Opinion: The DRC will not run better with Presidential Candidate Emmanuel Shadari!

“Fool, what do you think? That we know anything about who gives money? That we give a damn about who they are or what they want? We have no way of running down them or their stories. We don’t care. We just cash the damn cheques, count the votes and move on”Senator Clay Davis (From the Wire).

I am just stating it before everyone else, will, this December 2018 election, even if there is million candidates, the ones the PPRD and M.P. wants to rule. Will evidently rule, now that the plan has been put into effect. The CENI will rig that bad-boy and even use the military to settle the score. Just to ensure the “will of the people” are respected and another forced leader are over their heads. The rest is just a play for the façade and hope the people play along. Because Emmanual Ramazani Shadari will not bring peace. He hasn’t done it as a Minister in the Kabila Cabinet, why would he bring it as a possible President.

Shadari as a Minister was in-charge and co-ordinated with the security forces with massacred and killed in Kasai-Oriental and in Ituri. This was done while he was Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Security, before Henri Mova Sakanyi replaced him earlier this year.

However, he is a loyalist and a Kabilaist, he will deliver the way the current leadership is doing. There will be nothing new. He has been in-charged and made sure the mass-graves of Kasai Oriental, the burned villages and the killings there. Just to settle the score and ensure insurgency, which benefits the central leadership. It is insane, but that is what the man has been doing, he did the same in Ituri, just to make sure the region was in turmoil and created enough havoc. To ensure that the state was needed and could takeover.

So if you believe that he is a viable and good candidate, there was reasons why his accounts and his business by the European Union is frozen. That wasn’t because he was such a gentleman and care giving, no it is because of his affliation with crimes against humanity and the displacement of thousands of people in the provinces of Ituri and Kasai-Oriental.

All of these massacres and killings, shouldn’t be forgotten, as he was on the top of the food-chain ordering it for various of reasons, also for sure to secure his own position at the top. Maybe, even do favours for the governors and elites in the regions. As they want to put a spell on them. This by continuing state violence and make groups go against each other. Because that is good for business in Kinshasa.

With a possible President Emmanuel Shadari, don’t expect peace, expect more violence, heart-ache and depleted territories in the reach for a quick buck. There will be no change of leadership with this man. If he would appoint Joseph Kabila as his Vice-President or Prime Minister, he would be the de-facto President, but also the Medvedev of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Then, Kabila would still have power, but use Shadari as his pawn. In this cynic world of ours, that isn’t too far-fetched.

With this supposed successor, I am not seeing hope; it is a change of face, but not the needed change. You are switching the dirty water, with the same dirty water, without even trying to fix the pipes or check any of the filters underneath the sink. You are not even putting in the work and making the significant change.

The ones believing the hype. Good for you, but I am not eating it. There are too many shady characters and sinister play going on. I want the best for anyone, but this isn’t it. This is just a forced hand, and I wonder how it will play.

Kabila wouldn’t rattle so much with the AKs over the years, to silently move to Equatorial Guinea or wherever, a dictator settle these day. No, he has yet to flee the scene and will still move, but I have a hunch that Shadari is his pawn, to become the next one opening up the gates after this term. Because Kabila is still young enough to really want to quit his day-job. Peace.

RDC: “Ente” Lettre du a Emmanuel Ramazani Shadari sur “Objet: Point sur les violences perpetrees contre les Hema en Ituri” (12.02.2018)

Zimbabwe: Beatrice Mtetwa letter to Commissioner of General Police Godwin Matanga – “Re: Abduction of Tendai Biti” (09.08.2018)

UNHCR concerned over reports of forced return of Zimbabwean asylum-seeker (09.08.2018)

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is gravely concerned about reports of the forced return of a Zimbabwean asylum-seeker by Zambia to his country of origin.

A senior Zimbabwean politician expressed the intention to seek asylum in Zambia at the border yesterday. It is reported that the authorities handed him over to his country of origin today despite a court order to the contrary.

