UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
9 Mar
2009
Press Review 21 June 2005
Today's local press mainly focus on the preliminary registration and identification operations launched in Kinshasa on 20 June 2005. The press also comment on the demonstrations held by Congolese in Brussels and the security situation in Ituri and the Kivus.
The headlines in L'AVENIR read: Kinshasa Residents turned out massively for registration. The registration operation was launched in a school of the district of Barumbu in Kinshasa and was attended by the DRC Interior Minister, a UNDP representative and members of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). The Head of the CEI, Father Malu Malu, personally visited some registration centres and 'the operation went smoothly. People were calm and queued for long hours to get registered,' the paper further says. 'Despite the morose atmosphere, people turned out massively to get registered and secure their voters' cards,' LE POTENTIEL notes. L'OBSERVATEUR, for its part, deplores the absence of the heads of registration centres and keyboard operators in some centres and slowness of keyboarders in others, 'which did not facilitate the operations.'
'The general atmosphere was indeed morose in most of the centres visited as if it were just a minor event,' LE POTENTIEL says. 'Some people were informed the same morning the operations were launched. On top of that, the operations started very late,' the paper goes on to explain, the operations started late because the keyboard operators were not given the codes and passwords on time on one hand, and on the other, 'the keyboard operators were not apparently familiar with the equipments,' as declared by 'an impatient lady waiting to be registered' when interviewed. Another problem encountered is the one relating to identification papers for 'the majority of the Kinshasa residents who just have an attestation for loss of identification papers left by the defunct Mobutu's administration which AFDL (Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération) lead by late President Laurent Désiré Kabila) invalidated. Many people still do not have such a document and will need the presence of witnesses (') though it was difficult to find five witnesses among those who already registered on the first day.' L'OBSERVATEUR refers to it as 'an obstacle course' and, relaying the population's concern, calls on the CEI to 'use another mechanism able to have everybody easily registered.' As soon as informed of the problem, Father Malu Malu 'initiated a procedure recommending the chiefs of the tiny districts of Kinshasa to rush witnesses to the registration centres for testimonies,' the paper reports.
The same paper reports that 'a voters' caravan' was launched last weekend to sensitise the residents of Kinshasa to turn out massively for their registration. To this end, the organisers associated comedians, students as well as the CEI and High Media Authority members. 'Leaflets were handed out explaining the importance of the elections,' L'OBSERVATEUR says.
While Congolese in Kinshasa were getting registered, others were demonstrating before the DRC embassy in Brussels. In this regard, LE PALMARES headlines, Congolese provoked riots in Brussels yesterday, alluding to the demonstrations organised by UDPS (Union for Democracy and Social Progress /Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social) members in Brussels, to 'demand Government's resignation and the end of the 1+4 architecture.'' 11 Congolese were arrested, 4 Belgian policemen injured and several equipments damaged, the paper says. LE POTENTIEL reports about twenty Congolese people arrested, several cars burnt and notes that the demonstrations were organised by an association known as ''Bana Congo;'' there were about 300 demonstrators 'representing different political parties and associations.' The 'peace rally' was disrupted by 'Belgian Police officers who started throwing tear gas to prevent the demonstrators from gaining access to the residence of the Congolese ambassadors,' the Vice-President of ''Bana Congo'' told the press.
According to LE PALMARES, citing Belgian Intelligence Services, the demonstration degenerated into a riot when the police used tear gas as 'one of the demonstrators attempted to take his weapon from him.' Children were affected by the tear gas and rushed to hospital ('), which triggered off demonstrators' fury,' the paper says, announcing that UDPS is ever 'determined to carry through its action.' The paper foresees other demonstrations to take place in Brussels on 30 June. The paper quotes a UDPS member, François Tshipampa, as declaring, 'UDPS will confer with the police in Brussels in order to formalise the demonstration and prevents incidents' such as the ones deplored last Monday. In Paris, another association known as ''Toponi Congo'' is planning similar demonstration on 30 June, from Trocadéro up to Alam Marceau.
The six-month extension of the transition once renewable rejected by UDPS is however hailed by the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Assistance, the Belgian Louis Michel. LE PALMARES quotes him as referring to the decision as 'wise and in line with the spirit of the Inter Congolese Talks and the Transition Constitution' that 'will help put in place appropriate technical conditions for a smooth democratic process.' Quai d'Orsay's spokesman is quoted by the paper as calling on 'all the parties to abide by the clauses contained in the peace agreement reached on December 2002 and to facilitate the holding of safe elections.'
Security situation is further deteriorating in Ituri, Beni and Kivu, according to LA REFERENCE PLUS which reports sounds of wars in Eastern DRC, pointing an accusing finger at 'two new rebel groups': one supported by militia members in Ituri 'reportedly backed by Uganda and geared to launch a series of offensive' along the Ituri and Beni axes, and another one comprised of 'RDC dissidents including Laurent Nkunda, Bora Uzima, the former South Kivu Governor, Xavier Chiribanya and others.' The 'mastermind' of the group is allegedly colonel Kakolele, 'former commander of RCD-KML troops led by Mbusa Nyamwisi,' who 'is a professional and skilled senior member of the rebellion,' reveals the paper. He was 'arrested last year in Beni with a dozen RCD-K/ML members for an aborted a military attack on the DRC' but 'managed to escape from the central prison of Makala' in Kinshasa, 'after a few months of detention,' pursues LA REFERENCE PLUS. This situation is alarming, the paper says, indicating particularly 'at a time when the electoral operations have been launched.' The situation prompted an important meeting called by the head of MONUC in Ituri, Dominique McAdams on Monday with all the traditional leaders of Irumu and Djugu, reports the paper, concluding: 'we will receive further information about the situation in the next few days.'
