RDC: Declaration Politique de la Jeunesse du Rassemblement Grand Katanga (14.04.2017)

RDC: Communique du Rassamblement (13.04.2017)

RDC: Communique de la Democratie Chretienne (DC) Et de la Majorite Presidentielle Populaire (MPP), Membre du Rassemblement de L’Opposition (12.04.2017)

MONUSCO takes note of recent developments in the DRC and stresses the urgent need for strict implementation of the 31 December 2016 agreement (09.04.2017)

RDC: Communiqué du Rassemblement (09.04.2017)

RDC: Moise Katumbi – “L’appel de Marrkech au people Congolais Debout Congolais ! Resistons” (09.04.2017)

RDC: Communique Officiel de la Presidence de la Republique (07.04.2017)

RDC: Rassemblement – Communique de Presse (05.04.2017)

DRC: Now up to 30 Mass Graves in Kasai-Oriental Province and other reports!

The endless violence that has occurred in the Province since March 2016 to April 2017 has to stop. The killings of innocent civilians as the United Nations finds more and more mass graves in and around Kasai-Oriental. That the Kamunia Nsapu rebels are dangerous is an understatement, but the Armed Forces of Democratic of Congo (FARDC) has really made a manslaughter and something that must reminisce of a genocide. The amount of killings and the systematic destruction of society as the amounts of dead and findings of graves, is only the beginning. With the coming reports of the villages that is looted and the senseless tyranny, that has appeared in the region should worry anyone who care about somebody. There are also towns who has been taken for granted that has gotten issues by the armed insurgency. So the end-game right now is scores of dead and the mass graves as the armed violence continues.

While the International Community condemns the killings of the UN Experts and their interpreter, there isn’t much else than a weaker UN Peacekeeping Mission tabled from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and an unsure political process underway. As the local reports will tell about both condemnation from CRONGD and Reprodhoc, but also other mere facts of the dire situation that is healthy to know.

CRONGD condemns the killings:

The Regional Council of Central Non-Governmental Organizations (Crongd) of Kasaï Central and the Provincial Network of Human Rights Organizations (Reprodhoc) say …” (…)Condemn with the utmost energy the violence, the exactions, the stalking, the killings and the massacres of the populations and the villages in the Kasai space, vigorously protest against any pretension to want to resort to and impose peace by force, knowing that the force Has never produced lasting peace, “they denounced” (…) “… Call for an independent international investigation into the killings and massacres of those currently buried in nearly 30 mass graves, calling for justice..” (Ngonga, 2017).

The Situation in Luebo, Kasai:

The administrator of Luebo regrets that the enlistment kits have been set on fire and even feared the holding of elections in this part of Kasai. He explained that the National Police is not armed to face such an attack: “The police are not equipped to deal with a war that is happening. Under these conditions, the police could only intrench themselves because they were not an army. In Luebo, there were never any soldiers, “concluded Joseph Mbuyi Mubenga” (Ntambwe, 2017).

Government disclaim the reports from Catholic church in the Kasai province:

But in Kananga, it is the brutality of the army that is pointed at, notably by the Catholic church, in the front line on the ground. “It is difficult to understand these reactions of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church speaking of the disproportionate use of force, whereas we do not have the elements on what exactly happened …, “Said Lambert Mende, spokesman for the Congolese government, by telephone” (TV5Monde, 2017).

Government proclaims order:

The military is patrolling to restore order in the region, according to Justin Milonga, who recommended that local people report any cases of slippage in these operations. “If there are cases of slippage, all of us, we are called to denounce them so that sanctions are inflicted on these elements of order. I reassure you … that there are even some officers who are in prison for having slipped on the ground, “he said before calling the residents who fled their homes to return. This deployment is part of the “restoration of public order disrupted by militia activism and not to bother the population,” said Justin Milonga at a press conference” (Radio Okapi, 2017).

So there are reports that are worrying, but there some concern of the matter. It is hard to believe Lambert Mende and Vice-Governor of Kasai Central Justin Milonga, as the amounts of mass graves and the scores of death is arising, the violence and uncertainty isn’t something that seem real. That the army is there and trying to monitor the situation is clear, but the control of the different battalions and knowledge of the rebels activity seem unclear. Even if some of the soldiers are having mutiny can also be asked. Since there reports of military personnel behind bars. Therefore the spokesperson shows there has been transgression within the army of both violence and otherwise, if not the men wouldn’t serve time.

