UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
5 Mar
2009
Press Review
The new fighting in Ituri, the announced verification mechanism to be put in place between the DRC and Rwanda are the major headlines in today's local papers in Kinshasa.
News from Ituri report new fighting in Djegu, 35 km from Bunia between militias of the Forces Armées du Peuple Congolais (FAPC) and the Front des Nationalistes Intégrationnistes (FNI), La Référence Plus says, further indicating that 19 people were killed in the weeklong fighting. The paper quotes the Head of MONUC Public Information, Ms Patricia Tome as indicating that ''many people fled Djegu to seek refuge in surrounding villages, especially Mahagi where Monuc has a company of Nepalese peacekeepers''.
L'Observateur says that a precarious calm has returned following a ceasefire signed by the leaders of both militia groups, under Monuc sponsorship and indicates that ''the latter find it difficult to understand why there should be a new flare up in Ituri despite the Act of Engagement reached by all the different belligerents in Kinshasa last month''. The paper wonders about the reason for the clashes ''which comes in against the tide of the ongoing peace process''.
The third African Union summit held in Addis Ababa from 6 to 8 July 2004 ended yesterday, Le Potentiel says. The paper recalls that the Congolese issue was included in the summit agenda, especially regarding ''the perpetual mutual accusations between the DRC and Rwanda like in a ping-pong game''. Addis-Ababa summit resolved to put in place a verification mission along the borders between both countries, the paper says, explaining that ''the objective of the mission described as Verity Mission, will definitely establish the truth and help rebuild confidence between the two neighbouring countries''.
Commenting the same issue, Le Phare announces that Monuc is already reflecting on the Verification Mechanism between the DRC and Rwanda. The paper reports that the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the DRC, William Swing chaired ''the first meeting devoted to the study of the terms of reference of the Verification Mechanism between the DRC and Rwanda'', as decided in Addis-Ababa. The paper recalls that the role of the Verification Mechanism to put in place is to appease the current tensions between both countries.
Echoing the UN Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, L'Avenir adds that the package of measures taken in Addis-Ababa included the putting in place of Verification Mechanisms along the common borders between the two countries, the verification of the presence of foreign troops in DRC, the holding of regular meetings between the leadership of both countries and so forth. For this paper, ''all those measures are intended to secure the DRC and its neighbours. They are as well intended to put an end to the allegations of DRC's support to Interahamwe and other rebel forces who have been destabilising some Central African Countries''.
The end of the third AU summit also marks the change of the rotating presidency, which is now passed over to Nigerian Olusegun Obasanjo, in replacement of the outgoing Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano. Congolese are waiting Obasanjo around the corner, L'Avenir says. This paper writes ''Nigeria has gained a reputation of mediator in armed conflicts'its president must now use his experience to cool Kigali's bellicose ardour over the DRC''. This is the only way for him to get out while the going is good and successfully fulfil his term of office, especially regarding the DRC, the paper says.
Further, La Tempête des Tropiques reports that nearly a month after the Bukavu mutineers, Laurent Nkunda's troops are under arrest. The paper adds that several officers of the eight military region who collaborated with General Laurent Nkunda in the taking of Bukavu on 2 June 2004 are currently tracked by their higher up who remained loyal to the regular army. In this framework, ''a dozen officers implicated in Nkunda's adventure were arrested'', the paper indicates.
In this regard, Le Potentiel announces that Monuc has initiated investigations about allegations of the mass killing of the Banyamulenge soldiers in the Government Armed Forces by the other members of the FARDC. The paper quotes the UN spokesman in New York from declaring that ''Monuc decided to initiate investigations upon receiving allegations on the killing of about twenty Banyamulenge soldiers, Congolese from Tutsi origin in eastern DRC by other FARDC troops''.
L'Observateur says that a precarious calm has returned following a ceasefire signed by the leaders of both militia groups, under Monuc sponsorship and indicates that ''the latter find it difficult to understand why there should be a new flare up in Ituri despite the Act of Engagement reached by all the different belligerents in Kinshasa last month''. The paper wonders about the reason for the clashes ''which comes in against the tide of the ongoing peace process''.
The third African Union summit held in Addis Ababa from 6 to 8 July 2004 ended yesterday, Le Potentiel says. The paper recalls that the Congolese issue was included in the summit agenda, especially regarding ''the perpetual mutual accusations between the DRC and Rwanda like in a ping-pong game''. Addis-Ababa summit resolved to put in place a verification mission along the borders between both countries, the paper says, explaining that ''the objective of the mission described as Verity Mission, will definitely establish the truth and help rebuild confidence between the two neighbouring countries''.
Commenting the same issue, Le Phare announces that Monuc is already reflecting on the Verification Mechanism between the DRC and Rwanda. The paper reports that the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the DRC, William Swing chaired ''the first meeting devoted to the study of the terms of reference of the Verification Mechanism between the DRC and Rwanda'', as decided in Addis-Ababa. The paper recalls that the role of the Verification Mechanism to put in place is to appease the current tensions between both countries.
Echoing the UN Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, L'Avenir adds that the package of measures taken in Addis-Ababa included the putting in place of Verification Mechanisms along the common borders between the two countries, the verification of the presence of foreign troops in DRC, the holding of regular meetings between the leadership of both countries and so forth. For this paper, ''all those measures are intended to secure the DRC and its neighbours. They are as well intended to put an end to the allegations of DRC's support to Interahamwe and other rebel forces who have been destabilising some Central African Countries''.
The end of the third AU summit also marks the change of the rotating presidency, which is now passed over to Nigerian Olusegun Obasanjo, in replacement of the outgoing Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano. Congolese are waiting Obasanjo around the corner, L'Avenir says. This paper writes ''Nigeria has gained a reputation of mediator in armed conflicts'its president must now use his experience to cool Kigali's bellicose ardour over the DRC''. This is the only way for him to get out while the going is good and successfully fulfil his term of office, especially regarding the DRC, the paper says.
Further, La Tempête des Tropiques reports that nearly a month after the Bukavu mutineers, Laurent Nkunda's troops are under arrest. The paper adds that several officers of the eight military region who collaborated with General Laurent Nkunda in the taking of Bukavu on 2 June 2004 are currently tracked by their higher up who remained loyal to the regular army. In this framework, ''a dozen officers implicated in Nkunda's adventure were arrested'', the paper indicates.
In this regard, Le Potentiel announces that Monuc has initiated investigations about allegations of the mass killing of the Banyamulenge soldiers in the Government Armed Forces by the other members of the FARDC. The paper quotes the UN spokesman in New York from declaring that ''Monuc decided to initiate investigations upon receiving allegations on the killing of about twenty Banyamulenge soldiers, Congolese from Tutsi origin in eastern DRC by other FARDC troops''.
