UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
6 Mar
2009
Press Review 21 December 2004
Rwanda's lifting of its threat to intervene in Eastern DRC is the lead story in today's local press, commenting on a declaration by Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister. The same papers also echo the catholic Bishops' message calling for a new transitional government.
'Rwanda has decided to withdraw the threats, made since November, to send troops into the DRC to hunt down Rwandan Hutu rebels', says the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Charles Murigande, quoted by Le Potentiel on Monday. 'Bluff or reality''', continues the paper saying, 'this turnaround is attributed to the visit of Louis Michel, the former Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is currently the European commissioner for development and humanitarian assistance''. Before leaving Kinshasa, Louis Michel promised to ''calm Paul Kagame down''.
According to L'Observateur, 'Rwanda' s turnaround comes after a number of diplomatic contacts, notably with Kigali's Western allies: USA and Great Britain, who threatened to suspend assistance to Kigali''.
'Kagame remains unpredictable in spite of being forced to withdraw his troops', Le Palmarès highlights. 'The Rwandan president says he is embarrassed by two Congolese who are giving him hard time', the paper further says, indicating that the 10th military region commander, General Mbudja Mabe and the Defence Minister, Jean-Pierre Ondekane, are in Kigali's bad books. 'As far as Mbudja Mabe is concerned, Kagame is irritated by his great popularity and sense of duty ' whilst, for Jean-Pierre Ondekane, it is his thunderous declaration that it was not a mutiny but an incursion by Rwandan troops into DRC which brought him nothing but Kagame's wrath.''
The same view is expressed by Le Phare: 'By promising not to attack the DRC any more, Rwanda merely intends to create a diversion''. The opinion is shared by the Congolese Minister of Information and Press, Mova Sakany who contradicts Charles Murigande. 'We cannot give much credit to such a declaration of intent, whilst fighting continues on the ground', the Transitional Government's spokesman told Agence France Presse (AFP), says Le Potentiel.
'The future of the Kivu province hangs in the balance since fighting is ongoing in the region,' the paper reports: 'If it is true that late in the evening, fighting continued with mortar and automatic weapons sporadically heard in Kayina, Kiyumba and Nyabiondo, it would certainly be to the mutineers' advantage. And nobody would assume they have stopped advancing'.
'The insurgent soldiers supported by the Rwandan Patriotic Army are still fighting the FARDC troops in North Kivu and refuse to be called mutineers'They declare that they are being sidelined by the Kinshasa Government'', La Référence Plus reports, estimating 'that beyond negotiations with the mutineers, the population expect the Government to take disciplinary measures against them in order to discourage any further acts of rebellion''.
'Judged by its notorious shortcomings, the government (stands) in the accused box'', Le Potentiel titles, echoing the declaration issued by the DRC's National Episcopal Conference known as the CENCO on Saturday, 'calling for a new Transitional Government able to sort out the crisis,'. L'AVENIR adds: 'The Episcopal Conference has asked the political class to quickly propose to the Head of State the names of the Congolese able to sort out competently and efficiently the crisis that threatens the DRC national territory and which risks undermining the Transition.''
According to L'Observateur, 'Rwanda' s turnaround comes after a number of diplomatic contacts, notably with Kigali's Western allies: USA and Great Britain, who threatened to suspend assistance to Kigali''.
'Kagame remains unpredictable in spite of being forced to withdraw his troops', Le Palmarès highlights. 'The Rwandan president says he is embarrassed by two Congolese who are giving him hard time', the paper further says, indicating that the 10th military region commander, General Mbudja Mabe and the Defence Minister, Jean-Pierre Ondekane, are in Kigali's bad books. 'As far as Mbudja Mabe is concerned, Kagame is irritated by his great popularity and sense of duty ' whilst, for Jean-Pierre Ondekane, it is his thunderous declaration that it was not a mutiny but an incursion by Rwandan troops into DRC which brought him nothing but Kagame's wrath.''
The same view is expressed by Le Phare: 'By promising not to attack the DRC any more, Rwanda merely intends to create a diversion''. The opinion is shared by the Congolese Minister of Information and Press, Mova Sakany who contradicts Charles Murigande. 'We cannot give much credit to such a declaration of intent, whilst fighting continues on the ground', the Transitional Government's spokesman told Agence France Presse (AFP), says Le Potentiel.
'The future of the Kivu province hangs in the balance since fighting is ongoing in the region,' the paper reports: 'If it is true that late in the evening, fighting continued with mortar and automatic weapons sporadically heard in Kayina, Kiyumba and Nyabiondo, it would certainly be to the mutineers' advantage. And nobody would assume they have stopped advancing'.
'The insurgent soldiers supported by the Rwandan Patriotic Army are still fighting the FARDC troops in North Kivu and refuse to be called mutineers'They declare that they are being sidelined by the Kinshasa Government'', La Référence Plus reports, estimating 'that beyond negotiations with the mutineers, the population expect the Government to take disciplinary measures against them in order to discourage any further acts of rebellion''.
'Judged by its notorious shortcomings, the government (stands) in the accused box'', Le Potentiel titles, echoing the declaration issued by the DRC's National Episcopal Conference known as the CENCO on Saturday, 'calling for a new Transitional Government able to sort out the crisis,'. L'AVENIR adds: 'The Episcopal Conference has asked the political class to quickly propose to the Head of State the names of the Congolese able to sort out competently and efficiently the crisis that threatens the DRC national territory and which risks undermining the Transition.''
