UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
6 Mar
2009
Press Review
Government appointed managing directors of the public firms interrogated by Members of Parliament since Wednesday following the charges of mismanagement holds the front page of today's local papers.
LE POTENTIEL says convening of managing directors by MPs as ''a very unusual event'' in the annals of the Congolese parliament. ''An overwhelming mismanagement report by the audit office in about twenty public firms'' is at the root of the parliament's action, the paper says. The Government-appointed managing directors will account to the Parliament for their mismanagement, the paper reports, indicating that ''they will either be cleared or transferred to the court for a trial''. The audit report that was jointly drawn out by the Audit office, Inspection General des Finances/Finances Inspection Office, the Public firms Department and the Permanent Secretary of the Accounts Department, contains several charges against the managing directors, amongst others: a total absence of accounting records, lack of balance sheet, anarchic fixing of salaries and other benefits, misappropriation of public funds, striking deals based on mutual agreements, overcharging, excessive debts, levies for supervision authorities etc.
LE PHARE says the Parliament is driving the point home by initiating additional investigations based on the audit report. At the end of the cross-checking examination conducted by three Parliaments' commissions put in place by the Parliament, a report will be submitted to the latter which will, in turn, envisage positive or negative sanctions, the paper says. Those proved guilty of mismanagement will be transferred to Kinshasa central prison'.
L'AVENIR however disproves Parliament's procedure, indicating that the Parliament's lower chamber is in the process of giving its approval to the economic and fiscal partition of the country. It should rather ''take into consideration the audit report and initiate another one in the alleged reunified territories''.
LE PHARE echoes MONUC complaint against acts of abuses committed by elements of the Special Group of the Presidential Security (GSSP) in Kisangani. It quotes MONUC Spokesman, Mamadou Bah, as declaring during the Mission's weekly conference that 2,500 GSSP elements have been harassing UN peacekeepers. ''They are making systematic searches and confiscating working tools'', the paper writes, underscoring that ''such acts constitute a violation of the UN resolutions'', MONUC spokesman said.
MONUC Spokesman further announced that two Tunisian peacekeepers were punished following sexual abuses, LE PALMARES reports, adding that ''the peacekeepers were repatriated last week'to face trial in their country after violating the United Nations military rules'', the paper says, noting that doing so, William Swing means to ''restore MONUC good image in the DRC''.
With regard to Monuc activities, the same paper reports that the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for the DRC, Mr. William Swing launched the construction work of a bridge on the Basoko river, in Bandalungwa district. ''The construction work is sponsored by the UN QUIPS. The Quick impact projects was created by the UN Mission in 2001'', the paper writes, highlighting that in this regard, over two hundred projects have thus been implemented across the DRC, in favour of about three million Congolese people.
LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES, on its part, devotes its headlines to what it describes as a ''delusion of grandeur'' on the part of the Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni. It discloses that Ugandan president reportedly wrote to the United Nations Secretary General to plead in favour of a provisional immunity in favour of leaders of the Ituri armed groups. Museveni allegedly opted for this option for the sake of a lasting peace in DRC, the paper indicates, recalling that the wish is expressed at a time when the International Criminal Court has started its investigations into the atrocities committed in Ituri: war crimes, crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity. The paper therefore wonders ''why Uganda is fearful whilst the atrocities were committed in another territory than its own and it is allegedly not implicated neither directly nor indirectly'''.
LA REFERENCE PLUS reports a wave of arrests in Lubumbashi following an attack on the Kilwa district, in Katanga province and announces that Alain Mukalayi, the commanding officer of the assailants was seriously wounded during the retaking of the district about a week ago; he died as a result of the injuries. The 9th military region's officers arrested Commander Bwaliya, his closest aid, the paper says. ''Besides the two rebel leaders and their bodyguards, FARDC officers arrested a catholic priest in the town of Pweto, suspected of being accomplice to the assailants'. On Wednesday, at least three civilians, all of whom young executives were interrogated in Lubumbashi in connexion with the same dossier'', LA REFERENCE PLUS reports.
LE PHARE says the Parliament is driving the point home by initiating additional investigations based on the audit report. At the end of the cross-checking examination conducted by three Parliaments' commissions put in place by the Parliament, a report will be submitted to the latter which will, in turn, envisage positive or negative sanctions, the paper says. Those proved guilty of mismanagement will be transferred to Kinshasa central prison'.
L'AVENIR however disproves Parliament's procedure, indicating that the Parliament's lower chamber is in the process of giving its approval to the economic and fiscal partition of the country. It should rather ''take into consideration the audit report and initiate another one in the alleged reunified territories''.
LE PHARE echoes MONUC complaint against acts of abuses committed by elements of the Special Group of the Presidential Security (GSSP) in Kisangani. It quotes MONUC Spokesman, Mamadou Bah, as declaring during the Mission's weekly conference that 2,500 GSSP elements have been harassing UN peacekeepers. ''They are making systematic searches and confiscating working tools'', the paper writes, underscoring that ''such acts constitute a violation of the UN resolutions'', MONUC spokesman said.
MONUC Spokesman further announced that two Tunisian peacekeepers were punished following sexual abuses, LE PALMARES reports, adding that ''the peacekeepers were repatriated last week'to face trial in their country after violating the United Nations military rules'', the paper says, noting that doing so, William Swing means to ''restore MONUC good image in the DRC''.
With regard to Monuc activities, the same paper reports that the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for the DRC, Mr. William Swing launched the construction work of a bridge on the Basoko river, in Bandalungwa district. ''The construction work is sponsored by the UN QUIPS. The Quick impact projects was created by the UN Mission in 2001'', the paper writes, highlighting that in this regard, over two hundred projects have thus been implemented across the DRC, in favour of about three million Congolese people.
LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES, on its part, devotes its headlines to what it describes as a ''delusion of grandeur'' on the part of the Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni. It discloses that Ugandan president reportedly wrote to the United Nations Secretary General to plead in favour of a provisional immunity in favour of leaders of the Ituri armed groups. Museveni allegedly opted for this option for the sake of a lasting peace in DRC, the paper indicates, recalling that the wish is expressed at a time when the International Criminal Court has started its investigations into the atrocities committed in Ituri: war crimes, crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity. The paper therefore wonders ''why Uganda is fearful whilst the atrocities were committed in another territory than its own and it is allegedly not implicated neither directly nor indirectly'''.
LA REFERENCE PLUS reports a wave of arrests in Lubumbashi following an attack on the Kilwa district, in Katanga province and announces that Alain Mukalayi, the commanding officer of the assailants was seriously wounded during the retaking of the district about a week ago; he died as a result of the injuries. The 9th military region's officers arrested Commander Bwaliya, his closest aid, the paper says. ''Besides the two rebel leaders and their bodyguards, FARDC officers arrested a catholic priest in the town of Pweto, suspected of being accomplice to the assailants'. On Wednesday, at least three civilians, all of whom young executives were interrogated in Lubumbashi in connexion with the same dossier'', LA REFERENCE PLUS reports.
