Congo Chronicle XVIII
February 16 - March 1, 1998
sources: ACP, Le Soir, Trouw
Conference sur la Territoriale
The three days conference about the organisation of the national,
regional and local administration has terminated successfully on
February 14.It has been assisted by about 600 administrators from
over the whole country.
Some clear decisions were taken to produce order in the
administration of the zones, provinces and regions. First of all
agreement was reached about the responsabilities of the local
authorities.They have the task to survey security, public order
and the implementation of the national agriculture programm.
They must control the local markets and commerce centres and
supervise the maintenance of national laws and prices.
The local authorities have also the obligation to promote
health, education and alphabetisation of their population and
to fight ignorance. Finally they have the control the local state
organisations of police, army and security.
The national government will supply appropriate professional
dress with insignes, means of transport and telecommunication.
International contacts
EU
The president of the EU election committee, Bascelar de
Vasconcelos, visited Kinshasa during a week. On wednesday
February 18, he talked with representatives of the Congolese
civil society, a.o. the organisation for free elections LINELIT
(Ligue National pour les Elections Libres et Transparentes).
They pressed that the EU will invest in consciousness-raising of
the population with respect to the elections. The EU has promised
to reserve 30 million ECU ($32 million) to this end.
The deputy minister of Home Affairs, Mulumba Katchy, has talked
on a working meeting with Bacelar about the same item.
Herve Hasquin
The Belgian president of the French Committee of the region
Brussels, Herve Hasquin,arrived in Brussels on February 17 after
a thorough visit to Kinshasa. On a press conference he showed
satisfied about his encounters in Congo.
Hasquin made clear that Congo will much appreciate Belgian aid.
He had talks with president Kabila,seven ministers, the governor
of the National Bank and most important entrepreneurs.
Belgium should put its expertise into action in the fields
health care and infrastructure. Hasquin gave the press the
example of the Belgian business man Damseaux who already invests
in the reconstruction of the road from Kinshasa to harbour
Matadi.
Moreover, Hasquin suggests Belgium to invest in education in
Congo. The universities and technical highschools are in a very
desolate situation. According to Hasquin the government team is
prepared to reconstruct the country, but the international aid
is necessary...
Visit of a UN representative
The minister of Foreign Affairs, Bizima Karaha, received the
representative of the UN organisation in Congo, Herbert Cleod.
He announced that the administrator of the UNDP (UN Development
Programm), Gustav Speth,will visit Congo shortly.
Speth's purpose will be to reinforce the relations between the
UNDP and Congo,that has already been endowed with $ 800 000 for
improvement of public administration.
Visit of Mrs Ogata / UNHCR
Mrs Ogata, UN High Commissioner for Refugees started a three
days visit to Congo on February 19. She talked with Congolese
ministers of Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs. UNHCR promised to
contribute an amount of $ 20 million for repair of the damage
caused by the massive presence in Kivu of Rwandese refugees since
1994.
(note: This is not a great amount in comparison to the enormous
damage: loss of lifes, material loss and disruption of security
for the Kivu population, and considering that UNHCR yearly
provides $ 300 million for the refugees in the Great Lakes
Region)
Furthermore UNHCR has started the repatriation of hundreds of
Congolese refugees who fled to Uganda last year during the war.
The UN-team that has to investigate the murder on Hutu refugees
has started working in Mbandaka.
New vision on development cooperation
The minister of International Cooperation, Celestin Luanghy,
organised a meeting on February 19 for foreign diplomats, where
he explained the DRC vision on cooperation for development. In
this context he stressed equality and partnership as principles.
His department will create a data bank for the benefit of foreign
investors. He intends further to organise a half-yearly forum
"semestre de la cooperation" to promote mutual consultation.
Mining / Oil
The minister of Mining, Kibassa Maliba, will convene a meeting
with representatives of banks and interested companies in the
next half year to discuss a new mining code. He told this in Cape
Town (South Africa) where he assisted an international mining
conference.The Worldbank is prepared to help with the drawing up
of this code, said its representative, Paulo Desa, who confered
with the minister in Kinshasa.
Kibassa is invited by the South African Central Selling
Organisation (De Beers) to come to London in order to discuss
several mining projects.
The oil company PetroCongo will start exploration for oil in the
region "cuvette centrale" (province Equateur) in this month of
March, together with the Canadian company Trillion Resources.
PetroCongo mentioned three oil-rich regions: "cuvette centrale",
the Kivu rift, and the coastal region. Only at the coast oil is
in production. The other regions have formerly been explored by
foreign companies who never presented their results to the
Congolese State; so PetroCongo has to do it over again.
FEC
On February 25 the board of FEC (Federation of Congolese
entrepreneurs) communicated some decisions, chiefly about
reorganisation. Some commissions have been formed with
representatives of 16 companies, involving textile, beer,
transport en telecommunication. FEC says to appreciate frequent
consultation with the Congolese government. The companies support
the government plans for the reconstruction of the country.