Refoulement or forcibly returning refugees and asylum-seekers to their country of origin is a serious violation of international refugee law. UNHCR calls on Zambia to investigate this reported incident urgently.

Déclaration du président de la commission sur le processus électoral en République Démocratique du Congo (09.08.2018)

Ethiopia: PM Abiy Ahmed announce the formation of the Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund Advisory Council (09.08.2018)

Gen. Mugisha Muntu statement (09.08.2018)

RDC: CENI – Communique de Presse (08.08.2018)

Opinion: Are we seeing an original FDC split? – Into two Parliamentary Groups?

Just as things merger for a political outcome, things can also dismantle for the same reason. That is maybe something we are seeing these days, as the new leadership inside the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is splitting the party, as the hardliners and the ones who are more favorable working with the National Resistance Movement (NRM) are separating. There been two fractions, the ones who stood by Gen. Mugisha Muntu and the ones who are now behind newly elected Patrick Oboi Amuriat. Therefore, this fraction has appeared ever since the last election of the FDC Party President.

Now that POA has taken his first major leadership move inside the party, there seemingly quick to address and show their allegiance. They are not working with the party, but already showing their attitude and lack of serving their party, even their constituents, as they are more into their committee roles and perks. Than actually thinking, that these are allocated by their respective parties and not because of entitlement.

Reported meeting at Fang Fang:

The fired Leader of Opposition, Winnie Kiiza and 28 other Members of Parliament on the Forum for Democratic Change ticket are said to have resolved to form a separate entity at Parliament. Sources are telling us the MPs, who sat at Fang Fang Hotel Kampala for up to 6 hours last night, decided to cautiously detach from FDC leadership in Najjankumbi, mobilize other opposition parties and leaning independent colleagues to establish a significant numerical opposition power house targeting over 70 members” (…) ““We have decided to come up with a separate entity in the house for all opposition members and independent leaning MPs,” one of the sources who attended the meeting told us. ChimpReports has learnt that, the 29 FDC MPs will immediately withdraw the Shs 500,000 monthly contributions to the party” (Dickens H. Okello – ‘Winnie Kiiza and Team to End FDC Ties, Form Parallel Group’ 08.08.2018 link: https://chimpreports.com/winnie-kiiza-and-team-to-end-fdc-ties-form-parallel-group/).

Extract from Statement by Winne Kiiza:

Allow me to thank the FDC party under the leadership of, Gen. (Rtd) Gregory Mugisha MUNTU for the opportunity they gave me to serve my country. It is one I will never regret. It is some opportunity that saw us move strides together for a common and a better tomorrow. I would like in a special way to thank my colleagues from all opposition parties in the 10th Parliament. Equally, those in the NRM who stood with me and supported the voice of reason when the situation demanded” (Winnie Kiiza, 08.08.2018).

What I am thinking when reading this are we going back in time before the 2006 elections, when the FDC hadn’t been established and was negotiations between two parliamentary groups named Reform Agenda (RA) and Parliamentary Advocacy Forum (PAFO), even some of the gentlemen who was apart of these units are in the midst of these movements today. This is Gen. Mugisha Muntu, Reagan Okumu, Odonga Otto and so on. These people are still in the mix and playing this out.

Are these now playing their cards to answer back to Besigye or are they trying to figure out a new way. Because the old merger didn’t play out as they wanted? Now that their fraction are now loosing and their loyalty to Muntu is making them looking weak inside the FDC. As the POA is putting his stamp on the organization.

Since, there is sources of an informal FDC spilt within the Parliament, are the PAFO sort of organization opening and becoming a new party for the 2021. That will be official in 2020. If so, than we might see Muntu running it, even if he screams: “Country before Self” every time he can. Surely, he does not like being in the shadow of Besigye and POA. Who like being pushed to the side, when you have worked for a long time as a Party President.