There are so many questions as the numbers of mass graves comes in Kasai-Oriental or Kasai Central, as the brutality and violence aftermath and current state appear. As the local reports of both looting and vandalism, as well as towns feeling unsure about the armed insurgency like in Luebo. The civilians and people Congo, deserve better and the Congolese Authorities has to take action, as their inaction and the probable causes for the breaches against crime against humanity should be looked into. The Presidency of Kabila should not able to walk away from this without a scratch, as his rule is questioned and deservedly so. Peace.

Reference:

Acualite.cd/ Ngonga, Franck – ‘Kasaï Central : Un collectif d’ONG parle d’environ 30 fosses communes et demande une enquête internationale’ (03.04.2017) link: https://actualite.cd/2017/04/03/kasai-central-collectif-dong-parle-denviron-30-fosses-communes-demande-enquete-internationale/

Ntambwe, Stanislas – ‘KASAÏ: LA CITÉ DE LUEBO SOUS CONTRÔLE DES HOMMES ARMÉS’ (03.04.2017) link: http://www.lepotentielonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16740:kasai-la-cite-de-luebo-sous-controle-des-hommes-

armes&catid=90:online-depeches&Itemid=517

Radio Okapi – ‘Kasaï-Central: la population appelée à dénoncer les dérapages des militaires’ ((03.04.2017) link: http://www.radiookapi.net/2017/04/03/actualite/societe/kasai-central-la-population-appelee-denoncer-les-derapages-des?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+radiookapi%2Factu+%28Radiookapi.net%29#sthash.ZffUtZla.dpuf

TV5Monde – ‘RDC : 7 mois de violences au Kasaï’ (03.04.2017) link: http://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/rdc-7-mois-de-violences-au-kasai-162430

Weaken mandate of MONUSCO is a gift-wrapped surprise to Kabila!

We don’t want to just cut for the sake of cutting. There are places we can cut. Everybody knows there’s fat at the U.N. Everybody knows there’s fat in the peacekeeping missions. So that’s why we’re taking each one.” – Nikki Haley U.S. Ambassador to the UN (Westcott, 29.03.2017).

There is something very wrong with our current day of leadership and their pride. If a mission had been finalized and done, than I would understand why they decided to change the mandate or suspend it. What happen at the United Nations Security Council this week, the 31st March 2017 is a mystery to me. It is a unique act of ignorance and lack of understanding, as if the less is better when the acts of oppression and killings happens on a day-to-day basis. When villages and towns are silenced by either government forces or rebels. That the UNSC see it fit to cut their mandate and have less soldiers to be there monitor and control the acts against the civilians. Take a look!

The worrying news from the United Nations:

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for another year but reduced the number of troops” (…) “In a resolution unanimously adopted, the 15-member body decided to keep the UN Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) until 31 March 2018, but approved 16,215 military personnel, 660 military observers and staff officers, 391 police personnel, and 1,050 personnel of formed police units” (…) “In a previous mandate extension, the Council approved 19,815 military personnel, 760 military observers and staff officers, 391 police personnel, and 1,050 personnel of formed police units” (MONUSCO, 2017).

That the United Nations Security Council cuts with 3,600 military personnel into the MONUSCO Peacekeeping Operation mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is like a wrapped Christmas gift in early March. Also the cut in in military observers by a 100, only keeping the same amount of police personnel and police units, shows the lack of understanding the fragile situation inside Congo. The Congolese Authorities are oppressive and silencing the citizens, while citizens are dying and even mass-graves are appearing in Kasai-Oriental, as M23 have resurfaced, the Mayi-Mayi creating issues, Kamwina Nsapu rebellion, the ADF-NALU inside the Kivu’s. There are so much violence and killings, still the International Community play foul by stepping down their mission as the situation isn’t becoming clearer or better.

