UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
5 Mar
2009
Press review
The security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC remain the dominant news stories covered by today's local press.
Rwandan troops are heading for Bunangana, Kamanyola and Kalehe, announces L'OBSERVATEUR, noting that ''the troop-movements noticed by several observers is an indication of a real war which Kigali wants to wage war on the DRC''. The paper reveals that ''the bloodthirsty Nkunda who keeps selling his story to whomever wishes to listen about a third rebellion in the DRC could not launch such a big challenge without anyone backing him logistically''. The person, adds the paper, is Paul Kagame.
LE POTENTIEL further reports that the DRC armed forces (FARDC) announced Monday that it pushed back the dissident troops on two fronts in Bukavu province and recovered the districts of Kalehe and Kamanyola. The same paper recalls Laurent Nkunda's ultimatum to the transitional government indicating that the latter is waiting for Azarias Ruberwa (Vice-President for Political, Defence and Security Matters) to ''give the final word, otherwise he will stage the war on Kinshasa''. Calling on Vice-president Ruberwa to ''distance himself from general Nkunda'', the paper thinks it is the latter's duty to ''enlighten the public opinion on Laurent Nkunda's repeated requests''. The paper also is concerned about Government's ''dead silence'' indicating that no government meeting has been held since the aborted putsch attempt by major Eric Lenge nor any statement issued in reaction to the declaration of war launched last Sunday by the dissident general Laurent Nkunda. ''The president and his vice-presidents should urgently meet to closely look into the alarming situation in the country'', the paper says.
Furthermore, the same paper publishes a Human Rights Watch report in which the international NGO declares that both the ''Government troops and the dissident forces committed war crimes in Bukavu, namely the killing and raping of civilians during the fight over the control of Bukavu''. The report says 80 people reportedly died in the fight between 26 May and 6 June. LE POTENTIEL notes that ''Human Rights Watch commended Monuc for having saved the lives of several civilians, but is worried over its apparent inability to protect all the civilians despite its mandate under chapter VII''.
LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES says following Mr. Laurent Nkunda's threat, which ''clearly and unambiguously announces his intention to stage a new offensive in Bukavu any time after his ultimatum to the Government'', ''MONUC peacekeepers should have taken the necessary precautions to avoid lapsing once more into a confusing situation''. The paper warns that '' the pretext according to which Monuc could not swiftly gather its troops scattered throughout the DRC to face the mutiny will no longer be valid''. Furthermore, the same paper reports that the UN sounded the alarm regarding the humanitarian situation in Eastern DRC where ''the situation has further deteriorated since the fighting in Bukavu''. The paper quotes the UN coordinator of emergency aid, Jan Egeland, as indicating that ''approximately 130 Rwandan expatriates working in the humanitarian sector in Nord and Sud Kivu regions have gathered in the town of Goma, abandoning behind them several hundreds of thousands of people''.
Under the headlines SADC to the rescue of the DRC, L'AVENIR mentions the initiative of the member countries of the South African Development Communities (SADC), which have ''energetically condemned the threat on the war in Eastern DRC''. The paper recalls that SADC member countries signed a pact on mutual defence. ''It reserves the right to use this pact in order to defend the DRC's sovereignty and integrity'', the paper indicates.
LE PALMARES goes back over ''a notorious former Kadhafi's saga'', alluding to major Eric Lenge, mastermind of last week's aborted coup d'état. The paper notes that ''nothing is more embarrassing than an apprentice putschist who, after missing his target, vanishes into thin air''. In light of the various testimonies, the paper identifies '' three hiding places for one single man''. On an ironic tone, the paper writes ''he is seen everywhere and found nowhere''. Some people say ''he was injured during the shooting in front of the US Ambassador's residence and found refuge in a hospital. Others say he is in Bas-Congo, close to the border between the DRC and Angola. Others say he could have found refuge at Monuc''. Wherever he is, the paper says, ''the army must lay hand on this apprentice putschist to avoid creating a myth around him''.
No mercy for Lenge, Nkunda and Mutebutsi, says FORUM DES AS, which demands ''firmness towards all those who disrupted the public order and DRC's internal security''.
