UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
6 Mar
2009
Press Review
Today's local papers in Kinshasa report the North Kivu clashes where efforts for reconciliation between the commanders of the 8th and the 10th military regions are ongoing. The papers also comment on other subjects relating to the DRC transition's process.
''News from North Kivu province may pose a threat to the ongoing DRC peace process'', L'AVENIR says, reporting bloody clashes between the 8th military regions and the Maï-Maï troops. 2 people are reported killed and 6 injured on both sides, the paper says, adding that the Shasa clashes took place near Kilwenze district. The Maï-Maï involved in the fighting are those of Bweremana district in Masisi, about 50 kilometres from Goma. A joint team made up of the 8th military region and MONUC staff travelled to the scene of the clashes, before moving to Minova on Monday 27 September, the paper says, without revealing any finding of the investigations.
Expressing the same views, LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES reveals that the delegation including the army chief of staff, General Sylvain Buki and the chief of staff of the 8th military region, Obed Rubasira, met with the commander of the 10th military region in South-Kivu, Félix Budja Mabe. The paper applauds the ''so much awaited'' meeting between the commanders of the 8th and 10th military regions and describes this as ''a meaningful gesture likely to convince the world that the two high ranking officers are keeping good neighbourly relationship and the DRC population can count on them with regard to the pacification of both provinces oftentimes plagued by wars''.
FORUM DES AS commends the 10th military region commander, General Budja Mabe, for securing the Congolese refugees from Gatumba. ''Demonised by Vice-President Azarias Ruberwa and his supporters on one hand, and the FARDC insurgents, notably Laurent Nkunda and Jules Mutebusi on the other, General Mbuza Mabe practically confused his detractors last weekend by flying to the rescue of the banyamulenge refugees from Gatumba in Burundi'', the paper writes, recalling that it was a safe return from exile, despite some stones thrown on the returnees by mobilised angry mob in Uvira.
LE POTENTIEL, in turn, devotes its headlines to the merging of the different forces composing the Army and the Police forces and expresses serious concerns at the effectiveness of the operation. The paper further says the operation is already compromised given that the ''wives of the military and police officers undergoing training in Kisangani have joined their husbands in the administrative town of the Oriental province''. In this regard, the paper stresses ''some social problems likely to arise which the trainers may not have provided for''. The paper considers that Government officials should handle the new situation insofar as the police officers supposed to be redeployed to Ituri after training are still in Kisangani. ''The unexpected arrival of the trainees' spouses and other dependents is not well appreciated since it would affect the police and military officers' morals negatively'', the paper says.
LE PHARE brings out other concerns relating to the ongoing electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo, indicating that Transition's players are under threat of ''disqualification'' for being unable to organise elections in the allotted time frame. It notices that within the nine months remaining to the end of the peace process, transition players' limitations have become evident with regard to its overall objectives, which leads the paper to say that their disqualification is now obvious. It further wonders on which grounds the Congolese will renew their mandate that is a blatant failure, if the elections came to take place in June 2005.
LE PALMARES, which announces the reshuffle of President Kabila's cabinet, predicts ''the set-up of the new cabinet team'' in its today's edition according to which President Kabila would replace his Cabinet Director, Evarist Boshab by Mr. Katumba Mwanke. Moreover, She Okitundu, Ntumba Luaba and Kabuya Lumuna would be ''ousted'' and ''Vital Kamerhe would take up an additional office as 1st vice-president of the National Assembly, in replacement of Philomène Omatuku'' and Pastor Ngoy would be named as Private Adviser to President Kabila. The paper also refers to an organised job by President Kabila's political party consisting in tempting away members of other political parties into its political family when ''making sheep's eyes at Alexis Thambwe Mwamba to whom the president political party is proposing the post of Finance Minister''.
With regard to MONUC activities, LE POTENTIEL reports that the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the DRC, William Lacy Swing, inaugurated on Saturday, the new Red Cross health centre known as Lisalisi 1 in Kinshasa. The paper indicates that MONUC funded the work on the health centre in the amount of US$ 20,000 through its Quick impact Projects (QUIPS).
Expressing the same views, LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES reveals that the delegation including the army chief of staff, General Sylvain Buki and the chief of staff of the 8th military region, Obed Rubasira, met with the commander of the 10th military region in South-Kivu, Félix Budja Mabe. The paper applauds the ''so much awaited'' meeting between the commanders of the 8th and 10th military regions and describes this as ''a meaningful gesture likely to convince the world that the two high ranking officers are keeping good neighbourly relationship and the DRC population can count on them with regard to the pacification of both provinces oftentimes plagued by wars''.
FORUM DES AS commends the 10th military region commander, General Budja Mabe, for securing the Congolese refugees from Gatumba. ''Demonised by Vice-President Azarias Ruberwa and his supporters on one hand, and the FARDC insurgents, notably Laurent Nkunda and Jules Mutebusi on the other, General Mbuza Mabe practically confused his detractors last weekend by flying to the rescue of the banyamulenge refugees from Gatumba in Burundi'', the paper writes, recalling that it was a safe return from exile, despite some stones thrown on the returnees by mobilised angry mob in Uvira.
LE POTENTIEL, in turn, devotes its headlines to the merging of the different forces composing the Army and the Police forces and expresses serious concerns at the effectiveness of the operation. The paper further says the operation is already compromised given that the ''wives of the military and police officers undergoing training in Kisangani have joined their husbands in the administrative town of the Oriental province''. In this regard, the paper stresses ''some social problems likely to arise which the trainers may not have provided for''. The paper considers that Government officials should handle the new situation insofar as the police officers supposed to be redeployed to Ituri after training are still in Kisangani. ''The unexpected arrival of the trainees' spouses and other dependents is not well appreciated since it would affect the police and military officers' morals negatively'', the paper says.
LE PHARE brings out other concerns relating to the ongoing electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo, indicating that Transition's players are under threat of ''disqualification'' for being unable to organise elections in the allotted time frame. It notices that within the nine months remaining to the end of the peace process, transition players' limitations have become evident with regard to its overall objectives, which leads the paper to say that their disqualification is now obvious. It further wonders on which grounds the Congolese will renew their mandate that is a blatant failure, if the elections came to take place in June 2005.
LE PALMARES, which announces the reshuffle of President Kabila's cabinet, predicts ''the set-up of the new cabinet team'' in its today's edition according to which President Kabila would replace his Cabinet Director, Evarist Boshab by Mr. Katumba Mwanke. Moreover, She Okitundu, Ntumba Luaba and Kabuya Lumuna would be ''ousted'' and ''Vital Kamerhe would take up an additional office as 1st vice-president of the National Assembly, in replacement of Philomène Omatuku'' and Pastor Ngoy would be named as Private Adviser to President Kabila. The paper also refers to an organised job by President Kabila's political party consisting in tempting away members of other political parties into its political family when ''making sheep's eyes at Alexis Thambwe Mwamba to whom the president political party is proposing the post of Finance Minister''.
With regard to MONUC activities, LE POTENTIEL reports that the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the DRC, William Lacy Swing, inaugurated on Saturday, the new Red Cross health centre known as Lisalisi 1 in Kinshasa. The paper indicates that MONUC funded the work on the health centre in the amount of US$ 20,000 through its Quick impact Projects (QUIPS).
