UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
4 Mar
2009
Press Review
The controversy about the number of passengers on board the whaleboat that caught fire in Lukolela, the situation in Bukavu and other issues relating to the DRC political situation feature high in today's local press in Kinshasa.
It has never been 200 dead,* referring to the fire on ''Mama Nsono'', the whaleboat in Lukolela, says L'Observateur. "All the passengers on board came out safe. Only two people sustained severe burns, as a result of which one of them died. No more dead are reported among those who threw themselves into the river as the fire broke out'', reports the paper, quoting Mbandaka governor, Jean Bertrand Ewanga. The paper adds that, at the governor's request, MONUC availed 3 ships that carried all the survivors, 185 passengers and 21 crew members, from Lukolela to Mbandaka. ''The Transport Minister, Joseph Olenghankoy; his colleague of the Public Health, Yagi Sitolo, and the governor went themselves to the MONUC port to receive the survivors in the presence of journalists from Kinshasa'', further says the paper.
The headlines in La Référence Plus paper read: The number of 200 missing: complete fabrication by MONUC staff member Mr. Alex Essome. Reporting what it referred to as ''MONUC false information'', the paper quotes the governor as voicing his surprise to learn through Radio France Internationale (RFI) that the MONUC/Mbandaka Press Officer declared that 200 people went missing in Lukolela. This leads the paper to believe that it is the MONUC/Mbandaka Press Officer who may have ''made matters worse for reasons he was unable to explain to the ministers, neither to the press''. According to the paper, the provincial authority reportedly demanded the expulsion of the MONUC staff from the Congolese territory on the grounds of ''lies and intoxication likely to spread panic amidst the population''. *
Le Potentiel indicates that according to Mr. Essome, ''the radios which broadcast the news exaggerated the facts'' and the French radio RFI ''distorted his statement''. The paper therefore feels that only the findings of the investigations initiated by the Government will establish the truth about the victims in this new catastrophe and will probably determine the exact number of passengers who were on board the whaleboat.
Bukavu under heavy gunfire since yesterday, announces Le Palmarès, adding that the incident occurred following a decision made by the military region commander to have the private residence of governor Chiribanya searched. The search helped to find "a whole battery of war equipment that included 75 boxes of ammunition'', which therefore prompted the governor's reaction ordering his troops to ''move to attack'', reports the paper, noting that ''small and heavy weapons shootings were heard all night yesterday''.
Forum des As reports that one MONUC team immediately intervened ''to prevent a bloodbath and to check whether there were any casualties''. Quoting MONUC spokesman Hamadoun Touré, the paper declares that an agreement was finally reached between the protagonists on ''declaring transparency in carrying weapons intended for the security of the South-Kivu Governor''. However the MONUC spokesman did not specify what MONUC has done with the ammunition found after the UN troops checked the boxes, points out the paper. Le Phare, addressing the same issue, stresses that MONUC is seeking transparency in the use of ammunition by Xavier Ciribanya. ''MONUC is now ensuring the security of the governor and seeks to know whether the ammunitions found were used for his security'', explains the paper.
Echoing the press conference held by the MONUC spokesman Wednesday, Forum des As indicates that ''2000 Burundian armed combatants recently left the Congolese territory to return to their country''. It is the elements of the FDD rebel movement (Front pour la Démocratie et le Développement) that was based in Eastern DRC, highlights the paper, further indicating that they ''voluntarily decided to follow their leader, Pierre Nkurunziza, who recently joined the Burundian Government after several years of resistance''. The paper adds that this figure is to be added to the 6400 foreign combatants previously repatriated by MONUC DDRRR operations.
During the same press briefing, MONUC provided explanations on the alleged assassination attempt against general Padiri, notes La Référence Plus. ''The high ranking military officer was victim of a mishandling of a grenade by one of the soldiers in his motorcade escort'', reports the paper quoting MONUC's spokesman.
William Swing is due to address the UN Security Council this Thursday, indicates Le Potentiel, noting that the head of MONUC will certainly present a report of MONUC's activities during the recent six months.