The government has decreed that every company has to organize
trade union elections before the end of May. Finally this has to
lead to the creation of an National Labour Council, a kind of
national consultation of the social partners.
Patric Claes
Mr Patric Claes, the Belgian former administrator of the railway
company Sizarail, has been released after 6 months emprisonment,
and arrived in Brussels on February 17. Contrary to expectation
he showed to the press no rancune about his emprisonment. On
December 5 he had been sent for by Kabila, together with a couple
of ex-Mobutu civil servants, who also were held prisonner. The
discussion with Kabila was about state money that had been
unlawfully approprieted and had to be restored. After that
meeting Claes has prepared a draft for the continuation of
Sizarail, which he has handed to Masangu, governor of the
National Bank, who started to work with it. In the view of Claes,
Sizarail has to be liquidated by a neutral third party. Then a
new partnership has to be formed (Sizarail-bis) with
participation of Congolese state. After submission of this plan
the Congolese government has sent delegations to South Africa and
to Belgium. This has led to the transfer of $ 16 million from
South Africa (an old debt of the S.A. partner of Sizarail); also
Belgium has reserved an amount of $ 10 million for the creation
of a social plan for Sizarail.
After solving these affairs Claes has been released. Masangu has
expressed his hope that Claes will return to Congo to take charge
of the renewed Sizarail.
Three ex-Mobutu generals, Baramoto, Nzimbi and Mavua, who were
arrested in South Africa in December last year and had been
provisionally released, have allegedly left South Africa with
unknown destination.
Tshisekedi
Several news agencies have announced that Tshisekedi has been
arrested on Februari 12, and sent back to his birth village.
Trouw (dutch journal) mentions that UDPS party members fear for his life. His
house has allegedly been repainted and equiped with new
furniture, kichen utensils and linen. UDPS-members think that in
his house, that is guarded by soldiers, he will die because the
new things in his house are poisoned. The Dutch lawyer of
Tshisekedi, mr Hofdijk, has asked minister Pronk, to intervene
with Kabila to urge that a doctor is admitted to Tshisekedi.
Apart from that, at his press conference the Belgian minister
Herve Hasquin has named Tshisekedi 'un bouffon' (a clown), which
evoked a lot of indignation from UDPS in Belgium.
Meeting of the Cabinet
At the meeting of the Congolese Cabinet on Februari 28 Kabila has
made an appeal to receive the Congolese football team with
honour, although it has only got a third place in the African
Football Competition.
Kabila showed angry about rumours in the press that he would be
ill. He had stayed some days (20/2-24/2) in Switzerland to take
rest for tiredness. In the press media circulated the wildest
speculations.
One subject of the meeting was the tax proceeds; tax levy is
gradually being streamlined, as small and middle sized companies
and the informal sector are starting to pay tax.
A census is programmed with financial support of the EU fund
It will be the first time since 1965 that census takes place.
Fighting in Kivu
The Belgian journal Le Soir reported about fightings in Kivu.
On February 24, Ugandan military have entered in Congo near
Butembo.There are also fightings between the Congolese army and
the Mayi- Mayi.
In Bukavu has been an uprising of 300 Banyamulenge on February
25.
Before that, Congolese military have made an inquiry into
possession of weapons. They found arms and munition in the houses
of several Banyamulenge, who have subsequently attacked a barrack
where the weapons had been stored. Then they left to the
southern place of Uvira. The Burundese army is allegedly
supporting them.
The Banyamulenge do not agree with the government's policy to
integrate ex-FAZ military into the army, though these have had
a re-education in Kitona camp.
Roger Winter
The Washington Post of February 22 published a interesting
article of Roger Winter, president of the US Committee for
Refugees, titeld: How Human Rights Groups Miss the Opportunity
to Do Good. His remarks concern specially the countries of the
Great Lake Region, Rwanda and the DRC.
In consideration to these countries he names 5 hard truth:
-The human rights communinity has serious shortcomings.
-The human rigts community mistakenly assumes that it alone has
the best interests of the population at heart.
-Human rights failures by governments are not always deliberate.
-Seemingly "neutral" human rights reports can have powerful
implications in a politically fragile region.
-Wartime human rights abuses do not necessarily invalidate the
puposes os the war or the legitimacy of the victors.
(note: we advise very much to read the whole article, that we
have copied on our website).
SEE ALSO:
chronicle 8, september 15 -september 28 1997
chronicle 9, september 29 -october 12 1997
chronicle 10, october 13 - october 26 1997
chronicle 11, october 27 - november 9, 1997
chronicle 12, november 10 -november 23 1997
chronicle 13, november 24 -december 7 1997
chronicle 14, december 8 1997 - january 4 1998
chronicle 15, january 5 - january 18 1998
chronicle 16, january 19 - february 1 1998
chronicle 17, february 2 - february 15 1998