UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
5 Mar
2009
Press Review
The crisis in the Eastern DRC is the dominant news story covered by today's local press in Kinshasa
LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES announces on its front page that the Joint Verification Mission MONUC-10th military region has been prevented from going to Kamanyola by a group of Maï-Maï combatants, adding that the joint delegation, already on board a helicopter, had to return to Bukavu. «MONUC's ground patrols had to be cancelled owing to the reported presence of antipersonnel mines and the stabilisation of the South Kamanyola. Loyalist troops and Colonel Jules Mutebutsi's dissident troops are still facing each other», the paper further says, highlighting that the DRC army headquarters has accused the insurgents of receiving support from the Rwandan army, « an accusation which was confirmed by Commandant Patrick Masunzu, a Congolese Tutsi opposed to Nkunda-Mutebutsi's tandem ». The paper says this officer declared that Rwanda provided the insurgents with combat tanks. The officer also said that Mutebutsi has never been in possession of such armoured equipments nor the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD), of which the dissident officer is a member, Masunzu says.
LE PHARE titles: Kigali supports Laurent Nkunda, and gives the same version of the story. To prove this true, the paper quotes the last declaration made by the Rwandan Minister of Foreign affairs, Charles Murigande, who, at the end of a meeting with the European Union's delegates, issued «serious declarations». It emerges from it that « even if it has not been proven that he is backing general Laurent Nkunda militarily, he nevertheless gives him moral support ». LE PALMARES, in turn, indicates that the Rwandan minister of foreign affairs approves the war waged by Nkunda in the Eastern DRC. While denying his country's implication in the crisis that risks setting the DRC alight, « the minister however highlights that massacres of Tutsis were committed in Bukavu and finds an excuse for Laurent Nkunda's intervention », writes LE PHARE for which Mr. Murigande's statement « says the opposite of what the Americans say. According to the Americans, there was no massacre of Tutsis in Bukavu ».
There was no massacre of the Banyamulenge in Bukavu, says LE PALMARES on its front page quoting Robert Ricci, the head of MONUC Human Rights section. According to the latter, « all the civilians in Bukavu indiscriminately suffered the violence following the capture of this town ». Those who have referred to genocide are the very ones fuelling hatred, notes LE POTENTIEL also quoting Mr. Ricci. LE PALMARES, relying on the same source, indicates that both sides committed acts of violence. « On the other hand, Nkunda's intervention under pretext of a genocide does not tally with the Congolese ideology for it is an open secret that the 450 ethnic groups or so in the DRC have never made any problem relating to identity. It is rather Rwanda and Burundi, which, on the contrary, developed this culture of genocide», the paper reports.
LE PHARE tries to be optimistic and indicates that in spite of «Nkunda's position shouted from the rooftops, a diplomatic solution is not excluded ». The paper reports that a government delegation led by the Congolese minister of Social Affairs arrived Tuesday in Bukavu to assist the populations and, above all, to reassure the Banyamulenge community». That shows a « manifest will of the Congolese government to confuse those who have been trying to exploit an alleged massacre of the Banyamulenge population ».
LE POTENTIEL as far as it is concerned, refers to this as the first « republican initiative » launched by the transitional government and brought to the attention of MONUC's chief as well as the French and Belgian ambassadors met by the heads of the institutions to support the democracy in a bid to know « the international community's reading of the current situation and the precautions taken to avert the disruption of the ongoing transitional process ». Government's delegation will also fly to Cyangungu/Rwanda to bring support to the Congolese who took refuge in this town.
Also always in the framework of the republican initiative, the paper highlights, a high-level delegation which is due to fly to Bukavu on Saturday « to convey the message of concord to the populations, explain to the mutineers that the adventure is over, and to insist that all the population will be secured, irrespective of their ethnical background». A joint verification commission comprised of the DRC, Rwanda and Burundi under MONUC's supervision whose mission will consist of monitoring, for a given period, the « movements of Rwandan regular troops, of Interahamwe and other militiamen in order to verify the accusations made by one another» and rebuild confidence between the different Great Lakes countries is to be put in place. The heads of the different institutions to support the democracy will also hold talks with the US, Gabonese and Russian ambassadors.