LE PHARE and LA REFERENCE PLUS, in turn, devote their headlines to a declaration made by Honoré Ngbanda, a former special adviser to Mobutu, in which the latter ''reveals the origins and masterminds of the plot against the DRC'' and refers to his ''ultimate fight'', after several years of silence.
LE POTENTIEL further reports that the DRC armed forces (FARDC) announced Monday that it pushed back the dissident troops on two fronts in Bukavu province and recovered the districts of Kalehe and Kamanyola. The same paper recalls Laurent Nkunda's ultimatum to the transitional government indicating that the latter is waiting for Azarias Ruberwa (Vice-President for Political, Defence and Security Matters) to ''give the final word, otherwise he will stage the war on Kinshasa''. Calling on Vice-president Ruberwa to ''distance himself from general Nkunda'', the paper thinks it is the latter's duty to ''enlighten the public opinion on Laurent Nkunda's repeated requests''. The paper also is concerned about Government's ''dead silence'' indicating that no government meeting has been held since the aborted putsch attempt by major Eric Lenge nor any statement issued in reaction to the declaration of war launched last Sunday by the dissident general Laurent Nkunda. ''The president and his vice-presidents should urgently meet to closely look into the alarming situation in the country'', the paper says.
Furthermore, the same paper publishes a Human Rights Watch report in which the international NGO declares that both the ''Government troops and the dissident forces committed war crimes in Bukavu, namely the killing and raping of civilians during the fight over the control of Bukavu''. The report says 80 people reportedly died in the fight between 26 May and 6 June. LE POTENTIEL notes that ''Human Rights Watch commended Monuc for having saved the lives of several civilians, but is worried over its apparent inability to protect all the civilians despite its mandate under chapter VII''.
LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES says following Mr. Laurent Nkunda's threat, which ''clearly and unambiguously announces his intention to stage a new offensive in Bukavu any time after his ultimatum to the Government'', ''MONUC peacekeepers should have taken the necessary precautions to avoid lapsing once more into a confusing situation''. The paper warns that '' the pretext according to which Monuc could not swiftly gather its troops scattered throughout the DRC to face the mutiny will no longer be valid''. Furthermore, the same paper reports that the UN sounded the alarm regarding the humanitarian situation in Eastern DRC where ''the situation has further deteriorated since the fighting in Bukavu''. The paper quotes the UN coordinator of emergency aid, Jan Egeland, as indicating that ''approximately 130 Rwandan expatriates working in the humanitarian sector in Nord and Sud Kivu regions have gathered in the town of Goma, abandoning behind them several hundreds of thousands of people''.
Under the headlines SADC to the rescue of the DRC, L'AVENIR mentions the initiative of the member countries of the South African Development Communities (SADC), which have ''energetically condemned the threat on the war in Eastern DRC''. The paper recalls that SADC member countries signed a pact on mutual defence. ''It reserves the right to use this pact in order to defend the DRC's sovereignty and integrity'', the paper indicates.
LE PALMARES goes back over ''a notorious former Kadhafi's saga'', alluding to major Eric Lenge, mastermind of last week's aborted coup d'état. The paper notes that ''nothing is more embarrassing than an apprentice putschist who, after missing his target, vanishes into thin air''. In light of the various testimonies, the paper identifies '' three hiding places for one single man''. On an ironic tone, the paper writes ''he is seen everywhere and found nowhere''. Some people say ''he was injured during the shooting in front of the US Ambassador's residence and found refuge in a hospital. Others say he is in Bas-Congo, close to the border between the DRC and Angola. Others say he could have found refuge at Monuc''. Wherever he is, the paper says, ''the army must lay hand on this apprentice putschist to avoid creating a myth around him''.
No mercy for Lenge, Nkunda and Mutebutsi, says FORUM DES AS, which demands ''firmness towards all those who disrupted the public order and DRC's internal security''.
LE PHARE and LA REFERENCE PLUS, in turn, devote their headlines to a declaration made by Honoré Ngbanda, a former special adviser to Mobutu, in which the latter ''reveals the origins and masterminds of the plot against the DRC'' and refers to his ''ultimate fight'', after several years of silence.