However, this is just speculations, I expected when POA won the Presidency, that Gen. Muntu would start on his own. Now, that his allegiance of people are starting their own parallel parliament group. This is the marsh towards 2021 elections. Clearly, this could be the next move for him to join these 27 MPs and try to get another position as he is a fringe candidate within the FDC. As these people are already stopping to associate themselves with the party.

That is why we are seeing another Reform Agenda Versus Parliamentary Advocacy Forum in the 10th Parliament. The FDC is established, but with the loss of 27 MPs, these are really showing the force right now. But if the voters will be so forgiving, that is another scenario. Time will tell and if these people still have suction at all or if they will fall back, as there is always some who goes back in the needs of campaign. To get the needed support and machine behind them.

This is not a positive move, it is only doing justice to the wish of Museveni. Who wished to destroy the opposition after the 2016 General Election. Just as he has skirmished in the Democratic Party (DP) and Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), he can continue to purge the opposition with the Parallel FDC Parliament Group, who he surely can drop envelopes to secure the needed votes in the Parliament.

Let see how this goes or if the rebellion will even become something of power or if they are falling flat with time. Nevertheless, this is a victory for Museveni. As he has possibly put the FDC in pre-2006 state, where it was two fractions.

Therefore we have FDC and FDC Parallel, which is two different entities. Clearly, to make sure the party are weaken. Because by the election of 2016, the party had 36 MPs. This means if all of the 26 MPs are leaving 10 MPs, but there was 10 Independent at that time, so if it is 10 independent plus 16 MPs. Means that there are left 20 MPs who are loyal to the case. It is still a big defeat, but shows the marginalization of the FDC in parliament. The numbers have changed with by-elections, so there would be a few more FDC MPs, but the damage is still severe.

Now, its just have to play out. Peace.

Biya’s Salute: Running for his 7th Term from Switzerland!

Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who has ruled his republic since 1982, was during this week announced to run again for yet another term. The 7th Official Presidential Term if he was to win this in October 2018. Which he most likely is, even if he is residing in some posh hotel in Switzerland, where he usually is hanging out and spending his vast fortune.

This is the same President that only have held on Council of Ministers in October 2015 and March 2018. While the rest of his majesties decisions are made and done by Presidential Decree, therefore, the roles of the cabinet is very free and not so much transparency of what they really do as public officials.

There are other candidates in the Presidential Elections in this October 2018, but don’t expect them to win. The whole government are run by his decree and will not change with time. The government have already hired a lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs, this agreement is made now and lasting until June 2019.

We know this isn’t really a strong or real elections, as of mid-July 20 Opposition Parties was supporting the candidacy of Biya. Everyone except for the Social Democratic Front (SDF) are really not there other for show. They might say so, but that is the real opposition of Biya. Joshua Osih is the main candidate, but like his predecessor John Fru Ndi will struggle to beat him.

What I am expecting of the 85 year old man, is that he might write an op-ed for New York Times in the weeks ahead of the polls, a few Youtube Video Clips with a positive message and some articles of fashion. Maybe even a beautiful written manifesto, which the President have no plan of finishing or even trying to do. As it is a sales pitch to still have support from Paris and Washington D.C. not being shunned by the Western Powers who boast his army.

That Biya is a cruel man who is living in Switzerland is that the Anglophone crisis continues with ghost-town, killings and destruction of villages. This is happening as the Francophone part of Cameroon are going against the English speaking citizens. Biya is even worse, as he has recently hired soldiers from Chad to destroy and kill own citizens in region. Still, no one question this mandate or use of foreign soldiers within the territory. This is happening as the President preparing his rallies and his campaign for another term.

We can expect most of it happening only or by decree. If he want to spoil the public, there will be video-clips from his post hotel room and not from any official building in Yaounde. Not that he would do that, even if he owns luxurious cars there and has a mansion awaiting him.

He should vacate and become a Swiss citizen, instead of running, because I am awaiting slogans on WhatsApp and Viber, this man is not running an ordinary campaign. He is just hammering it through and hoping nobody cares, while his army is spewing havoc in the anglophone region. Peace.