There been issues in North Kivu and South Kivu for long as Rwandese and Ugandan based rebel groups, together with relics of the great-wars of the 1990s are still at large, these are done in systematic oppression, as well as the resources have been exported through channels that even lead to the building of gold refinery in Entebbe recently. Still, this is all happening under the nose of the United Nations Security Council, they know this as of late two of the UN Experts together with their interpreter lost their lives while following up on the mass-graves of Kasai-Oriental. Therefore, that after months of killings in yet another province, that the MONUSCO getting weaker is gift to President Kabila and his violent oppressive army FARDC.

Important cuts of MONUSCO according to the U.S. Ambassador to the UN on the DRC Mission:

““We can reduce the troops tremendously,” Haley would later tell a gathering of foreign-policy mandarins and reporters at the Council on Foreign Relations. President Joseph Kabila’s “corrupt” government, she suggested, may be unworthy of international support from the United Nations. And the U.N. mission, she added, might be compromising its integrity by “aiding a government that is inflicting predatory behavior against its own people.” (Lynch & McCormick, 2017).

Well, what the new Ambassador Haley doesn’t see that if the UN didn’t have a genuine mandate and forces there, than the escalation and the possible worsen efforts from the government could have appeared, as the price of power from the central government hasn’t really showed lack of use of excess force in the past. As well as giving way to rebels to steal and take resources so they can export it to Rwanda and Uganda. That has happen over a decade and shaped the mineral industries, as well as the relationship between the Republics. But I am sure that Haley haven’t read the bloody history or the extended warfare and warlords that has affected the Congolese heartland. That would surely make her think of other than corruption, but also of the amount of innocent people killed. She and the U.S. can replicate their dollars and drop silver dollars again to crash economies as they did in the past. But, to use economy as a reason to give way to President Kabila, seems futile and like monkey-wrenching the UN Peacekeeping mission.

So the cutting of the fat, will also cut the will and possible effects of the UN Mission in the DRC. They are maybe saving some funds, but even creating most likely unknown effects where the stakes are higher than a service adjourned and continues peace. The Kabila Government are far likely fearing the UN and their MONUSCO while knowing that the UN will cut their support and their mandate to save U.S. Tax payers monies. Instead of seeing the benefit of securing the peace in the Congo. Certainly, the nation who was partly involved in the killing of President Patrice Lumumba, should feel their needed support of a peaceful transition and recognize that they also kept the funding of President Mobutu Sese Seko for decades upon end. So the US history in the DRC comes with a price and they should not talk budget, but talk on how to strengthen the MONUSCO’s mandate to secure the civilians, who are used as pawns on the chess-set, while the leaders are trading favors and finding paths to stay in power. Kabila knows this and using all tricks to be able to stay without holding an election or respecting the CENCO agreement. Therefore, the weaken MONUSCO by 3,600 military personnel is gift, a splendid gift to Kabila and his cronies.

Kabila, should be delighted and have an afternoon delight with some liquor and prime cut beef. However, the US administration shows that they are not thinking long-term in policies in their respects to the UN. This will cost more and take more time on their involvement in peacekeeping mission in the future, as the resolving mechanisms and the results of stifling the powers are gone. The mission themselves sometimes doesn’t deliver great results in change, but they keep the violence at bay and also make sure the governments doesn’t extended their power grab. That would change if the weaken mandate of MONUSCO would be even more axed. Peace.

Reference:

Lynch, Colum & McCormick, Ty – ‘Nikki Haley Threatened to Withhold Backing for U.N.’s Congo Mission, Then Blinked’ (30.03.2017) link: http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/30/nikki-haley-threatened-to-withhold-backing-for-u-n-s-congo-mission-then-blinked/

MONUSCO – ‘DR CONGO: SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS PEACEKEEPING MANDATE, BUT REDUCES TROOP STRENGTH’ (31.03.2017) link: https://monusco.unmissions.org/en/dr-congo-security-council-extends-peacekeeping-mandate-reduces-troop-strength

Westcott, Lucy – ‘U.N. AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY: ‘I BELIEVE YOU WILL SEE CUTS TO THE U.N.’ (29.03.2017) link: http://www.newsweek.com/nikki-haley-un-budget-cuts-peacekeeping-575967