

RDC: CLC – “Troisieme Appel du Comite Laic De Coordination Dimanche 25 Fevrier 2018 – Marchons pour Dire Non a La Dictature!” (10.02.2018)





By Samy Badibanga, former Prime Minister of DRC.
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, February 9, 2018 – The political conundrum of the elections has blinded us all: the emergency in DR Congo is political as much as it is human and humanitarian. Of course, everything must be done so that the Congolese people can choose their leaders at the end of 2018. But, at the beginning of 2018, the top priority is to protect the lives of 13 million people threatened by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Kasai, Kivu, Tanganyika and other provinces of the Congo. And this requires an International Donor Conference in order to raise the $1.68 billion for the United Nations humanitarian response plan for the Congo.
This crisis kills every passing second. It kills women, children, and men who have fled the violence, hidden in the forest or even further away, and have nothing left when they return. This disaster could soon claim between one and two million lives if humanitarian aid is not funded. These dizzying figures are a poor reflection of the reality of a child or a woman taking their last breath. Not killed by violence, but by famine or disease.
The Congo crisis has been neglected. Today, it is the largest humanitarian crisis on the planet, and it is also the least funded, despite being classified at the maximum level of humanitarian emergency by the United Nations. The conflict between the Pygmies and Bantu in Tanganyika alone has already displaced 500,000 people – as many as the Rohingya crisis in Burma. According to UNOCHA, as well as those in Tanganyika, there are 1.5 million displaced in Kasai and more than 950,000 in Kivu and other provinces, making a total of 4.35 million people. In Uganda, 238,000 Congolese have sought shelter to escape the violence in Kivu, and a thousand more arrive each week. 7,000 people have taken refuge in Burundi and 33,000 in Angola, to name but a few. In fact, the total population displacement in the Congo today comes to more than that in Syria, Iraq and Yemen combined. How many of these 4.35 million displaced people are joining the migration routes from the Horn of Africa to the Libyan slave camps?
Whilst the conflict born in Kasai in August 2016 has killed 5,000 people so far, two million more could die of hunger. These populations survived the conflict, and returned at the end of the violence only to be unable to find food, water, toilets, clothes, roofs or shelter, work or school or any public services, and finding in their place villages burned to the ground, health centres looted, roads destroyed, agricultural plantations ravaged and cholera?
This is the plea for help from the churches where people are taking refuge that we have been proclaiming since the beginning of November 2017 on behalf of the Hope coordination, led by Cardinal Mosengwo for the Catholic Church and the Rev. Bokundoa, President of the Protestant Church, to the United Nations, the European Union, France and the entire international community. It is on behalf of this wounded, violated, displaced and abandoned population that we are calling for the urgent organisation of an International Donor Conference.
On 17 November 2016, the International Conference for the Central African Republic raised $2.2 billion. According to the United Nations, the humanitarian funding needs in the DRC for 2018 amount to $1.68 billion. The Congo, whose population is close to 90 million, twenty times more than the CAR and its 4.59 million people, is in great need of the same level of global solidarity.
Without an International Donor Conference, the United Nations humanitarian response plan for 2018 will not be even half funded. At the end of January 2018, it was 2% financed, and the plight of the people of the Congo forgotten by a planet in crisis. Yet, strong humanitarian action can still save millions of lives and give hope for a new future for the Congolese. By adding emergency aid to action for the post-conflict rehabilitation of socio-economic infrastructure, it will be possible to envisage progress towards sustainable development goals in a country of nearly 100 million people, where any progress can have a major impact. This is where the International Donor Conference for the Congo, which we call upon the international community to organise as quickly as possible, should lead us.
The DRC crisis can no longer be neglected: goo.gl/QtAawq

Tanzania is hosting the largest number of Burundians with 254,000 refugees, while 89,000 are in Rwanda with another 44,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and some 40,000 in Uganda.
GENEVA, Switzerland, February 6, 2018 – Text presented by Catherine Wiesner, UNHCR’s Regional Coordinator for the Burundi situation – to whom quoted text may be attributed – to the Palais press this morning, before the regular press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva:
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, with its 26 other humanitarian partners, is today launching a funding appeal for US$391 million to support some 430,000 Burundian refugees during 2018.
We are urging donors to step up support for desperate refugees who struggle to survive in neighbouring countries as efforts are falling short of acceptable humanitarian standards. The international community must also stay engaged in the pursuit of a genuine and lasting resolution to the Burundi crisis.
Low levels of humanitarian funding for this crisis remains a great concern. Burundian refugees could get a mere 21 per cent of the required funds – making it the world’s least funded refugee response plan.
Our appeal, being presented today to donors in Geneva, aims to ensure the needs of Burundian refugees are not overlooked and the situation does not become a forgotten refugee crisis.
Since 2015, more than 400,000 refugees and asylum-seekers have fled the country, escaping human rights abuses, continued political uncertainty, and the related humanitarian crisis.
Refugee numbers are expected to increase by over 50,000 this year as regional efforts to resolve the political crisis in the country have not made significant progress.
The human rights situation inside Burundi remains worrying. Unless the political situation changes and socio-economic conditions improve, the outflow of Burundian refugees – mostly to neighbouring countries – is expected to continue in 2018, though at a lower level.
Tanzania is hosting the largest number of Burundians with 254,000 refugees, while 89,000 are in Rwanda with another 44,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and some 40,000 in Uganda. Smaller refugee numbers have also fled to Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and South Africa.
In 2017, over 61,000 refugees arrived in the neighbouring countries. Though numbers have dropped in comparison to 2016 (when some 123,000 had fled), thousands still kept crossing the borders to seek safety in the region.
With increasing humanitarian needs, dwindling resources did not allow assistance levels to reach acceptable standards throughout the region despite our efforts.
As the majority of refugees (85 per cent) live in refugee camps, underfunding has impacted all areas of life – including food cuts, dilapidated shelters, overcrowded classrooms, and limited capacity to respond to sexual and gender based violence.
Underfunding also severely affects our ability to invest in integrated social services and livelihood opportunities, limits support to environmental protection and restoration, and prevented us in 2017 from carrying out population verifications, providing documentation, and training government officials on refugee status determination as originally planned.
In the last few years, some Burundian refugees have also decided to return home, and are seeking to re-establish their lives in Burundian communities that are facing considerable economic pressures and food insecurity.
At this stage, UNHCR and partners are not promoting or encouraging refugee returns to Burundi. We are working with the relevant governments to assist those who indicate they have made a free and informed choice to return voluntarily, to do so in safety and dignity.
We are also reiterating our appeal to Burundi’s neighbours to continue to uphold their international responsibilities and commitments to receive asylum-seekers at their borders and offer protection to those who need it. UNHCR reminds States that refugees should not be forced to return to Burundi against their will.
















