UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
5 Mar
2009
Press Review
The Monday evening shoot-out in Kisangani, the opening of the Parliament's ordinary session, the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide are the major news in today's local press in Kinshasa.
The headlines in LA REFERENCE PLUS read: Shoot-out yesterday evening in Kisangani « Over thirty-minute shooting reported in the administrative town of the Eastern Province, throwing the whole town into an indescribable panic», writes the paper. The toll of the shoot-out that took place at about 18h30: a soldier killed at the residence of colonel Mongura. Quoting concomitant sources, the paper specifies that the incident was sparked by a decision made in a security meeting held Friday in the province, which was attended by representatives of the presidential guards on a visit to Kisangani to transfer weapons to another arms store due to a deterioration of the state of preservation of ammunitions in the guns room situated in the Makiso district. « Not being informed of the operation and alerted by the population, MONUC allegedly intervened; hence the shooting incidents », highlights LA REFERENCE PLUS. « The UN troops believing it was a regular operation of arms circulation reportedly opened fire on one of the lorries, broke into Colonel Mongura's residence and killed one of his bodyguards», further says the paper awaiting the official version « to know what really happened».
L'OBSERVATEUR, in turn, announces the Opening of the April 2004 ordinary session. According to the paper, the chairman of the National Assembly, Olivier Kamitatu, hailed the eight-month intensive hard work done by the parliament without any parliamentary recess; this is indicative of the parliament's firm resolve to exhaust all the issues contained in the agenda within the time limit with a view to provide the DRC with the so-much needed legislative arsenal. « We should not forget that the DRC transition is both a sprint and a marathon: a sprint towards free elections and a marathon that should lead to democracy and we are doing the pioneer's work», indicated Mr. Kamitatu whose speech is published in full by LE PALMARES. Of the eleven issues retained by the presidential decree, nearly 80% of the available texts were adopted by the Parliament's lower chamber, indicates l'OBSERVATEUR. What now remains is the law on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Army and as well as on Amnesty, notes the paper. The National Assembly did not make any law on the territorial Decentralization, further reports the paper quoting Mr. Kamitatu. With respect to this issue, the President of the Senate, Mgr Marini Bodho, fears that this may cause a big delay in the preparation of the aforementioned laws. Furthermore, « the president of the Parliament's higher chamber appealed to the Transitional institutions to remain attentive to the cries for help of the Congolese population reduced to abject poverty», writes the paper.
LE POTENTIEL devotes its headlines to the Board of Enquiry probe into the heritage and management of the Constituent and Legislative Assembly-Transitional Parliament (ACL-PT), the former parliament under late president Kabila: The Pro-Kabilas humiliate the National Assembly. The commission has just submitted its report to the lower chamber. «The report also mentions the conditions under which the 10 MPs worked in this commission which raised a lot of interest», writes the paper. It denounces all the obstacles and ambushes against the commission's work and cites several personalities who either refused to make a declaration on the issue, declined the experts' requests, or simply rejected the commission's convocation kindly requesting responses to some questions. The paper also stigmatises inflammatory declarations, news conferences or other intimidation aimed against the commission describing its work as a « cabal formed against Katanga ». For the paper, the commission's tragedy has a name: the politicisation of the problem. Its report does not make any substantive revelation as expected. It is feared that the commission's work would set a legal precedent, in such a way that when the Parliamentary chamber initiates a board of enquiry to probe into the Makobola massacres in South Kivu, the leaders of the ex-rebel movement, the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD), would refer the investigating team first to the Ankoro massacre committed in Katanga by the former Forces Armées Congolaises (FAC). « The despair of the transition... », Concludes LE POTENTIEL.
The same paper mentions the visit of the American Under-Secretary of State for African Affairs, Donald Yamamoto who was received by the Vice-President, charged with the Commission for Politics, Defence and Security, Azarias Ruberwa. Mr. Yamamoto expressed his hope to see the Congolese people work in a spirit of unity, concordance, integration and national reconciliation for a successful transition, highlights LE POTENTIEL. Referring to Washington's contribution in the search for stability in the Great Lakes, « he explained that his country endeavours to bring together the different countries in the region with a view to rebuilding friendly relations and good neighbourliness», writes the paper, explaining that the purpose of the visit of the American statesman to Kigali and Bujumbura is to « help rebuild this trust».
LE PHARE feels that without a doubt, this act will « mark the start of a new era of the normalization of relations with a neighbouring country, whose troops had occupied for over five years a considerable portion of the DRC territory ». A high-level DRC delegation travelled Wednesday to Rwanda on the occasion of the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the genocide. Ruberwa heads the delegation comprised of the minister of Foreign Affairs and the governors of North and South Kivu, says the paper. « This is an indication that in the next few days, the DRC embassy, which has never been closed despite the war, will be honoured with new occupants to materialize the resumption of normal and mature relations», writes the paper.
