UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
4 Mar
2009
Press Review
Today's papers in Kinshasa mention various reactions to the putting in place of the territorial administration following a power-sharing agreement, among the components and entities, grabbed by the Government.
In an article entitled "the secrets about the putting in place of the territorial administration", L'AVENIR recalls that under the terms of the agreement reached by the components and entities on power sharing, the ex-government has contented itself with 3 governors and 5 vice-governors posts, the RCD 2 governors and 5 vice-governors posts while the other components will respectively have: 1 governor and 4 deputies posts for the MLC, 3 vice-governors for the political opposition and civil society, 1 deputy for the Maï-Maï, 1 for the RCD-ML and 1 for the RCD-N. The paper notes that ''the report of the cabinet meeting did not provide any information on the lessons to draw from such a pooling of different ambitions''. The paper therefore says that the arduously secured agreement was reached owing to major concessions made by the ex-government who agreed to accept only 3 governor posts, while when the All-inclusive agreement was signed, it was in control of 7 provinces. The paper goes on to say that during the talks, the "RCD was insistent that the districts that lie within provinces, at the head of which they named governors, should become provinces''. The MLC that was holding onto an equal share of governor posts with other belligerents was then told that it had never run a single province as such nor did it occupy an administrative town in a province, reports the paper.
The headlines in LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES read: RCD is jubilant, while MLC regrets, alluding to the power sharing of the provincial administration. The paper echoes a reaction by one RCD member who reportedly declared through Radio Okapi that 2 governor and 5 vice-governor posts for RCD were "not bad". Thomas Luhaka, Executive Secretary of the MLC declared that as far as the MLC is concerned, it is ''disappointed that some components are more represented than others''. The paper adds, however, that the MLC is ''satisfied that, at least, the abnormal situation with several administrations in the same country would come to an end''.
After the sharing of governor and vice-governor posts, ''negotiations are currently ongoing on the profiles of the representatives supposed to run the provinces considered to be strategic'', reveals FORUM DES AS, highlighting that the ex-government components, the political opposition and the civil society are very covetous of the town of Kinshasa. "For strategic and electoral reasons, they would like to have their hefty players at the head of this province-town so as to control the capital city", comments the paper. The paper also says that apart from Kinshasa, the government ex-component is allegedly interested in the Katanga and Bas-Congo provinces while RCD has shown its ambition for North and South-Kivu. Be that as it may, the paper warns that "each component and entity should put forward the list of its candidates and the latter should meet the requirements of a peaceful transition and a bruised population whose dearest wishes are to be taken good care of and to be led to the elections''.
Regarding the profile of the future players in the territorial administration, LE PHARE proposes that strict and compulsory criteria excluding "the criminals and the looters" be put in place. They should be ''good governors, good statesmen, and technical-wise, they should be competent and show an outstanding moral integrity, which means that they should not have been involved in criminal acts whatsoever, nor be established as war criminals, notorious looters who formerly sacked the country's resources ...''.
Noting that a governor can bring the ruin of a province while having all the necessary instruments in his possession to bring happiness, LE PHARE recalls that ''the history of the Congolese territorial administration is full of macabre developments''. ''There were secessionists, pyromaniacs, criminals, genocidaires and looters among the governors", the paper recalls.
''The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for the DRC, William Swing, is supposed to be in the Burundian capital today'', announces LA REFERENCE PLUS. ''The trip is part of his regular contacts with the regional leaders who have or play a role in the DRC peace process'', indicates the paper echoing the Wednesday news conference held by the MONUC spokesman. In Bujumbura, Swing will raise the issue on the disarmament, repatriation of the combatants and arms embargo, with the Burundian authorities, notes LE PHARE further indicating that ''the DDRRR repatriation operations continue to make progress'': 9,775 Rwandan, Ugandan and Burundian ex-combatants including their dependents were repatriated as of 23 March 2004.
Six thousand displaced persons in Ituri will soon leave the town of Bunia on a voluntary basis thanks to the positive efforts of the Ituri Brigade deployed in that part of the territory, reports LE POTENTIEL, without giving further details on the voluntary return of the Ituri displaced persons.
Furthermore, the same paper mentions yesterday's memorandum of agreement signed between the DRC and France on the formation of the first battalion of the quick intervention police (PIR). The paper recalls that for over a month, senior officers of the French Gendarmerie, specialised in quick police intervention operations and policing have trained 500 police officers drawn from the different components in Kinshasa.
The headlines in LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES read: RCD is jubilant, while MLC regrets, alluding to the power sharing of the provincial administration. The paper echoes a reaction by one RCD member who reportedly declared through Radio Okapi that 2 governor and 5 vice-governor posts for RCD were "not bad". Thomas Luhaka, Executive Secretary of the MLC declared that as far as the MLC is concerned, it is ''disappointed that some components are more represented than others''. The paper adds, however, that the MLC is ''satisfied that, at least, the abnormal situation with several administrations in the same country would come to an end''.
After the sharing of governor and vice-governor posts, ''negotiations are currently ongoing on the profiles of the representatives supposed to run the provinces considered to be strategic'', reveals FORUM DES AS, highlighting that the ex-government components, the political opposition and the civil society are very covetous of the town of Kinshasa. "For strategic and electoral reasons, they would like to have their hefty players at the head of this province-town so as to control the capital city", comments the paper. The paper also says that apart from Kinshasa, the government ex-component is allegedly interested in the Katanga and Bas-Congo provinces while RCD has shown its ambition for North and South-Kivu. Be that as it may, the paper warns that "each component and entity should put forward the list of its candidates and the latter should meet the requirements of a peaceful transition and a bruised population whose dearest wishes are to be taken good care of and to be led to the elections''.
Regarding the profile of the future players in the territorial administration, LE PHARE proposes that strict and compulsory criteria excluding "the criminals and the looters" be put in place. They should be ''good governors, good statesmen, and technical-wise, they should be competent and show an outstanding moral integrity, which means that they should not have been involved in criminal acts whatsoever, nor be established as war criminals, notorious looters who formerly sacked the country's resources ...''.
Noting that a governor can bring the ruin of a province while having all the necessary instruments in his possession to bring happiness, LE PHARE recalls that ''the history of the Congolese territorial administration is full of macabre developments''. ''There were secessionists, pyromaniacs, criminals, genocidaires and looters among the governors", the paper recalls.
''The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for the DRC, William Swing, is supposed to be in the Burundian capital today'', announces LA REFERENCE PLUS. ''The trip is part of his regular contacts with the regional leaders who have or play a role in the DRC peace process'', indicates the paper echoing the Wednesday news conference held by the MONUC spokesman. In Bujumbura, Swing will raise the issue on the disarmament, repatriation of the combatants and arms embargo, with the Burundian authorities, notes LE PHARE further indicating that ''the DDRRR repatriation operations continue to make progress'': 9,775 Rwandan, Ugandan and Burundian ex-combatants including their dependents were repatriated as of 23 March 2004.
Six thousand displaced persons in Ituri will soon leave the town of Bunia on a voluntary basis thanks to the positive efforts of the Ituri Brigade deployed in that part of the territory, reports LE POTENTIEL, without giving further details on the voluntary return of the Ituri displaced persons.
Furthermore, the same paper mentions yesterday's memorandum of agreement signed between the DRC and France on the formation of the first battalion of the quick intervention police (PIR). The paper recalls that for over a month, senior officers of the French Gendarmerie, specialised in quick police intervention operations and policing have trained 500 police officers drawn from the different components in Kinshasa.
