september 15-28 1997
Sources: NCN, Le Soir, De Standaard
United Nations
International organisations seem to loose patience. On september 18 the new UN-High Commissioner for the Human Rights, mrs Mary Robinson, expressed her disapproval about the behaviour of the Kabila government. In a rather high tone she spoke of the 'day of reckoning' that was coming. Perhaps this indignation is a bit premature in view of the new facts about the UN itself which have become known and will be described hereafter.
According to reports the US-ambassador to the UN, Bill Richardson, had a long telephone call with Kabila on the 19th of september, urging that the UN-team would get free admission to the whole country.
The EU also sent a letter to Kabila to stress that foreign aid to Congo depends on its cooperation wth the UN-team. Western diplomats in Kinshasa have reacted by urging caution. Mr Fred Racke, Dutch charge d'affaires in Congo, warns that Congo may be weakened when aid stays away and that this may create instability in the whole region.
The spokesman of the UN Secretary General said that Kofi Annan is willing to discuss the mandate of the UN-team with the Kabila government.
On 25 september the Washington Post tells about the behaviour of
the UN during the genocide on the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994.
It appears that the UN were well informed about the preparations
by the then Rwandan president Habyarimana of the murder on
thousands of Tutsi citizens.
The Canadian general Dallaire was in that time commander of the
UN peace force in Rwanda. He informed his superior and the UN in
New York about the plans of Habyarimana. His superior, the
Canadese general Baril ordered Dallaire to report to Habyarimana
that the UN were informed about his plans but that they would not
interfere.
Shortly after that the genocide on estimated 500.000 Tutsi and
moderated Hutu in Rwanda was executed by the Hutu regime.
Habyarimana himself died before that moment.
(Note: These facts suggest the following questions: If the UN
were informed about the plans for the genocide on the Tutsi, why
did they do nothing to prevent it? Should this negligence from
UN side not be submitted to investigation? What is the
credibility of the UN in an investigation of the murder on Hutu
allegedly committed by Kabila, as the UN itself has done nothing
to prevent the murder on the Tutsi in Rwanda but just let it
happen?)
A few things have become clear during the enquete by the Belgian Rwanda Commission that investigates the murder in Rwanda of ten Belgian UN soldiers in 1994. According to reports Dallaire and Baril were forbidden by the Canadian government to testify before the Commission. Nevertheless Dallaire has delivered his confessions. Perhaps these publications will lead to reflexion within the UN.
Mr Andre Kapanga, ambassador of Congo to the UN, has been appointed as a member of the General Committee of this 52th UN Assembly.
Contrary to the UN Museveni, President of Uganda, is optimistic about the developments in Africa. In an interview with Colette Braeckman (Le Soir 23/9/97) he admits that there are problems by the the fighting of Ugandan rebels, ex-soldiers of Mobutu and ex- military and militia of the former Habyarimana regime, a congsi which is supported by the regime in Sudan, but according to him these rebels are loosing. There now exists a new "club" of heads of state in Africa who keep close contact with each other and support each other economically, technically and politically. These leaders do no longer look up to Europe, but they believe in the opportunities of Africa to develop together a strong economic market.
Business
From 20 to 24 september 1997 a broad Belgian trade mission paid a visit to Kinshasa. The leaders of the delegation are Marc Servotte, general director of the Belgian Office for Foreign Trade and Tony Vandeputte, representative of the Belgian Employers Organisation.
At their return they said that they see big opportunities for business in Congo. The delegation has talked an hour with Kabila and is convinced that the new government is handling things with care. Of course they still have some reserves: they let depend their engagement with DRC on the results of the consultation that will take place between the Kabila government and IMF. They also discussed with Kabila the civil and legal security of their employees. They were alarmed bij the detention of the Belgian manager of Sizarail, mr Claes, and they urged to a just treatment of his case.
