UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
10 Mar
2009
Press Review of 7 September 2005
Today's local papers mainly focus on the presence of the elements of the Lord's Resistance Army on DRC territory.
'FARDC troops are deploying in Aba, to disarm Ugandan rebels of LRA in north east of DRC,' reports L'Observateur. '300 troops of DRC armed forces FARDC were recently airlifted from Aru, 150 km north east of Bunia, Ituri, to Aba by MONUC. The operations were supported by MONUC Mi-25 helicopters,' says the pro-PPRD paper. Clearly, the United Nations Mission in DRC 'will assist FARDC in disarming the LRA,' highlights Le Phare. 'MONUC assistance is part of its support to DRC Government's effort to stop infiltrations by some 400 elements of LRA into its territory,' further says L'Observateur. MONUC will be ensuring regular air link between Aru and Aba in eastern province,' explains the paper, echoing MONUC military spokesman, Lieutenant-colonel Thierry Provendier. 'MONUC condemns the illegal presence of Ugandan rebels on DRC territory,' says L'Observateur. We do hope that 'with a renewed momentum, the DRC Government and MONUC will stop their frequent headlong flight and dodging tactics when dealing with the armed groups in eastern DRC,' estimates Le Phare, pro-UDPS paper. 'The rebels [have] returned where they came from' believes L'Avenir. LRA elements 'were frightened by the FARDC deployment in the district of Aba,' notes the paper. Frightened, 'Ugandan rebels have left and crossed the border back to where they reportedly came from, i.e., south Sudan. For the time being, FARDC elements are endeavouring to secure civilians along the border,' reports L'Avenir, pro-PPRD.
In North Kivu, 'the local population are giving testimonies about the 1996 massacres,' reports Le Potentiel. According to the witnesses, 'thousands Congolese Hutus were killed by Tutsi troops as well as the Congolese and Rwandan members of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation/Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération (AFDL),' says Le Potentiel [pro-opposition paper]. 'A threat is thus hanging over several Congolese leaders [who] will have to explain the role they played in the different wars of liberation or rebellions,' reports Le Phare, indicating, 'if some former belligerents currently in power, are implicated by the ongoing investigations, they might not accept to politically speaking die along.'
Meanwhile, the Senate is expecting the draft budget law. 'The Transition Government, without any serious reason, is dragging feet and wasting time when it is supposed to file a 2006 budget proposal to the parliament, a key issue to be addressed by the October 2005 session,' highlights L'Observateur. In reaction to this slowness, 'the Senate has instructed its office to address a letter to the Government requesting the latter to urgently submit, within the shortest possible period, the 2006 budget proposal to the parliament,' reports the paper. 'No proceedings on the 2006 budget can be initiated until all the records on the implementation of the 2005 budget are provided by the Government,' says Le Potentiel. This may be a way of 'disassociating themselves from the Government that has often been accused of being slack in managing the public funds,' indicates Le Potentiel.
In the meantime, the teachers are carrying on their strike they started on 5 September. 'This Saturday 08 October the committee tasked to monitor the Mbudi Agreement is due to hold its first meeting since it was created on 12 February 2004,' informs Le Potentiel, which notes, 'these are the last chance talks, since they will work on possible solutions for the implementation of the Mbudi Agreement within the framework of the 2006 budge,' adds the paper. For now, 'catholic schools' teachers will resume classes this Friday,' highlights L'Avenir.
In North Kivu, 'the local population are giving testimonies about the 1996 massacres,' reports Le Potentiel. According to the witnesses, 'thousands Congolese Hutus were killed by Tutsi troops as well as the Congolese and Rwandan members of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation/Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération (AFDL),' says Le Potentiel [pro-opposition paper]. 'A threat is thus hanging over several Congolese leaders [who] will have to explain the role they played in the different wars of liberation or rebellions,' reports Le Phare, indicating, 'if some former belligerents currently in power, are implicated by the ongoing investigations, they might not accept to politically speaking die along.'
Meanwhile, the Senate is expecting the draft budget law. 'The Transition Government, without any serious reason, is dragging feet and wasting time when it is supposed to file a 2006 budget proposal to the parliament, a key issue to be addressed by the October 2005 session,' highlights L'Observateur. In reaction to this slowness, 'the Senate has instructed its office to address a letter to the Government requesting the latter to urgently submit, within the shortest possible period, the 2006 budget proposal to the parliament,' reports the paper. 'No proceedings on the 2006 budget can be initiated until all the records on the implementation of the 2005 budget are provided by the Government,' says Le Potentiel. This may be a way of 'disassociating themselves from the Government that has often been accused of being slack in managing the public funds,' indicates Le Potentiel.
In the meantime, the teachers are carrying on their strike they started on 5 September. 'This Saturday 08 October the committee tasked to monitor the Mbudi Agreement is due to hold its first meeting since it was created on 12 February 2004,' informs Le Potentiel, which notes, 'these are the last chance talks, since they will work on possible solutions for the implementation of the Mbudi Agreement within the framework of the 2006 budge,' adds the paper. For now, 'catholic schools' teachers will resume classes this Friday,' highlights L'Avenir.