Le Potentiel further announces the adoption by the National Assembly of organic law on the organization, the terms of reference and the functioning of the High Media Authority (HAM). The paper reports that Mr. Modeste Mutinga, the head of this institution was greatly satisfied and felt that a ''new era of equity and power-sharing in public medias will open with the promulgation of this law''.
*Note: MONUC has never reported 200 dead but quoted the whaleboat owner stating that 200 people were reported missing but not deceased. Moreover, MONUC carried 285 passengers from the scene of the accident to Mbandaka.
The headlines in La Référence Plus paper read: The number of 200 missing: complete fabrication by MONUC staff member Mr. Alex Essome. Reporting what it referred to as ''MONUC false information'', the paper quotes the governor as voicing his surprise to learn through Radio France Internationale (RFI) that the MONUC/Mbandaka Press Officer declared that 200 people went missing in Lukolela. This leads the paper to believe that it is the MONUC/Mbandaka Press Officer who may have ''made matters worse for reasons he was unable to explain to the ministers, neither to the press''. According to the paper, the provincial authority reportedly demanded the expulsion of the MONUC staff from the Congolese territory on the grounds of ''lies and intoxication likely to spread panic amidst the population''. *
Le Potentiel indicates that according to Mr. Essome, ''the radios which broadcast the news exaggerated the facts'' and the French radio RFI ''distorted his statement''. The paper therefore feels that only the findings of the investigations initiated by the Government will establish the truth about the victims in this new catastrophe and will probably determine the exact number of passengers who were on board the whaleboat.
Bukavu under heavy gunfire since yesterday, announces Le Palmarès, adding that the incident occurred following a decision made by the military region commander to have the private residence of governor Chiribanya searched. The search helped to find "a whole battery of war equipment that included 75 boxes of ammunition'', which therefore prompted the governor's reaction ordering his troops to ''move to attack'', reports the paper, noting that ''small and heavy weapons shootings were heard all night yesterday''.
Forum des As reports that one MONUC team immediately intervened ''to prevent a bloodbath and to check whether there were any casualties''. Quoting MONUC spokesman Hamadoun Touré, the paper declares that an agreement was finally reached between the protagonists on ''declaring transparency in carrying weapons intended for the security of the South-Kivu Governor''. However the MONUC spokesman did not specify what MONUC has done with the ammunition found after the UN troops checked the boxes, points out the paper. Le Phare, addressing the same issue, stresses that MONUC is seeking transparency in the use of ammunition by Xavier Ciribanya. ''MONUC is now ensuring the security of the governor and seeks to know whether the ammunitions found were used for his security'', explains the paper.
Echoing the press conference held by the MONUC spokesman Wednesday, Forum des As indicates that ''2000 Burundian armed combatants recently left the Congolese territory to return to their country''. It is the elements of the FDD rebel movement (Front pour la Démocratie et le Développement) that was based in Eastern DRC, highlights the paper, further indicating that they ''voluntarily decided to follow their leader, Pierre Nkurunziza, who recently joined the Burundian Government after several years of resistance''. The paper adds that this figure is to be added to the 6400 foreign combatants previously repatriated by MONUC DDRRR operations.
During the same press briefing, MONUC provided explanations on the alleged assassination attempt against general Padiri, notes La Référence Plus. ''The high ranking military officer was victim of a mishandling of a grenade by one of the soldiers in his motorcade escort'', reports the paper quoting MONUC's spokesman.
William Swing is due to address the UN Security Council this Thursday, indicates Le Potentiel, noting that the head of MONUC will certainly present a report of MONUC's activities during the recent six months.
Le Potentiel further announces the adoption by the National Assembly of organic law on the organization, the terms of reference and the functioning of the High Media Authority (HAM). The paper reports that Mr. Modeste Mutinga, the head of this institution was greatly satisfied and felt that a ''new era of equity and power-sharing in public medias will open with the promulgation of this law''.
*Note: MONUC has never reported 200 dead but quoted the whaleboat owner stating that 200 people were reported missing but not deceased. Moreover, MONUC carried 285 passengers from the scene of the accident to Mbandaka.