The paper highlights that the issue at hand is to seek a way-out for everybody. « The implication of the international community in the DRC's peace process is a clear indication that the page of war is definitely turned», the paper writes indicating that the arrival, this Wednesday in Kinshasa, of the head of the European Union's diplomacy, Javier Solana, whose visit is similar to that of the Belgian Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louis Michel to the DRC and the sub-region.
LE PHARE says « the absence of a public declaration after the meeting between the president and his vice-presidents means that everybody has understood the need for the political players to show discretion in order to avoid losing face». RCD, whose founders' college met Monday in Kinshasa, the paper reports, « has disassociated itself from Laurent Nkunda in spite of pressures from some extremists». The headlines in LE POTENTIEL in this regard read: Crisis in Bukavu, the RCD led by Nyarugabo has disassociated itself from general Nkunda. « South-Kivu issue wants a political solution rather than military», indicates Moïse Nyarugabo, a national MP representing the ex-rebel movement. For L'AVENIR, the Mutebutsi-Nkunda couple has put Ruberwa in an embarrassing position and created insecurity for Banyamulenge.
FORUM DES AS further headlines: Voluntary resignation of MONUC international members. The paper sees in this resignation a way for the UN officials to show solidarity with the students who demonstrated on 2, 3 and 4 June 2004. These resignations are not reportedly linked to any security issue, but to MONUC's «bad image in the DRC». The paper, without disclosing its source, refers to a thousand staff who resigned (while MONUC has 600 international staff), allegedly deploring the gap between « their noble mission of serving the cause of peace and the duplicity brought to light by the political and military developments in the Eastern DRC».
LE PALMARES goes back over the dossier on the aborted coup during the night of 10 to 11 June 2004 in Kinshasa perpetrated by major Eric Lenge and tries to interpret his action: by going to the Congolese National Radio Television Broadcast (RTNC), he either was sure that his accomplice have eliminated Joseph Kabila or knew that the physical elimination of president Kabila aborted, but all the same decided to broadcast his message «since the game was up».
An investigative commission was put in place to bring the truth about the matter to light and to find the fugitives, whose chief of the gang is still on the run, LE POTENTIEL announces.
LE PHARE titles: Kigali supports Laurent Nkunda, and gives the same version of the story. To prove this true, the paper quotes the last declaration made by the Rwandan Minister of Foreign affairs, Charles Murigande, who, at the end of a meeting with the European Union's delegates, issued «serious declarations». It emerges from it that « even if it has not been proven that he is backing general Laurent Nkunda militarily, he nevertheless gives him moral support ». LE PALMARES, in turn, indicates that the Rwandan minister of foreign affairs approves the war waged by Nkunda in the Eastern DRC. While denying his country's implication in the crisis that risks setting the DRC alight, « the minister however highlights that massacres of Tutsis were committed in Bukavu and finds an excuse for Laurent Nkunda's intervention », writes LE PHARE for which Mr. Murigande's statement « says the opposite of what the Americans say. According to the Americans, there was no massacre of Tutsis in Bukavu ».
There was no massacre of the Banyamulenge in Bukavu, says LE PALMARES on its front page quoting Robert Ricci, the head of MONUC Human Rights section. According to the latter, « all the civilians in Bukavu indiscriminately suffered the violence following the capture of this town ». Those who have referred to genocide are the very ones fuelling hatred, notes LE POTENTIEL also quoting Mr. Ricci. LE PALMARES, relying on the same source, indicates that both sides committed acts of violence. « On the other hand, Nkunda's intervention under pretext of a genocide does not tally with the Congolese ideology for it is an open secret that the 450 ethnic groups or so in the DRC have never made any problem relating to identity. It is rather Rwanda and Burundi, which, on the contrary, developed this culture of genocide», the paper reports.
