the province of Equateur, which appears like a takeover from its MLC ally. RCD/M led by Mbusa Nyamuisi (Minister of regional cooperation), has gotten Bandundu, western DRC, the Civil Society has gotten South Kivu and the Political Opposition Maniema, the native province of Vice-president Arthur Z'Ahidi Ngoma whose position within the transitional institution is more or less comfortable. »
There are problems to address prior to the nominations, underlines Le Potentiel. « RCD is displeased that South Kivu is given to the Civil Society'It (also) appears that RCD/N does not want the Equateur province whereas the political Opposition does not want Maniema, alleging that Z'Ahidi Ngoma's province is too poor to deserve any regard. »
All these problems lead Forum des As to say, « there is a lot at stake in this morning's Cabinet meeting. The reshuffle and territorial administration will be on the agenda. » Le Phare writes, «Vice-Presidents are facing runoff! », referring to the Government's coordinator issue. For the paper, « the proposal (to name a coordinator for the Government) is a UN Security Council's initiative » « During its 11 February 2004 session; the latter (the Security Council) then stigmatised the slowness and dysfunction of the DRC Transitional Government with respect to the timing set by the All-inclusive agreement. » According to Le Phare, « a group of MPs are preparing a petition to request a review of the constitutions' According to Jean-Pierre Bemba (Vice-President for Economic and Financial matters), the initiative aimed to appoint a coordinator for the Government would entail new rounds of negotiations and would therefore be a waste of time with regard to the Transition's timing. »
Raising the situation in Ituri, L'Observateur and Le Potentiel announce that « some 15, 000 armed combatants are waiting to be disarmed. » According to the two papers, quoting the Agence France Presse and the United Nations, «the combatants, 9000 adults and 6000 children from several armed groups in Ituri (North East of DRC) are waiting to be disarmed and reintegrated into civilian life. »
Le Potentiel expresses the same view and feels that «the political strategies used were very good; each party secured the province(s) that can benefit them in the current political context in keeping with the electoral timing. Consequently, the PPRD (Parti du peuple pour la reconstruction et le développement) has snatched Bas-Congo and envisages retaining Tsasa-di-Ntumba (the current governor, a pro- Joseph Kabila.). Joseph Kabila's party has also got the Eastern Kasaï where it will certainly retain the governor, André Claudel Lubaya, said to be very dynamic and could be one of President Kabila's strategists, able to score some points for the Head of State in Etienne Tshisekedi's fiefdom. The ex-government finally got Kinshasa, the seat of national institutions but it is still unclear who it will appoint as governor since the acting governor, doctor David Nku Imbie was put in the back seat after his rejection. » In this regard, La Tempête des Tropiques heralds « Timothée Moleka (former Minister of Youth and Sports) as the next Governor of Kinshasa. »
« The second component having got the best deal, says Le Potentiel, is the RCD that secured the historic fiefdom of North Kivu. MLC, as far as it is concerned, got the Eastern Kasaï and is to leave its Equator fiefdom; MLC cast its net wide for winning a place in the heart of the country. The PPRD has certainly secured the best deal in this game of combinations. The Maï Maï have secured the province of Katanga. The RCD/N led by Roger Lumbala has received the province of Equateur, which appears like a takeover from its MLC ally. RCD/M led by Mbusa Nyamuisi (Minister of regional cooperation), has gotten Bandundu, western DRC, the Civil Society has gotten South Kivu and the Political Opposition Maniema, the native province of Vice-president Arthur Z'Ahidi Ngoma whose position within the transitional institution is more or less comfortable. »
There are problems to address prior to the nominations, underlines Le Potentiel. « RCD is displeased that South Kivu is given to the Civil Society'It (also) appears that RCD/N does not want the Equateur province whereas the political Opposition does not want Maniema, alleging that Z'Ahidi Ngoma's province is too poor to deserve any regard. »
All these problems lead Forum des As to say, « there is a lot at stake in this morning's Cabinet meeting. The reshuffle and territorial administration will be on the agenda. » Le Phare writes, «Vice-Presidents are facing runoff! », referring to the Government's coordinator issue. For the paper, « the proposal (to name a coordinator for the Government) is a UN Security Council's initiative » « During its 11 February 2004 session; the latter (the Security Council) then stigmatised the slowness and dysfunction of the DRC Transitional Government with respect to the timing set by the All-inclusive agreement. » According to Le Phare, « a group of MPs are preparing a petition to request a review of the constitutions' According to Jean-Pierre Bemba (Vice-President for Economic and Financial matters), the initiative aimed to appoint a coordinator for the Government would entail new rounds of negotiations and would therefore be a waste of time with regard to the Transition's timing. »
Raising the situation in Ituri, L'Observateur and Le Potentiel announce that « some 15, 000 armed combatants are waiting to be disarmed. » According to the two papers, quoting the Agence France Presse and the United Nations, «the combatants, 9000 adults and 6000 children from several armed groups in Ituri (North East of DRC) are waiting to be disarmed and reintegrated into civilian life. »
