UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
5 Mar
2009
Press Review
Today's local papers in Kinshasa announce the capture in Brazzaville of Major Eric Lenge, the mastermind of the failed coup that took place in Kinshasa during the night of 11 June 2004. They also go back over the expected reshuffle of the Transition government and raise DRC's participation in the third summit of the African Union in Addis-Ababa, in Ethiopia.
On the basis of a Human Rights NGO's declaration, 'la Voix des Sans Voix (VSV)', LA REFERENCE PLUS refers to ''an alleged capture'' of Major Eric Lenge in Brazzaville during the night of Saturday 3 to Sunday 4 July. According to this paper, ''Major Eric Lenge was reportedly extradited from Brazzaville to Kinshasa on board a private jet chartered by the DRC presidency'' under a ''political and security'' accord signed by the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo,
Major Eric Lenge's capture in Brazzaville has sparked off debates, headlines LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES, raising VSV's concern over ''the conditions under which Major Lenge has been extradited''. The paper indicates that for the Human Rights organisation, this shows ''an evil intention to finish off the captured Major''. VSV is most concerned by the security and life of Major Eric Lenge and demands that ''the case be dealt with in all transparency in order to comply with the principle on the right of the population to be given proper information''. The NGO also wants to be allowed free access to the prisoner and demands humane conditions of detention, simultaneously requesting that he be brought to court for a fair trial, the paper reports.
Moreover, the much-expected ministerial reshuffle did not take place over the weekend as announced, LE POTENTIEL says. The paper indicates that this is due to ''a disagreement between several components on the changes to make''. Be that as it may, the paper urges the Head of State ''to fully face up to his responsibilities and to swiftly publish the new cabinet resulting from the technical reshuffle''. The paper highlights that ''the cabinet reshuffle must give new impetus to the remaining tasks before the elections''. On this same issue, FORUM DES AS interpellates the Vice President for Social and Cultural affairs, Arthur Zahidi NGoma, who considers that ''it is right for the Government to change its approach after a while'', adding that ''the issue must be dealt with tactically''. He also asserts that ''this reshuffle is a result of an assessment'' and an appeal to the political leadership to ''give up stirring up the spirit of revenge and conflicts and to make the Transition culminate in democracy rather than autocracy ''.
The Congolese president, Joseph Kabila is due to fly Tuesday to Addis-Ababa to attend the third summit of the African Union, L'OBSERVATEUR announces. It however notes that the summit, which will be attended by several African heads of state, will focus, among other things, on conflict resolutions in Africa, more particularly the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The paper predicts that the Congolese Head of State will make ''a declaration reiterating the commitment of the DRC's government to respect all the agreements signed with Rwanda in order to restore peace and stability to the Great Lakes region''.
LE PHARE, in turn, reports that during the ministerial conference tasked to prepare the heads of state's summit, the AU (had) strong-worded statement against the Congolese government. According to the paper, the African Union would have ''seriously slammed'' the Congolese delegation which it blames ''for being heavily indebted vis-à-vis the organisation in the amount of US$ 12 million''. In light of the above, the paper indicates that the AU has denied the Congolese the right to speech and documentation. As a result, it adds, ''the final report about the events in Bukavu, Kamanyola and other districts in eastern DRC, affected by Nkunda and Mutebutsi's rebellion, haughtily disregards Kinshasa's point of view, but takes that of Rwanda into consideration''. This leads the paper to write that Addis-Ababa has cleared Kigali without listening to the Congolese. The African Union ruled Sunday in Addis-Ababa that ''the direct implication of Rwanda in the Bukavu events, eastern DRC beside the dissident officers who occupied the town for a week, in June, could not be proved'', the paper says.
In the same development, LE PALMARES declares that the African Union's ruling ''has once again humiliated the Congolese Government''. For this paper, by asserting that Rwanda is not connected to any events in Bukavu, ''this organisation (AU) says the opposite of what President Joseph Kabila declared, when addressing the Nation; he plainly accused Rwanda''. L'AVENIR, in turn, wonders, ''how the AU chairman could take such an ambiguous position in the face of obvious proofs''. It says that it is not ''normal that the truth be distorted for the sake of some friendship ties''.