LE PHARE tries to be optimistic and indicates that in spite of «Nkunda's position shouted from the rooftops, a diplomatic solution is not excluded ». The paper reports that a government delegation led by the Congolese minister of Social Affairs arrived Tuesday in Bukavu to assist the populations and, above all, to reassure the Banyamulenge community». That shows a « manifest will of the Congolese government to confuse those who have been trying to exploit an alleged massacre of the Banyamulenge population ».
LE POTENTIEL as far as it is concerned, refers to this as the first « republican initiative » launched by the transitional government and brought to the attention of MONUC's chief as well as the French and Belgian ambassadors met by the heads of the institutions to support the democracy in a bid to know « the international community's reading of the current situation and the precautions taken to avert the disruption of the ongoing transitional process ». Government's delegation will also fly to Cyangungu/Rwanda to bring support to the Congolese who took refuge in this town.
Also always in the framework of the republican initiative, the paper highlights, a high-level delegation which is due to fly to Bukavu on Saturday « to convey the message of concord to the populations, explain to the mutineers that the adventure is over, and to insist that all the population will be secured, irrespective of their ethnical background». A joint verification commission comprised of the DRC, Rwanda and Burundi under MONUC's supervision whose mission will consist of monitoring, for a given period, the « movements of Rwandan regular troops, of Interahamwe and other militiamen in order to verify the accusations made by one another» and rebuild confidence between the different Great Lakes countries is to be put in place. The heads of the different institutions to support the democracy will also hold talks with the US, Gabonese and Russian ambassadors.
The paper highlights that the issue at hand is to seek a way-out for everybody. « The implication of the international community in the DRC's peace process is a clear indication that the page of war is definitely turned», the paper writes indicating that the arrival, this Wednesday in Kinshasa, of the head of the European Union's diplomacy, Javier Solana, whose visit is similar to that of the Belgian Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louis Michel to the DRC and the sub-region.
LE PHARE says « the absence of a public declaration after the meeting between the president and his vice-presidents means that everybody has understood the need for the political players to show discretion in order to avoid losing face». RCD, whose founders' college met Monday in Kinshasa, the paper reports, « has disassociated itself from Laurent Nkunda in spite of pressures from some extremists». The headlines in LE POTENTIEL in this regard read: Crisis in Bukavu, the RCD led by Nyarugabo has disassociated itself from general Nkunda. « South-Kivu issue wants a political solution rather than military», indicates Moïse Nyarugabo, a national MP representing the ex-rebel movement. For L'AVENIR, the Mutebutsi-Nkunda couple has put Ruberwa in an embarrassing position and created insecurity for Banyamulenge.
FORUM DES AS further headlines: Voluntary resignation of MONUC international members. The paper sees in this resignation a way for the UN officials to show solidarity with the students who demonstrated on 2, 3 and 4 June 2004. These resignations are not reportedly linked to any security issue, but to MONUC's «bad image in the DRC». The paper, without disclosing its source, refers to a thousand staff who resigned (while MONUC has 600 international staff), allegedly deploring the gap between « their noble mission of serving the cause of peace and the duplicity brought to light by the political and military developments in the Eastern DRC».
LE PALMARES goes back over the dossier on the aborted coup during the night of 10 to 11 June 2004 in Kinshasa perpetrated by major Eric Lenge and tries to interpret his action: by going to the Congolese National Radio Television Broadcast (RTNC), he either was sure that his accomplice have eliminated Joseph Kabila or knew that the physical elimination of president Kabila aborted, but all the same decided to broadcast his message «since the game was up».
An investigative commission was put in place to bring the truth about the matter to light and to find the fugitives, whose chief of the gang is still on the run, LE POTENTIEL announces.
