UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
6 Mar
2009
Press Review
The decision taken by the 'Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD)' to withdraw from Transitional institutions is the major issue commented by today's local papers in Kinshasa.
RCD suspends its membership in the Transition, announces LE PHARE, without much surprise ''since Mr. Ruberwa already announced this in his funeral oration delivered on Monday 16 August, at the funerals of the 161 Congolese Banyamulenge refugees slaughtered in the Gatumba camp in Burundi''. Referring to Vice-President Azarias Ruberwa's statements, the paper indicates that the last straw that broke the camel's back was ''the refusal by Joseph Kabila to respond to Thabo Mbeki's invitation to hold consultations with the other key stakeholders of the transition following the tragic Gatumba events'', adding that ''RCD suspended its membership in the Transitional institutions but not in the armed forces which must essentially be an apolitical structure''. RCD then expected ''South African and the United Nations to take up again the Congolese issue, to organise a meeting of the key transitional stakeholders during which an assessment of the transition and urgent decisions would be made in favour of truly free, transparent and democratic elections within the set timeframe''.
L'OBSERVATEUR points out that for Mr. Ruberwa, ''the current events, namely, the slaughter of the Congolese refugees in the Gatumba camp and the tensions in Eastern DRC are indicative of the need for a break in the transition''.
For L'AVENIR, the RCD decision for a break ''is a logical consequence in a series of provocations''. According to the paper, ''after a number of provocations aimed to secure a break in the transition process, Mr. Azarias Ruberwa is out of breath'' since ''his numerous provocations did not actually hit the right target, notably President Joseph Kabila'', the paper says. The paper further describes Ruberwa's tactics as ''a multi-targets objective'', also aimed at ''preventing the international investigations that would establish the whole truth about the Gatumba massacres''.
While acknowledging that Vice-president Ruberwa has the right to lay whatever claim or oppose anything he and his movement disagree with, LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES however notes that the forum chosen by the Vice-president was not appropriate. ''There are several other forum which Ruberwa could have chosen to lay his complaints and find appropriate solutions, instead of taking a unilateral decision to express his discontent'', says the same paper.
Not all the RCD members appreciated the decision to suspend their membership to the transition. LA REFERENCE PLUS reports that a meeting held by some RCD members to look into the decision described as ''serious'', RCD Ministers, Deputy-ministers, Senators and other senior members in Kinshasa ''decided to reject the Vice-president Ruberwa's decision''. They, amongst others, ''refuse to bear responsibility for the failure of the transition due to some unclear reasons''. They consider that ''the RCD group which met in the main town of North Kivu does not have the competence to take such a serious decision which only a Party's congress can make''.
In an article entitled the RCD is definitely shuttered, LE PALMARES reveals a declaration by RCD members who stayed in Kinshasa ''deciding to proceed with their membership to the Transitional institutions''. The declaration is signed by 11 RCD senior members, among whom Crispin Kabasele Tshimanga, RCD Deputy Secretary General; Senator Emile Ilunga; First Vice-President of the Senate; the Minister of Defence, Jean-Pierre Ondekane; the Minister of Economy Emile Ngoy Kasongo and the Minister of Higher Education and University Joseph Mudumbi.
FORUM DES AS refers to the consequences of the RCD's decision with a tone of humour, titling: Ondekane, Lola Kisanga, Laurent Batumona' compelled to lose their job. The paper explains that this suspension ''compels several RCD leaders to lose their jobs''. It quotes the example of the Minister of Defence, Jean-Pierre Ondekane ''who was recently promoted Major General and will now be compelled to stay home and leave his post vacant''.
Having left the transitional institutions, ''RCD brings danger home'', feels LE POTENTIEL, which calls for a ''general mobilisation with a view to defending the nation''. It is imperative, the paper writes, ''to create a holy union whose members will come from all walks of life to foil those kind of initiatives, whether they come from Ruberwa or Rwanda''. In a momentum of general mobilisation, the paper appeals to ''the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, the African Union, SADC and the CIAT to accompany the determination of the Congolese people to pacify their country''.
In this context, the same paper announces a working visit to Kinshasa by the South African President, Thabo Mbeki on 30 August.
L'OBSERVATEUR points out that for Mr. Ruberwa, ''the current events, namely, the slaughter of the Congolese refugees in the Gatumba camp and the tensions in Eastern DRC are indicative of the need for a break in the transition''.
For L'AVENIR, the RCD decision for a break ''is a logical consequence in a series of provocations''. According to the paper, ''after a number of provocations aimed to secure a break in the transition process, Mr. Azarias Ruberwa is out of breath'' since ''his numerous provocations did not actually hit the right target, notably President Joseph Kabila'', the paper says. The paper further describes Ruberwa's tactics as ''a multi-targets objective'', also aimed at ''preventing the international investigations that would establish the whole truth about the Gatumba massacres''.
While acknowledging that Vice-president Ruberwa has the right to lay whatever claim or oppose anything he and his movement disagree with, LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES however notes that the forum chosen by the Vice-president was not appropriate. ''There are several other forum which Ruberwa could have chosen to lay his complaints and find appropriate solutions, instead of taking a unilateral decision to express his discontent'', says the same paper.
Not all the RCD members appreciated the decision to suspend their membership to the transition. LA REFERENCE PLUS reports that a meeting held by some RCD members to look into the decision described as ''serious'', RCD Ministers, Deputy-ministers, Senators and other senior members in Kinshasa ''decided to reject the Vice-president Ruberwa's decision''. They, amongst others, ''refuse to bear responsibility for the failure of the transition due to some unclear reasons''. They consider that ''the RCD group which met in the main town of North Kivu does not have the competence to take such a serious decision which only a Party's congress can make''.
In an article entitled the RCD is definitely shuttered, LE PALMARES reveals a declaration by RCD members who stayed in Kinshasa ''deciding to proceed with their membership to the Transitional institutions''. The declaration is signed by 11 RCD senior members, among whom Crispin Kabasele Tshimanga, RCD Deputy Secretary General; Senator Emile Ilunga; First Vice-President of the Senate; the Minister of Defence, Jean-Pierre Ondekane; the Minister of Economy Emile Ngoy Kasongo and the Minister of Higher Education and University Joseph Mudumbi.
FORUM DES AS refers to the consequences of the RCD's decision with a tone of humour, titling: Ondekane, Lola Kisanga, Laurent Batumona' compelled to lose their job. The paper explains that this suspension ''compels several RCD leaders to lose their jobs''. It quotes the example of the Minister of Defence, Jean-Pierre Ondekane ''who was recently promoted Major General and will now be compelled to stay home and leave his post vacant''.
Having left the transitional institutions, ''RCD brings danger home'', feels LE POTENTIEL, which calls for a ''general mobilisation with a view to defending the nation''. It is imperative, the paper writes, ''to create a holy union whose members will come from all walks of life to foil those kind of initiatives, whether they come from Ruberwa or Rwanda''. In a momentum of general mobilisation, the paper appeals to ''the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, the African Union, SADC and the CIAT to accompany the determination of the Congolese people to pacify their country''.
In this context, the same paper announces a working visit to Kinshasa by the South African President, Thabo Mbeki on 30 August.