In its editorial entitled France, guilty or scapegoat, L'AVENIR denounces accusations made by Rwandan authorities against France charging the latter of protecting the genocidaires in 1994. « The dossier of the Hutu massacres in DRC no longer interests anyone. France which mentions this as a counter genocide is accused of being actively involved in the genocide», deplores the paper.
The same paper reports on Monday talks between Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba and Minister Joseph Olengha Nkoy, suspended for a month for Olengha Nkoy having made discourteous statements against Mr. Bemba, resumed work on 26 March. « These talks have the merit of clearing all the misunderstandings between both men», concludes the paper.
L'OBSERVATEUR, in turn, announces the Opening of the April 2004 ordinary session. According to the paper, the chairman of the National Assembly, Olivier Kamitatu, hailed the eight-month intensive hard work done by the parliament without any parliamentary recess; this is indicative of the parliament's firm resolve to exhaust all the issues contained in the agenda within the time limit with a view to provide the DRC with the so-much needed legislative arsenal. « We should not forget that the DRC transition is both a sprint and a marathon: a sprint towards free elections and a marathon that should lead to democracy and we are doing the pioneer's work», indicated Mr. Kamitatu whose speech is published in full by LE PALMARES. Of the eleven issues retained by the presidential decree, nearly 80% of the available texts were adopted by the Parliament's lower chamber, indicates l'OBSERVATEUR. What now remains is the law on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Army and as well as on Amnesty, notes the paper. The National Assembly did not make any law on the territorial Decentralization, further reports the paper quoting Mr. Kamitatu. With respect to this issue, the President of the Senate, Mgr Marini Bodho, fears that this may cause a big delay in the preparation of the aforementioned laws. Furthermore, « the president of the Parliament's higher chamber appealed to the Transitional institutions to remain attentive to the cries for help of the Congolese population reduced to abject poverty», writes the paper.
LE POTENTIEL devotes its headlines to the Board of Enquiry probe into the heritage and management of the Constituent and Legislative Assembly-Transitional Parliament (ACL-PT), the former parliament under late president Kabila: The Pro-Kabilas humiliate the National Assembly. The commission has just submitted its report to the lower chamber. «The report also mentions the conditions under which the 10 MPs worked in this commission which raised a lot of interest», writes the paper. It denounces all the obstacles and ambushes against the commission's work and cites several personalities who either refused to make a declaration on the issue, declined the experts' requests, or simply rejected the commission's convocation kindly requesting responses to some questions. The paper also stigmatises inflammatory declarations, news conferences or other intimidation aimed against the commission describing its work as a « cabal formed against Katanga ». For the paper, the commission's tragedy has a name: the politicisation of the problem. Its report does not make any substantive revelation as expected. It is feared that the commission's work would set a legal precedent, in such a way that when the Parliamentary chamber initiates a board of enquiry to probe into the Makobola massacres in South Kivu, the leaders of the ex-rebel movement, the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD), would refer the investigating team first to the Ankoro massacre committed in Katanga by the former Forces Armées Congolaises (FAC). « The despair of the transition... », Concludes LE POTENTIEL.
The same paper mentions the visit of the American Under-Secretary of State for African Affairs, Donald Yamamoto who was received by the Vice-President, charged with the Commission for Politics, Defence and Security, Azarias Ruberwa. Mr. Yamamoto expressed his hope to see the Congolese people work in a spirit of unity, concordance, integration and national reconciliation for a successful transition, highlights LE POTENTIEL. Referring to Washington's contribution in the search for stability in the Great Lakes, « he explained that his country endeavours to bring together the different countries in the region with a view to rebuilding friendly relations and good neighbourliness», writes the paper, explaining that the purpose of the visit of the American statesman to Kigali and Bujumbura is to « help rebuild this trust».
LE PHARE feels that without a doubt, this act will « mark the start of a new era of the normalization of relations with a neighbouring country, whose troops had occupied for over five years a considerable portion of the DRC territory ». A high-level DRC delegation travelled Wednesday to Rwanda on the occasion of the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the genocide. Ruberwa heads the delegation comprised of the minister of Foreign Affairs and the governors of North and South Kivu, says the paper. « This is an indication that in the next few days, the DRC embassy, which has never been closed despite the war, will be honoured with new occupants to materialize the resumption of normal and mature relations», writes the paper.
In its editorial entitled France, guilty or scapegoat, L'AVENIR denounces accusations made by Rwandan authorities against France charging the latter of protecting the genocidaires in 1994. « The dossier of the Hutu massacres in DRC no longer interests anyone. France which mentions this as a counter genocide is accused of being actively involved in the genocide», deplores the paper.
The same paper reports on Monday talks between Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba and Minister Joseph Olengha Nkoy, suspended for a month for Olengha Nkoy having made discourteous statements against Mr. Bemba, resumed work on 26 March. « These talks have the merit of clearing all the misunderstandings between both men», concludes the paper.