The Belgian minister of Foreign Affairs, Erik Derijcke, has announced his support to Congo. At the donor conference of IMF, that will take place in october, Belgium will act as a katalyst for Congo.
Perhaps of much importance is the news that the American company
Bechtel Corporation has offered its help to the Congolese
government for the reconstruction of the country. This message
appeared in the periodical Emerging Markets of 25 september.
In cooperation with the Congolese government Bechtel wants to
dress a 7-years plan for a fast development of the country by
means of recovery of the mining and timber industry.
In this
context NCN remarks that in this way interference of the
international institutions like IMF and Worldbank and of Western
governments can be avoided. It is well known that these put
all kinds of conditions to their cooperation.
Probably in accordance with this are some remarks by the Congolese minister of Finance, Mawapanga, at the IMF meeting on 25 september. In that meeting in Hong Kong Mawapanga defended the policy of his government against the international financiers. He expressed his confidence that private enterprises will invest in RDC, independent of the attitude of the international institutions and Western governments.
Social developments
In De Standaard of 24 september we find some information on the actual situation in Kinshasa by a Belgian Trade Union leader. Also NCN contains some messages on this subject. Several very positive remarks are made: the city is cleaner than before, there are no problems with the customs and the military, who used to steal money and good formerly, soldiers in town are replaced by police in neat yellow-green uniform, the public transport is working again and the fees have been reduced, banks are open, inflation is under control; in short, there is no longer oppression and tension. A Congolese businessman says that the investment climate has ameliorated. He thinks that the news media are too negative in their judgement on the country, but political parties are curtailed. But he thinks that the latter is temporary, because an institutional framework for this kind of activities has still to be set up.
It appears that in Congo harsh action is taken against misbehaving soldiers. Fifty soldiers were led before a military court, because they had fired in the air or mutinied. Twenty-four ofthem were sentenced to 10 till 15 years emprisonment. One soldier who had killed a student was sentenced to death.
The minister of Reconstruction, Mbaya, has announced that a conference will convene about the restoration of the country. This National Reconstruction Conference will consist of representatives of the local population of the towns and the rural areas. It will be a grass-roots conference, because, in the view of mr Mbaya, the whole population has to be included in the restoration.
Amnesty International has no good word to say about the Kabila government. In a recent report, discussed in Le Soir of 16 september 1997, the organisation states that the situation is disquieting. Tens, or even hundreds, of arrests have taken place since the start of the Kabila government. It concerns arrests of sypathisers of oppostion parties, journalists, human rights activists and ex-Mobutu ministers.
[Note: We distrust some declarations about human rights, p.e. those by mr Kin Kiey Mulamba, who is cited in Le Soir. He was a minister of Information under Mobutu, and he published his own newspaper, Le Soft, that is now propagated by him via Internet from Brussels. He complains that there is no more freedom of press in Congo. He also mentions that an editor of Le Phar, mr Polydor Muboyayi, has been arrested. As far as we know he has written a tendentious and racist article.]
Kivu
Recently several thousand Congolese Tutsi have fled from Congo
to Rwanda. This follows fightings that have taken place north of
Goma, p.e. near Masisi, and south of Bukavu and near Uvira.
After intervention by the military police of the government a
relative peace has been reestablished in the region.
It is a good thing that the military troops in Kivu now have been
formed by recruits of different Congolese ethnic origin. The
contribution of foreign troops, especially of Rwandese, has been
gradually reduced by Kabila.
Mobutu.
It is more difficult to discover the fortune of Mobutu after his death. A Swiss magazine tells that his fortune contains 20 - 45 billion FF, 11 properties in Congo, 10 in Belgium, hotels and palaces in Marocco, Canada and so on over the world. The minister of foreign affairs, Bizima Karaha, who visited Switzerland, thanked the Swiss government to have blocked the account current of Mobutu. But 99% of Mobutus money has not been placed under his own name but under the name of private companies or other names. The Congolese government has also asked the Portugese government to freeze the properties of Mobutu.