Today from Bujumbura, the CNDD-FDD (The National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy), the ruling regime of Pierre Nkurunziza who is preparing for his fourth term. His ministers has since the New Year, the government have worked to gain funds for the “Election 2020”, even if that meaning volunteer funds from Civil Servants and Public Officers. The first was the order of the Felix Mpozeriniga, the Minister for Public Service, Labour and Employment, who ordered the volunteer funds on the 18th January 2018.
Today, the are further works by two more cabinet ministers. This being Finance Minster Dr. Domitien Ndihokubwayo and Minister of Interior Pascal Barandagiye, who both have ordered that the contribution to “Elections 2020” will be natural “Wage Scale” on all civil servants pay from now on. That meaning it is added tax or taken off. So what is left after the contribution will be net salaries. This will be done with changes of law. Following Decrees made in 2015 and in 2016. Today this was done as a joint decree between both ministers, so that the salaries will be cut to facilitate the scheme itself.
So within a very short time, the CNDD-FDD has gone from “volunteering” funds to the elections, to be taxing the salaries of their employees by a decree made by Ndihokubwayo and Barandagiye. They are clearly loyal to the President. Since, they are following guidelines and protocol to make money needed for the President. Their loyalty is their patriotism. So, they have no trouble making sure the citizens who are working for the state will get less pay, because they are all contributing to “Election 2020”.
So from now on, that the legal remedy for the added tax and initially the cut off their salaries. It cannot be seen as volunteering. When its put into a WAGE SCALE or a “barème des salaires”. That is impressive by two ministers to say so, while pushing for changes of article 4 of Joint Decree from 11.12.2017, which the Ministers wants to change in that regard. This meaning that it will be wages will be cut, because three ministers has ordered it differently. The citizens and the employees of the state will involuntarily pay a new tax.
It is just that the state want to mask it differently, but everyone should know this is a taxation. This is adding a new fee on their salaries for a new purpose. These Ministers have made the orders to fulfill the needs of the President. That he needs additional funds and the best way to so, is to add a special tax. Peace.

As the Burundian Government, the CNDD-FDD (The National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy), the ruling regime under President Pierre Nkurunziza are clearly gearing up for the Constitutional Change for securing a fourth term and also elections in 2020. Since he had a controlled election in 2015, that ushered in his official third term, which was questionable already. Therefore, creating insecurity and protest. That has led to refugees and to crisis, which is still until today. The Burundian government are really grasping everything and also stopping the any possible progress in the Inter-Burundian Dialogue, since it would mean that Nkurunziza had to step down. Something he is clearly not intending to do.
Today, on the 18th January 2018, the Ministry of Labor or “State Functions” has announced that every single state employee will be submitting their contribution through their salary from this month (January 2018), which will automatically be taken from their salary as a tax. The tax can be called “Contribution for 2020 Election”.
The Minister says this is their patriotic duty in a sense, that this can be seen as stoppage from the payment on the salary, since the Ministry of Labor is making this patriotic duty to secure funding for the coming election and changes of Constitution so that the President can run in 2020. This proves how messed up the Burundian government is. When the Minister for Labor Félix Mpozeriniga have announced this to all public servants, civil servants or government officials.
So we can officially know that Pierre Nkurunziza plans a fourth term, as his party and regime is even adding taxes on the state employees, through the stoppage in patriotic view, as the “Contribution for 2020 Election”, which this is and they are doing it because they know they will not be questioned or have anyone who discuss this internally.
The levy, the added tax and the stoppage is a proof of the plan and we can just await the days of a change of the constitution, so that the Nkurunziza government can continue to rule without any doubt. For the doubters that he would ever leave, should know question their own brilliant mind. Nkurunziza has no interest in stepping down. He will only leave if someone ends his life. Nkurunziza will keep this post until someone do a coup d’etat against him. Because he will change the laws and use the position until he stops breathing. Anything else, is a lie against the narrative he has already created.
That is why CNDD-FDD and Nkurunziza will pursuit anyway necessary to stay in power. This is yet another proof of that, not only interfering and controlling the Inter-Burundian Dialogue, so that the real opposition and the ones who is seen as enemies will be detained, assassinated or flee to exile. That is the state of affairs.
This is what Nkurunziza does and what he wants to continue by any means. Now adding extra taxes to make sure that happens. Peace.