UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
6 Mar
2009
Press Review 21 September 2004
The spiral of violence in Eastern DRC and the massacre of 14 people in Ituri are the focus of today's local papers in Kinshasa.
L'OBSERVATEUR is entitled: People massacred in Lengabo near Bunia, MONUC spokeswoman in Bunia, Rachel Eklou is quoted by the paper as saying that 14 people were killed Monday early in the morning in a village close to Bunia. «About 300 gunmen, apparently well organised, attacked Lengabo village, situated less than 10 kilometres from Bunia, torched 91 houses at about 2 o'clock a.m.», MISNA News Agency says in its press release. «According to this source, MONUC Mission including Human Rights, Civilian Police, Deputy Prosecutor's experts in Bunia as well as 150 peacekeepers travelled to scene of the tragedy. MONUC spokeswoman said 14 people were killed; 10 people burned when houses were torched and 4 people shot down», the paper writes, adding that the assailants were from the «Nghiti ethnic group (Southern Lendus) » while the victims were from the «Bira ethnic group ('), the third group of the Ituri mosaic group».
LE PHARE says this is the bloodiest attack in Ituri ever reported by an independent source for the past eleven months, a region plagued by interethnic violence since 1999. LE POTENTIEL echoes the reaction of MONUC's chief in Bunia. Dominique MacAdams declares herself shocked by what she describes as «unacceptable act perpetrated in defiance of the International Community, the disarmament programme started in Ituri and the preparation for the DRC elections; it is regrettable that some people continue indulging in a dehumanising work which recently plagued Ituri». She pledged that neither MONUC nor the Congolese justice would let this go unpunished. «MONUC and Congolese Government officials will take appropriate actions», Ms. Mac Adams said. The paper highlights that the attack comes in at a time when Ituri armed groups have submitted the list of combatants volunteering for the Disarmament and Community Reintegration programme (DRC) «except for the Front de Résistance Patriotique pour l'Ituri (FRPI) which is in control of the Ngiti community accused by the survivors of having perpetrated the massacre».
LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES says that Eastern DRC is once set in fire and refers to the bloody clashes having taken place in Bunia, South Kivu and North Kivu. The paper reports other fighting in Butembo between the Maï-Maï and the FARDC, besides Lengabo massacre without indicating the «number of victims» as well as the attacks on Numbi where « three unidentified battalions stormed the positions held by the 10th military region in South Kivu yesterday at about 5 o'clock a.m.». Colonel Ngizo, who leads the military region, declared through Radio Okapi that the assailants came from « North Kivu ». L'AVENIR further indicates that they allegedly came from Masisi and Numbi district «was in the past occupied by Nkunda's troops », (a FARDC dissident) as was the case in Minova, Dutu and Nyabibwe. « The latter, along with his troops, took refuge in those districts after being routed in the town of Bukavu where they were dislodged by regular army troops», the paper writes.
For the paper, the South Kivu violent clashes constitute an Act of revenge against Mbuja Mabe, the 10th military region's commander, «accused of genocide for the good of the cause, just to secure his sacking from this big military region». The paper regards him as « the most frightening man», the one who has foiled Laurent Nkunda's ambitions « to illegally exploit the DRC national resources».
LE PALMARES reveals that the 8th military region's commander, General Obeid, has been tasked to arrest Laurent Nkunda which puts «General Obed in an embarrassing situation given that the wanted General and his troops went from the 8th military region to the rescue of Colonel Mutebutsi whose troops were fighting the FARDC (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo) », the paper writes.
In another development, the same paper writes Joseph Kabila is in New York with three joker cards to confront Kagame, notably the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramazani Baya and his two roving ambassadors: Léonard She Okitundu and Antoine Ghonda, both former Foreign Affairs Ministers. The paper foresees a stormy face-à-face, between Paul Kagame and Joseph Kabila under the mediation of the UN Secretary-General on one hand, and the US president, George Bush, as well as the Great Lakes heads of States on the other.
DRC is at the centre of the UN 60th session's discussions, FORUM DES AS says, indicating that the Congolese president, Joseph Kabila « envisages holding a private meeting with his Great Lakes colleagues», the paper highlights.
Referring to the political parties' registration, LA REFERENCE PLUS quotes the Interior Minister, Théophile Mbemba as reporting that 129 parties have been registered and 120 dissolved while LE POTENTIEL highlights that UDPS, MPR and MNCL's dossiers are incomplete. Those parties names fall under polysemy and/or homonymy, the paper says. For LE PHARE, Interior Minister Mbemba is the one fuelling confusion, as far as UDPS is concerned. According to this paper, Mr. Mbemba allegedly issued a letter officially recognising the UDPS led by Etienne Tshisekedi and the UPDS under late Kibassa Maliba. « How can he declares UDPS' file as incomplete; what UDPS is he alluding to' », the paper wonders, fearing that none of the UDPS is recognised during the elections, since the Minister said he would «transmit his list to CEI (the Independent Electoral Commission), which list will have the names of the political parties in order». The paper is of the opinion that the Government must take into consideration the principle of anteriority in relation to the acts, calling on the International Support Committee to the Transition (CIAT) to resolve the issue in light of the provisions of the law on the political parties.