'The general atmosphere was indeed morose in most of the centres visited as if it were just a minor event,' LE POTENTIEL says. 'Some people were informed the same morning the operations were launched. On top of that, the operations started very late,' the paper goes on to explain, the operations started late because the keyboard operators were not given the codes and passwords on time on one hand, and on the other, 'the keyboard operators were not apparently familiar with the equipments,' as declared by 'an impatient lady waiting to be registered' when interviewed. Another problem encountered is the one relating to identification papers for 'the majority of the Kinshasa residents who just have an attestation for loss of identification papers left by the defunct Mobutu's administration which AFDL (Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération) lead by late President Laurent Désiré Kabila) invalidated. Many people still do not have such a document and will need the presence of witnesses (') though it was difficult to find five witnesses among those who already registered on the first day.' L'OBSERVATEUR refers to it as 'an obstacle course' and, relaying the population's concern, calls on the CEI to 'use another mechanism able to have everybody easily registered.' As soon as informed of the problem, Father Malu Malu 'initiated a procedure recommending the chiefs of the tiny districts of Kinshasa to rush witnesses to the registration centres for testimonies,' the paper reports.
The same paper reports that 'a voters' caravan' was launched last weekend to sensitise the residents of Kinshasa to turn out massively for their registration. To this end, the organisers associated comedians, students as well as the CEI and High Media Authority members. 'Leaflets were handed out explaining the importance of the elections,' L'OBSERVATEUR says.
While Congolese in Kinshasa were getting registered, others were demonstrating before the DRC embassy in Brussels. In this regard, LE PALMARES headlines, Congolese provoked riots in Brussels yesterday, alluding to the demonstrations organised by UDPS (Union for Democracy and Social Progress /Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social) members in Brussels, to 'demand Government's resignation and the end of the 1+4 architecture.'' 11 Congolese were arrested, 4 Belgian policemen injured and several equipments damaged, the paper says. LE POTENTIEL reports about twenty Congolese people arrested, several cars burnt and notes that the demonstrations were organised by an association known as ''Bana Congo;'' there were about 300 demonstrators 'representing different political parties and associations.' The 'peace rally' was disrupted by 'Belgian Police officers who started throwing tear gas to prevent the demonstrators from gaining access to the residence of the Congolese ambassadors,' the Vice-President of ''Bana Congo'' told the press.
According to LE PALMARES, citing Belgian Intelligence Services, the demonstration degenerated into a riot when the police used tear gas as 'one of the demonstrators attempted to take his weapon from him.' Children were affected by the tear gas and rushed to hospital ('), which triggered off demonstrators' fury,' the paper says, announcing that UDPS is ever 'determined to carry through its action.' The paper foresees other demonstrations to take place in Brussels on 30 June. The paper quotes a UDPS member, François Tshipampa, as declaring, 'UDPS will confer with the police in Brussels in order to formalise the demonstration and prevents incidents' such as the ones deplored last Monday. In Paris, another association known as ''Toponi Congo'' is planning similar demonstration on 30 June, from Trocadéro up to Alam Marceau.
The six-month extension of the transition once renewable rejected by UDPS is however hailed by the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Assistance, the Belgian Louis Michel. LE PALMARES quotes him as referring to the decision as 'wise and in line with the spirit of the Inter Congolese Talks and the Transition Constitution' that 'will help put in place appropriate technical conditions for a smooth democratic process.' Quai d'Orsay's spokesman is quoted by the paper as calling on 'all the parties to abide by the clauses contained in the peace agreement reached on December 2002 and to facilitate the holding of safe elections.'
Security situation is further deteriorating in Ituri, Beni and Kivu, according to LA REFERENCE PLUS which reports sounds of wars in Eastern DRC, pointing an accusing finger at 'two new rebel groups': one supported by militia members in Ituri 'reportedly backed by Uganda and geared to launch a series of offensive' along the Ituri and Beni axes, and another one comprised of 'RDC dissidents including Laurent Nkunda, Bora Uzima, the former South Kivu Governor, Xavier Chiribanya and others.' The 'mastermind' of the group is allegedly colonel Kakolele, 'former commander of RCD-KML troops led by Mbusa Nyamwisi,' who 'is a professional and skilled senior member of the rebellion,' reveals the paper. He was 'arrested last year in Beni with a dozen RCD-K/ML members for an aborted a military attack on the DRC' but 'managed to escape from the central prison of Makala' in Kinshasa, 'after a few months of detention,' pursues LA REFERENCE PLUS. This situation is alarming, the paper says, indicating particularly 'at a time when the electoral operations have been launched.' The situation prompted an important meeting called by the head of MONUC in Ituri, Dominique McAdams on Monday with all the traditional leaders of Irumu and Djugu, reports the paper, concluding: 'we will receive further information about the situation in the next few days.'
