UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
4 Mar
2009
Press Review
Topics raised by the Congolese press this Tuesday, 17 February, relate to the security situation in Ituri, northeastern DRC; the message of the Congolese catholic bishops on the peace process and the follow-up on the Olenghankoy-Jean Pierre Bemba dossier.
L'Observateur devotes its headlines to Ituri, indicating, « it will have to be done all over again»; according to the paper, alluding to what it describes as an «umpteenth massacre last week (in Katoto village) that claimed twelve victims as well as the killing of a MONUC military observer in an ambush attributed to the Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC) troops». Furthermore, this paper expresses serious concern over the news from Ituri indicating that « the enthusiasm of the national police officers deployed to this district a few months ago is getting dull due to shortage of working tools and precarious living conditions. »
Furthering its analysis, L'Observateur says: « As regards the total pacification of Ituri, the Congolese people in general and the Ituri population in particular, place their hope on the military brigade being formed in Kisangani. But, in the mean time, lots of events could have taken place in Kisangani. ... since, visibly, troops are becoming overwhelmed, MONUC and the national police on the ground seem to get flimsier compared to the tasks confided them. At this pace we frankly have to start from scratch again in Ituri. »
« Kinshasa vows to bring to justice those who killed the Kenyan Peacekeeper», announces La Référence Plus, alluding to the Katoto incident. «The Government promised to take appropriate action in order to bring the truth about the matter to light, identify the perpetrators of the horrible crime and bring them to justice», indicates a DRC Transitional Government communiqué published last Thursday. Commander Peter Wachai was killed on Thursday in Katoto, a village situated 22 km northwest of Bunia, when armed men opened fire on a MONUC convoy leaving Katoto to return to Bunia. His body arrived in Nairobi on Saturday, noted an AFP journalist quoted by La Référence Plus.
« Following the example of the CIAT, catholic Bishops voiced their concerns at the political strategies used by DRC leadership». La Référence Plus publishes, under this headline, the message addressed by the Standing Committee of the DRC catholic bishops to the catholic christians and people of goodwill. The message is a dispassionate critique of the ongoing peace process, six months after the inauguration of the transition.
Some satisfactory points, notes Le Phare, are that God's servants welcomed the progress achieved on the path towards pacification and reunification. « But there are still a lot of ambiguities on the same path. The people have realized that their concerns are just the antipodes of the leadership interests since they continue to be imposed on by unnecessary sacrifices which they no longer deserve», wrote the bishops in their message. They went on stigmatizing « a dangerous social unbalance created by the fact that the leaders continue appropriating all the social gains and showing complete lack of interest for the well-being of the majority of the population.» Other grievances expressed by the bishops, according to the paper, are: «amateurism, incompetence, slowness and deliberate determination to prolong the transition, trivialization of life and criminal negligence, and conflicts within the Government. » In conclusion, the catholic bishops «intent on putting the church to the service of the nation, call for the strict respect of the election time frame... »
Referring finally to ''Olenghankoy's dossier'', « The worst was only just avoided yesterday. Z'Ahidi Ngoma braved the uproar. For the Political Opposition's Coordinator, Olenghankoy's dossier has been legally closed due to lack of evidence. For his part, Joseph Olenghankoy, working for a policy of appeasement, declined to address the meeting yesterday as scheduled», indicates Le Palmarès.
Furthering its analysis, L'Observateur says: « As regards the total pacification of Ituri, the Congolese people in general and the Ituri population in particular, place their hope on the military brigade being formed in Kisangani. But, in the mean time, lots of events could have taken place in Kisangani. ... since, visibly, troops are becoming overwhelmed, MONUC and the national police on the ground seem to get flimsier compared to the tasks confided them. At this pace we frankly have to start from scratch again in Ituri. »
« Kinshasa vows to bring to justice those who killed the Kenyan Peacekeeper», announces La Référence Plus, alluding to the Katoto incident. «The Government promised to take appropriate action in order to bring the truth about the matter to light, identify the perpetrators of the horrible crime and bring them to justice», indicates a DRC Transitional Government communiqué published last Thursday. Commander Peter Wachai was killed on Thursday in Katoto, a village situated 22 km northwest of Bunia, when armed men opened fire on a MONUC convoy leaving Katoto to return to Bunia. His body arrived in Nairobi on Saturday, noted an AFP journalist quoted by La Référence Plus.
« Following the example of the CIAT, catholic Bishops voiced their concerns at the political strategies used by DRC leadership». La Référence Plus publishes, under this headline, the message addressed by the Standing Committee of the DRC catholic bishops to the catholic christians and people of goodwill. The message is a dispassionate critique of the ongoing peace process, six months after the inauguration of the transition.
Some satisfactory points, notes Le Phare, are that God's servants welcomed the progress achieved on the path towards pacification and reunification. « But there are still a lot of ambiguities on the same path. The people have realized that their concerns are just the antipodes of the leadership interests since they continue to be imposed on by unnecessary sacrifices which they no longer deserve», wrote the bishops in their message. They went on stigmatizing « a dangerous social unbalance created by the fact that the leaders continue appropriating all the social gains and showing complete lack of interest for the well-being of the majority of the population.» Other grievances expressed by the bishops, according to the paper, are: «amateurism, incompetence, slowness and deliberate determination to prolong the transition, trivialization of life and criminal negligence, and conflicts within the Government. » In conclusion, the catholic bishops «intent on putting the church to the service of the nation, call for the strict respect of the election time frame... »
Referring finally to ''Olenghankoy's dossier'', « The worst was only just avoided yesterday. Z'Ahidi Ngoma braved the uproar. For the Political Opposition's Coordinator, Olenghankoy's dossier has been legally closed due to lack of evidence. For his part, Joseph Olenghankoy, working for a policy of appeasement, declined to address the meeting yesterday as scheduled», indicates Le Palmarès.
