UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
5 Mar
2009
Press Review
Final negotiations for the putting-in-place of the territorial administration, review of the law relating to this issue by the National Assembly, and constituents' refusal to be run by some political tendencies are discussed by today's local papers in Kinshasa.
Yesterday, the National Assembly adopted the law amending and finalising Government decree number 081 of 2 July 1998 on the organisation of the territorial administration in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES. ''The new amended law modifies the configuration of the territorial administration in the DRC, more particularly in Kinshasa'', indicates the paper, adding that ''instead of a governor and two vice-governors for the town of Kinshasa, Kinshasa residents would now be run by four authorities: one governor assisted by three vice-governors''.
LE PHARE notes that the law authorising the appointment of three vice-governors for the capital city of Kinshasa, ''paves the way for the appointment of the governors and vice-governors, except that the presidential decree on this issue apparently violates the clauses of the afore-mentioned decree''. The paper further notes that ''it is the first time for the National Assembly to vote a bill in few hours only'', while ''many pending texts submitted to the plenary for consideration were subjected to endless debates and corridor backstairs consultations in vain''.
FORUM DES AS indicates for its part that the dossier on the territorial administration has been closed with the power sharing among the vice-governors: ''Kinshasa (Civil Society, Political Opposition and RCD), Bandundu (Maï-Maï and Government), Equateur (Government and MLC), Eastern province (Government and Political Opposition), Bas Congo (MLC and RCD), South Kivu (Civil Society and RCD), North Kivu (Government), Maniema (Civil Society and MLC), Katanga (Government and MLC)''.
For this reason, LA REFERENCE PLUS announces ''the end of suspense on the territorial Administration''. The paper believes that president Joseph Kabila will appoint governors today.
On the same issue, L'AVENIR declares being in possession of ''the constituents' claim refusing one political tendency or another''. By way of illustration, the paper mentions the North Kivu's MPs who reportedly submitted ''a motion refusing that their province be run by RCD while the military region's command is in the hand of this movement's officer''. Another claim reported by L'AVENIR is the one of the Eastern Province ''which flatly refuses to be run by RCD governor'', on the grounds that ''appointing an RCD governor for this region would entail approving the status quo, the pursuit of war or slavery and Rwandan's subjugation''.
Furthermore, L'OBSERVATEUR announces that the three foreign ministers from the countries in conflict: the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda are to meet in New York today at the UN Security Council's headquarters. ''The three personalities are to discuss the normalisation of relations between the three countries in order to stop their hostilities that lasted for almost five years'', writes the paper.
LE PALMARES refers to a ''strange'' meeting and wonders whether one should ''laugh or cry'' and if there is need to ''continue urging good neighbourly relations with a country like Rwanda that is openly making fun of the Congolese''. The paper also raises Congolese ''disillusionment'' with regard to the government's ''weak'' reaction to Rwanda's 'open' threat to invade Congo. When the population was expecting a rather ''robust'' reaction, the government, through Cabinet meeting reports, contented itself with ''a statement giving priority to a peaceful settlement of disputes between nations''' and asserting its determination to ''pursue the policy of good neighbourliness and increase contacts with neighbourly countries''.
MONUC expressed concerns over bad conditions of detention in the DRC, reports LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES referring to MONUC press conference during which Mr. Luc Henkinbrant of MONUC's Human Right Section presented the outlines of a UN mission's report on the living conditions in DRC prisons and other detention cells. ''MONUC painted a black picture of the situation in the Congolese prisons which it calls real 'mouroirs' (hospital where only a minimum health care is administered, awaiting the death of the patients) for the detainees'', indicates the paper.
LE PHARE notes that the law authorising the appointment of three vice-governors for the capital city of Kinshasa, ''paves the way for the appointment of the governors and vice-governors, except that the presidential decree on this issue apparently violates the clauses of the afore-mentioned decree''. The paper further notes that ''it is the first time for the National Assembly to vote a bill in few hours only'', while ''many pending texts submitted to the plenary for consideration were subjected to endless debates and corridor backstairs consultations in vain''.
FORUM DES AS indicates for its part that the dossier on the territorial administration has been closed with the power sharing among the vice-governors: ''Kinshasa (Civil Society, Political Opposition and RCD), Bandundu (Maï-Maï and Government), Equateur (Government and MLC), Eastern province (Government and Political Opposition), Bas Congo (MLC and RCD), South Kivu (Civil Society and RCD), North Kivu (Government), Maniema (Civil Society and MLC), Katanga (Government and MLC)''.
For this reason, LA REFERENCE PLUS announces ''the end of suspense on the territorial Administration''. The paper believes that president Joseph Kabila will appoint governors today.
On the same issue, L'AVENIR declares being in possession of ''the constituents' claim refusing one political tendency or another''. By way of illustration, the paper mentions the North Kivu's MPs who reportedly submitted ''a motion refusing that their province be run by RCD while the military region's command is in the hand of this movement's officer''. Another claim reported by L'AVENIR is the one of the Eastern Province ''which flatly refuses to be run by RCD governor'', on the grounds that ''appointing an RCD governor for this region would entail approving the status quo, the pursuit of war or slavery and Rwandan's subjugation''.
Furthermore, L'OBSERVATEUR announces that the three foreign ministers from the countries in conflict: the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda are to meet in New York today at the UN Security Council's headquarters. ''The three personalities are to discuss the normalisation of relations between the three countries in order to stop their hostilities that lasted for almost five years'', writes the paper.
LE PALMARES refers to a ''strange'' meeting and wonders whether one should ''laugh or cry'' and if there is need to ''continue urging good neighbourly relations with a country like Rwanda that is openly making fun of the Congolese''. The paper also raises Congolese ''disillusionment'' with regard to the government's ''weak'' reaction to Rwanda's 'open' threat to invade Congo. When the population was expecting a rather ''robust'' reaction, the government, through Cabinet meeting reports, contented itself with ''a statement giving priority to a peaceful settlement of disputes between nations''' and asserting its determination to ''pursue the policy of good neighbourliness and increase contacts with neighbourly countries''.
MONUC expressed concerns over bad conditions of detention in the DRC, reports LA TEMPETE DES TROPIQUES referring to MONUC press conference during which Mr. Luc Henkinbrant of MONUC's Human Right Section presented the outlines of a UN mission's report on the living conditions in DRC prisons and other detention cells. ''MONUC painted a black picture of the situation in the Congolese prisons which it calls real 'mouroirs' (hospital where only a minimum health care is administered, awaiting the death of the patients) for the detainees'', indicates the paper.
