RDC: Dynamique de l’Opposition Politique Congolaise – Communique en Rapport Avec La Marche Pacifique du 21 Janvier (16.01.2018)

Opinion: President Kabila uses insurgency as a bargain chip to stay in Power!

It is weird to write this again, but the last term of President Joseph Kabange Kabila lasted until a 16th December 2016. We are now on the 16th January 2018. That means the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has had a President without a term for a year and a month, or a total of 396 days. Kabila has been running the DRC without elections or stepped down for over a year.

He has himself been registered for elections twice without anything happening. There has also been insurgencies and all of them seems to be buying him time. The same can be said about what is happening as FARDC and UPDF are now together working to beat ADF in Southern Kivu. This has happen since December 2017, even if the UPDF went in before they had an official agreement.

Just like in early January 2017 former M-23 soldiers and leaders flee from Uganda and Kisoro into DRC. This also happen so the insurgency could be used for leverage. That was done and therefore, the same region needed more uncertainty and now the ADF is the new big-problem. Just as it has happen in the past. If it would be FDLR or Interahamwe, even if this would be mustered into new groups to create insecurity.

During the year, the FARDC General Akii Mundos is synonymous with the Beni Massacres, where he still inflict danger and violence in the region.

We can also question the sudden rise of the Mayi-Mayi attacks in May 2017 as well, since they we’re unofficially sponsored by Burundian government on wishes of Kinshasa. That happen also during the period of uncertainty created.

During the whole year, Kamunia Nsapu have during the year created hostility in Kasai-Oriental, where the state even wanted to hide their crimes and even UN Monitor’s was killed while following the evidence. There has been found dozens of mass graves in the region and still this hasn’t shocked the world and massive breaches of killings from the state. As the militia and FARDC has killed civilians and innocent people in general. While creating even more insecurity.

So the sudden changes of direct attacks on ADF seems like it follows the current paradigm of being insecurity managed to keep Kabila in power. I don’t wish this, but since he has hold himself without an official term for a year and month.

What we should know already is that he took power in January 2001, waited to be elected before 2006 and again 2011. This to the two presidential terms he could in the 3rd Republic. Well, in that figure, means that he had already bonus years that doesn’t count between 2001-2006. Meaning, he was able to postpone it back-then for 5 years before his first election. Now he is again using insurgency and violence to extend his term without an election. Even without changing the Constitution. That is the reason for the violence in insecurity. There is no other reason for it.

It isn’t anything beautiful, it is only more sinister activity in favor of the President Kabila. Kabila are using the military and insurgency to overstay. He uses his power, his leadership and his control until someone takes him away. I will never expect him to just step down. Then he would have done so over a year ago. He would have had an election during 2016. Something he never had, something he postponed for all sorts of reasons. There will come new reasons, CENI will find problems and lack of funding. Even if United States, United Kingdom and the EU offers funding for an election. This while Mineral Extraction continues, oil export and other profitable activity happens without proper taxation.

Kabila will not let this cash-cow go, he has had the control for over 16 years. He has had his terms and no plans of stepping down. Doesn’t matter if is his unpopular or insult the intelligence of his own people. Kabila will use insurgence and insecurity as a bargain chip to stay. Something he used to extend his first term until the first election. Now he is extending his last term with the same tactic. While it cost more and more people’s live for his to stay in power.

He will stay in power, no matter the cost. Kabila has proven that, he want to extend and not let it go. There is no proof that he wants to or has any significant plan of doing so. The army and the allies is still all around him. The important opposition is in the former colony safe-havens, while activists are either in jail or getting detained for standing up against him. Even the churches who march in protest are getting beaten, killed in the streets. Kabila will take anyone down who stands in his way. Just like he did in the previous times.

Kabila, will use the insurgency, insecurity and violence as bargain chip, as a method and use it for all its worth. Not caring for the innocent or the real cost of the action. But that it gives him to stay in Power and relinquish everything he hold dear, the money and the power. Peace.

RDC: Mouvement de Liberation du Congo (M.L.C) – Communique de Presse (15.01.2018)

Russian Probe: Mueller update on the indictment of Gates-Manafort are compelling!

