UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
4 Mar
2009
Press Review
Today's local papers in Kinshasa mainly focus on the review of the Transitional Parliament's activities and the Ituri crisis.
La Tempête des Tropiques opens with the closing of the October ordinary session of the National Assembly, Monday 5 January 2004, in Kinshasa. The Parliament concluded its session « though several issues in the agenda were not definitely sorted out, such as the Government bill for the year 2004 » says the paper. « The same is true for the laws on the organization and functioning of the political parties, the organization of the army and the defense and decentralization.» The four laws on the organization, the terms of reference and the functioning of the institutions to support the democracy are still not adopted, indicates La Tempête des Tropiques.
«The government has not yet presented the budgetary bill'nor has provided any reason for such a breach of the rules nor yet an excuse' Members of the parliament did not pull their punches. Some of them described the transition government as incompetent», highlights Le Palmarès, referring to «a slowness that seems to hide some less respectable motives. »
However, « the National Assembly office started finalizing all the requests for parliament's control on the government », says Le Potentiel quoting Olivier Kamitatu, the President of the legislative organ. The latter reported that while most of the legal texts are still being drafted by the government, « the National Assembly has adopted seven laws' »
The same paper further indicates that Mr. « Kamitatu announced the visit of a Belgian parliament delegation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 12 through 18 January 2004. The delegation is due to visit the interior of the country, precisely Kisangani and Lubumbashi. The President of the National Assembly also announced the visit of the South African President, Thabo Mbeki, who is due to hold an academic session with the members of parliament on 14 January and mentioned that the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the DRC, William Swing, held talks with the members of parliaments on 14 January. »
« As an eyewitness to the functioning of the institutions having stemmed from the All-inclusive Agreement, William Swing is highly expected by the Congolese members of parliament. His positions and points of views are of the utmost importance to the Congolese people» stresses Forum des As.
Le Potentiel announces « a confusing situation, Monday, in Bukavu where South Kivu governor, Xavier Ciribanya Cirimwami, was relieved of his duties by the provincial members of parliaments on the grounds that he was recruiting militias and blocking the normal functioning of the provincial assembly' »
Another crisis in Ituri where, according to the same paper, « there is mixed hope' The two main ethnical groups that fought each other for over five years in that part of the country have decided to make peace. They chose the year's end celebrations to seal the peace. They shared Christmas meal in Kasenyi, the Hemas' fiefdom. On 1st January 2004, a reconciliation ceremony was organized in Zumbe, Djogu the Lendus' fiefdom. Handshakes, embraces, official and mutual forgiveness by the representatives of the two communities were the highlights of the ceremony. »
Le Potentiel reports: « As the meetings between the Hemas and the Lendus for the consolidation of the peace process were being held, someone came in acting as a potentate in Aru territory, in the far northern Ituri district. It is commander Jérôme Kakwawu, chief of the armed group known as the FAPC (Congolese People's Armed Forces), who opposed the disarmament program agreed by the parties, to be sponsored by MONUC' »
«The government has not yet presented the budgetary bill'nor has provided any reason for such a breach of the rules nor yet an excuse' Members of the parliament did not pull their punches. Some of them described the transition government as incompetent», highlights Le Palmarès, referring to «a slowness that seems to hide some less respectable motives. »
However, « the National Assembly office started finalizing all the requests for parliament's control on the government », says Le Potentiel quoting Olivier Kamitatu, the President of the legislative organ. The latter reported that while most of the legal texts are still being drafted by the government, « the National Assembly has adopted seven laws' »
The same paper further indicates that Mr. « Kamitatu announced the visit of a Belgian parliament delegation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 12 through 18 January 2004. The delegation is due to visit the interior of the country, precisely Kisangani and Lubumbashi. The President of the National Assembly also announced the visit of the South African President, Thabo Mbeki, who is due to hold an academic session with the members of parliament on 14 January and mentioned that the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the DRC, William Swing, held talks with the members of parliaments on 14 January. »
« As an eyewitness to the functioning of the institutions having stemmed from the All-inclusive Agreement, William Swing is highly expected by the Congolese members of parliament. His positions and points of views are of the utmost importance to the Congolese people» stresses Forum des As.
Le Potentiel announces « a confusing situation, Monday, in Bukavu where South Kivu governor, Xavier Ciribanya Cirimwami, was relieved of his duties by the provincial members of parliaments on the grounds that he was recruiting militias and blocking the normal functioning of the provincial assembly' »
Another crisis in Ituri where, according to the same paper, « there is mixed hope' The two main ethnical groups that fought each other for over five years in that part of the country have decided to make peace. They chose the year's end celebrations to seal the peace. They shared Christmas meal in Kasenyi, the Hemas' fiefdom. On 1st January 2004, a reconciliation ceremony was organized in Zumbe, Djogu the Lendus' fiefdom. Handshakes, embraces, official and mutual forgiveness by the representatives of the two communities were the highlights of the ceremony. »
Le Potentiel reports: « As the meetings between the Hemas and the Lendus for the consolidation of the peace process were being held, someone came in acting as a potentate in Aru territory, in the far northern Ituri district. It is commander Jérôme Kakwawu, chief of the armed group known as the FAPC (Congolese People's Armed Forces), who opposed the disarmament program agreed by the parties, to be sponsored by MONUC' »