The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo will also be at the centre of a meeting between Belgium, Burundi, Rwanda and DRC foreign affairs ministers on 11 July 2004, L'AVENIR announces, indicating without indicating the venue of the meeting.
Major Eric Lenge's capture in Brazzaville has sparked off debates, headlines LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES, raising VSV's concern over ''the conditions under which Major Lenge has been extradited''. The paper indicates that for the Human Rights organisation, this shows ''an evil intention to finish off the captured Major''. VSV is most concerned by the security and life of Major Eric Lenge and demands that ''the case be dealt with in all transparency in order to comply with the principle on the right of the population to be given proper information''. The NGO also wants to be allowed free access to the prisoner and demands humane conditions of detention, simultaneously requesting that he be brought to court for a fair trial, the paper reports.
Moreover, the much-expected ministerial reshuffle did not take place over the weekend as announced, LE POTENTIEL says. The paper indicates that this is due to ''a disagreement between several components on the changes to make''. Be that as it may, the paper urges the Head of State ''to fully face up to his responsibilities and to swiftly publish the new cabinet resulting from the technical reshuffle''. The paper highlights that ''the cabinet reshuffle must give new impetus to the remaining tasks before the elections''. On this same issue, FORUM DES AS interpellates the Vice President for Social and Cultural affairs, Arthur Zahidi NGoma, who considers that ''it is right for the Government to change its approach after a while'', adding that ''the issue must be dealt with tactically''. He also asserts that ''this reshuffle is a result of an assessment'' and an appeal to the political leadership to ''give up stirring up the spirit of revenge and conflicts and to make the Transition culminate in democracy rather than autocracy ''.
The Congolese president, Joseph Kabila is due to fly Tuesday to Addis-Ababa to attend the third summit of the African Union, L'OBSERVATEUR announces. It however notes that the summit, which will be attended by several African heads of state, will focus, among other things, on conflict resolutions in Africa, more particularly the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The paper predicts that the Congolese Head of State will make ''a declaration reiterating the commitment of the DRC's government to respect all the agreements signed with Rwanda in order to restore peace and stability to the Great Lakes region''.
LE PHARE, in turn, reports that during the ministerial conference tasked to prepare the heads of state's summit, the AU (had) strong-worded statement against the Congolese government. According to the paper, the African Union would have ''seriously slammed'' the Congolese delegation which it blames ''for being heavily indebted vis-à-vis the organisation in the amount of US$ 12 million''. In light of the above, the paper indicates that the AU has denied the Congolese the right to speech and documentation. As a result, it adds, ''the final report about the events in Bukavu, Kamanyola and other districts in eastern DRC, affected by Nkunda and Mutebutsi's rebellion, haughtily disregards Kinshasa's point of view, but takes that of Rwanda into consideration''. This leads the paper to write that Addis-Ababa has cleared Kigali without listening to the Congolese. The African Union ruled Sunday in Addis-Ababa that ''the direct implication of Rwanda in the Bukavu events, eastern DRC beside the dissident officers who occupied the town for a week, in June, could not be proved'', the paper says.
In the same development, LE PALMARES declares that the African Union's ruling ''has once again humiliated the Congolese Government''. For this paper, by asserting that Rwanda is not connected to any events in Bukavu, ''this organisation (AU) says the opposite of what President Joseph Kabila declared, when addressing the Nation; he plainly accused Rwanda''. L'AVENIR, in turn, wonders, ''how the AU chairman could take such an ambiguous position in the face of obvious proofs''. It says that it is not ''normal that the truth be distorted for the sake of some friendship ties''.
The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo will also be at the centre of a meeting between Belgium, Burundi, Rwanda and DRC foreign affairs ministers on 11 July 2004, L'AVENIR announces, indicating without indicating the venue of the meeting.