On the 12th January Special Counsel Robert Mueller gave a Status Report to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. This Status Report was on the indictment and investigation into Robert Gates and Paul Manafort. We can see by the information that the investigation are getting enough documentation and evidence to build a case against these gentlemen. They already have criminal counts on them and within this update, they are describing what sort of material they have collected.

If Manafort and Gates should be worried, they should be know. If they have documentation that also connects directly to the Trump Organization or the Trump Campaign. Knowing the connection between the gentlemen and the Trump inner-circle is well-known. Manafort was even running the campaign for a long while for the now President. So its not like he was random fella picked up on the streets in and around the Trump Tower in mid-town Manhattan, New York.

What Mueller was stating was this:

As of the date of this filing, the government has completed a substantial portion of the discovery in this case, including the following: a. more than 590,000 items1 in load-ready format, including (but not limited to) financial records, records from vendors identified in the indictment, email communications involving the defendants, and corporate records; b. approximately 2,200 documents that the government has identified as “hot” documents” (…) “On December 20, 2017, the government made its fifth discovery production, consisting of, among other things: (1) a hard drive with 123,000 separate items in load-ready format, (2) copies of thirty-six electronic devices and/or media,3 and (3) nine additional “hot” documents” (…) “On January 12, 2018, the government made its sixth discovery production, consisting of, among other things: (1) a flash drive with approximately 50,000 separate items in load-ready format, (2) approximately 7000 pages of additional financial and other records, including additional foreign bank records obtained after the commencement of discovery, (3) approximately 120 additional “hot” documents, (4) two additional search warrants and related applications, and (5) imaged copies of fifteen devices and/or media seized from Manafort’s residence” (…) “The government will continue to make additional rolling productions of load-ready documents, including of documents obtained on an ongoing basis. The government expects to make its next production early the week of January 15, to include copies of six additional devices/or media that will be provided to both defendants. Thereafter, two additional devices seized from Manafort’s residence will remain to be produced to Gates. These devices are currently in the process of being reviewed by a separate team to identify privileged material that will not be produced to Gates” (United States District Court for the District of Columbia, 12.01.2018).

We can see how diligent the FBI investigation and the Special Counsel Mueller is when concerning his case. The build-up and the drop of “hot” documents, proves that they have evidence of illegal activity already within both financial documents and also possible other affairs. As the counts of criminal conduct already been dropped, we can have an idea what sort of connections and sort of paper trail the two indicted men has left behind.

We can just imagine what sort of details and breadcrumbs that are within the material the investigation has alone on this gentlemen. That Manafort and Gates has left behind important information in these documents towards the Russian probe. They should clearly have something in the emails, in the transactions and all through. Surely, the should be something in a big in all of this. Even in it be able to hook people higher up the food-chain. If it would be Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Junior, Ivanka Trump and even the unstable misdemeanor Donald J. Trump. Surely, they are all connected and implicated in the paper trail left behind here. It would be strange if there wasn’t anything, as the Campaign and the Manafort effort was together. There should be some shared information in between the emails and within the documents.

I would really look forward to see the collected and intelligence inside this, to see what these gentlemen has done and why they are under house awaiting trial and motion schedule, which is now put to be on the 14th May 2018. We have to see if there will be more drop of information and documentation into what criminal activity these two has done. Peace.

RDC: CLC – “Appel du Comite Laic de Coordination Dimanche 21 Janvier 2018: Ensemble Marchons pour Prendre en Mains Notre Destin” (13.01.2018)

The African Group of Ambassadors to the United Nations met in Emergency Session on 12 January 2018 to Consider the Remarks made by the President of the United States (12.01.2018)

Botswana Condemns Remarks Made by President Trump (12.01.2018)

RDC: La CENCO Denonce Les Attaques Contre Veglise Catholique et sa Hierarchie (11.01.2018)

RDC: Proces Contre les ADF et Leurs Collaborateurs, Encore 6 Verdicts Rendus a Beni (10.01.2018)

USA: FBI Internal Communications after James Comey Sacking (May 09, 2017)