Mgr Kataliko's Foundation for Africa (KAF) has criticised MONUC cowboy-style action, in transferring 18 detainees from Bunia to Kinshasa on 15 September, LA REFERENCE PLUS writes. «MONUC has flown, on its volition, 18 detainees to Kinshasa though already cleared and released in lieu of the presumed criminals. The FAK is surprised to see that 18 people have been brought to Kinshasa while the transfer list from the Prosecution included 4 names only», the paper writes.
LE PHARE says this is the bloodiest attack in Ituri ever reported by an independent source for the past eleven months, a region plagued by interethnic violence since 1999. LE POTENTIEL echoes the reaction of MONUC's chief in Bunia. Dominique MacAdams declares herself shocked by what she describes as «unacceptable act perpetrated in defiance of the International Community, the disarmament programme started in Ituri and the preparation for the DRC elections; it is regrettable that some people continue indulging in a dehumanising work which recently plagued Ituri». She pledged that neither MONUC nor the Congolese justice would let this go unpunished. «MONUC and Congolese Government officials will take appropriate actions», Ms. Mac Adams said. The paper highlights that the attack comes in at a time when Ituri armed groups have submitted the list of combatants volunteering for the Disarmament and Community Reintegration programme (DRC) «except for the Front de Résistance Patriotique pour l'Ituri (FRPI) which is in control of the Ngiti community accused by the survivors of having perpetrated the massacre».
LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES says that Eastern DRC is once set in fire and refers to the bloody clashes having taken place in Bunia, South Kivu and North Kivu. The paper reports other fighting in Butembo between the Maï-Maï and the FARDC, besides Lengabo massacre without indicating the «number of victims» as well as the attacks on Numbi where « three unidentified battalions stormed the positions held by the 10th military region in South Kivu yesterday at about 5 o'clock a.m.». Colonel Ngizo, who leads the military region, declared through Radio Okapi that the assailants came from « North Kivu ». L'AVENIR further indicates that they allegedly came from Masisi and Numbi district «was in the past occupied by Nkunda's troops », (a FARDC dissident) as was the case in Minova, Dutu and Nyabibwe. « The latter, along with his troops, took refuge in those districts after being routed in the town of Bukavu where they were dislodged by regular army troops», the paper writes.
For the paper, the South Kivu violent clashes constitute an Act of revenge against Mbuja Mabe, the 10th military region's commander, «accused of genocide for the good of the cause, just to secure his sacking from this big military region». The paper regards him as « the most frightening man», the one who has foiled Laurent Nkunda's ambitions « to illegally exploit the DRC national resources».
LE PALMARES reveals that the 8th military region's commander, General Obeid, has been tasked to arrest Laurent Nkunda which puts «General Obed in an embarrassing situation given that the wanted General and his troops went from the 8th military region to the rescue of Colonel Mutebutsi whose troops were fighting the FARDC (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo) », the paper writes.
In another development, the same paper writes Joseph Kabila is in New York with three joker cards to confront Kagame, notably the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramazani Baya and his two roving ambassadors: Léonard She Okitundu and Antoine Ghonda, both former Foreign Affairs Ministers. The paper foresees a stormy face-à-face, between Paul Kagame and Joseph Kabila under the mediation of the UN Secretary-General on one hand, and the US president, George Bush, as well as the Great Lakes heads of States on the other.
DRC is at the centre of the UN 60th session's discussions, FORUM DES AS says, indicating that the Congolese president, Joseph Kabila « envisages holding a private meeting with his Great Lakes colleagues», the paper highlights.
Referring to the political parties' registration, LA REFERENCE PLUS quotes the Interior Minister, Théophile Mbemba as reporting that 129 parties have been registered and 120 dissolved while LE POTENTIEL highlights that UDPS, MPR and MNCL's dossiers are incomplete. Those parties names fall under polysemy and/or homonymy, the paper says. For LE PHARE, Interior Minister Mbemba is the one fuelling confusion, as far as UDPS is concerned. According to this paper, Mr. Mbemba allegedly issued a letter officially recognising the UDPS led by Etienne Tshisekedi and the UPDS under late Kibassa Maliba. « How can he declares UDPS' file as incomplete; what UDPS is he alluding to' », the paper wonders, fearing that none of the UDPS is recognised during the elections, since the Minister said he would «transmit his list to CEI (the Independent Electoral Commission), which list will have the names of the political parties in order». The paper is of the opinion that the Government must take into consideration the principle of anteriority in relation to the acts, calling on the International Support Committee to the Transition (CIAT) to resolve the issue in light of the provisions of the law on the political parties.
Mgr Kataliko's Foundation for Africa (KAF) has criticised MONUC cowboy-style action, in transferring 18 detainees from Bunia to Kinshasa on 15 September, LA REFERENCE PLUS writes. «MONUC has flown, on its volition, 18 detainees to Kinshasa though already cleared and released in lieu of the presumed criminals. The FAK is surprised to see that 18 people have been brought to Kinshasa while the transfer list from the Prosecution included 4 names only», the paper writes.
