Under American Command, UNO Troops Unable to Keep Peace in the East
Bukavu under Control of RDC-Goma Dissenting Officers
By D. Dadei, Le Soft, Kinsasha
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KINSHASA, 11 June (IRIN) - A coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by a section of the presidential guard has been foiled,
Foreign Affairs Minister Antoine Ghonda told IRIN on Friday.
"The government has resumed control of the situation,” he said.
Officers from the presidential guard had announced on state radio and television, at 2:40 am local time [1:40 GMT] in the capital, Kinshasa, that they had neutralised the institutions of the transitional government of President Joseph Kabila.
Ghonda told IRIN at 5:15 am [4:15 GMT] that the leader of the coup attempt and a group of soldiers who had helped him were arrested.
He said the coup plotters did not have support from either the members of the current government or external forces.
The military spokesman of the UN Mission in the DRC, Maj Abou Thiam, told IRIN that there had been sporadic gunfire early Friday morning in the western part in Kinshasa.
He said government forces were in control of the city, and that MONUC had received no reports of trouble outside the capital.
"MONUC fully supports the transitional government and condemns any threat to the transitional peace process," he said. He added that the UN mission was monitoring the situation closely.
Friday's coup attempt came as calm returned to the eastern Congolese town of Bukavu, which was seized by dissident soldiers on 2 June, after days of fighting loyalist troops. The dissidents withdrew on Tuesday and the loyalists re-entered the town on Wednesday.
A governor and two deputies appointed by the transitional government were due to be installed in Bukavu later on Friday, at a ceremony presided over by Interior Minister Theophile Mbemba.
Following Bukavu's seizure, incidents of violence were reported across the country as members of the public protested against what they saw as the failure by the government and MONUC to prevent the dissidents from taking the town. In Kinshasa, there were violent street demonstrations during which at least 12 protestors were killed and government property and MONUC vehicles damaged.
The transitional government in Kinshasa, comprising representatives of former rebel movements, the previous government and the unarmed opposition, has been in power since June 2003.
2 JUIN 2004 | BUKAVU, GOMA 2 JUIN 2004 | AFP | LE SOFT 2004.
The large metropolis of the East of ex-Zaire, Bukavu, fell in the hands of dissenting soldiers from the old rebellion RDC-Goma, whose political future appeared from now on dubious. General Laurent Nkunda’s and colonel Jules Mutebusi’s troops "control the city" of Bukavu, declared a UNO source requiring anonymity. The loyal army did not oppose any resistance, in spite of the declarations of its commander Felix Budja Mabe, who, the day before, had broken the cease-fire negotiated by the MONUC, and threatened the insurrectionists: "They (dissidents) must withdraw from my area, it is the condition for the cease-fire".
"Laurent Nkunda was seen in the district of Nyawera’s residence of the governor in South-Kivu", affirmed another UNO source that required anonymity.
GETTING CONTAGIOUS
The MONUC stated that it is not equipped with weapons to face insurgents who have significant weapons of with anti-aircraft batteries.
Brigadier general within the new Congolese army, Laurent Nkunda, Tutsi originating from the territory of Rutshuru close to Uganda, province of North-Kivu, is a former commander of military area next to Kisangani, whereas colonel Mutebusi is a Tutsi Banyamulenge from South-Kivu origins.
Intelligence officer, General Nkunda graduated as a major of his promotion after a training politico-soldier course organized by the ex rebellion of RCD-Goma.
"We liberated the city", it declared.
Earlier in the course of the day, colonel Mutebusi had affirmed having control over the city following fights in the morning.
The dissenting soldiers were divided into two groups: one in Bukavu and the other in the north of the city, close to the Kavumu airport.
A significant Congolese ministerial delegation, arrived Sunday from Kinshasa, was evacuated in catastrophe from Goma by a MONUC helicopter, believing rumours according to which "a new column was advancing from Rutshuru towards Goma". An analyst let know that "Goma is not any more from now on different from Bukavu" – since Laurent Nkunda is now based in Goma.
Come in order to start negotiations with the dissidents of RCD-Goma and "to relieve the population", the governmental delegation remained nailed in Goma, during three days, and had put itself under UN mission protection, without even contacting any inhabitants.
This delegation included, in addition to the Defense Minister Jean-Pierre Ondekane, from the ex-rebellion of RCD-Goma, emblematic personalities of the presidential side of whom the Minister of Interior Department Theophilus Mbemba, the Vital Minister of Information Kamerhe, the special adviser of the head of State in charge of safety Samba Kaputo, the head of the military intelligence Didier Katumba, as well as the head of general staff of the new army.
The two heads of the dissenting soldiers affirm they want to protect the Tutsi community, they own ethnic group.
In a declaration received "Soft", a group of “deputies and senators in stay currently at Goma" - at the head of which Bizima Karaha, John Kanyoni Nsana and Emmanuel Kamanzi – said it "followed with much sorrow the dramatic events in progress in Bukavu".
The group, often very critical vis-a-vis the policy led by Kinshasa, and which deserted the Capital, required a "internal debate" within RCD-Goma but did not obtain it.
Denis Ntare Semandwinga, an influential member of RCD-Goma, declared recently "Soft”: "I believe that we have a party which sits in the government, which has personalities very attaching, very intelligent and with the capacities they have showed. Nothing is perfect in any organization. I think today that it would not be too much demanding to challenge the RCD leadership so that, in the political context which develops today, and which one can deplore, that we stop, make a review of the situation, look as to what we fought for, which direction are things taking, and evaluate the individuals to see whether they are still at the level of the responsibilities they assume and reframe the action of the movement and of human resources "("Le Soft ", n°789 dated May 20, 2004).
In its text dated May 28, the group of deputies and senators said it "condemned" "the armed confrontations taking place in the town of Bukavu since May 26", and "regretted" "their consequences, namely, massacres, material destruction, plundering and the social misery which results from it".
It "notes that these confrontations become increasingly cyclic in the town of Bukavu, are likely to make contagion, and seem to be related to slowness in the process of integration and formation of the new army".
It asks the MONUC "to privilege the systematic and courageous implementation of its role of intermediary and conciliator" rather than "resorting to chapter VII, which could result in radicalizing positions of the ones and the others, and thus destroy the chances to gain and maintain peace".
It "highly exhorts" "the CIAT to fully play its role of referee and to accompany the transition process, in particular by facilitating the acceleration and the integration of the army". It urgently "invites" "the Government to define and apply quickly and actively special measures to clear the political as well as military situation in Bukavu, and, in particular, to solve the problem of officers without function or suspended, whose condition constitutes a real cause of confrontation ".
A Political and Diplomatic Crisis
It requests "the Government to effectively work, through the political authorities, military, administrative and other local actors for a durable, harmonious cohabitation between ethnic communities of the province of the South Kivu in particular, and all the Democratic Republic of Congo in general".
The Rcd-goma officers Laurent Nkunda and Jules Mutebusi, joined by different others such as Bernard Biamungu, former commander of military area located in Goma, then in Kindu, at the beginning, had declared themselves ready to negotiate but the governmental camp appeared divided at the very beginning of the crisis between the hardliners - it is necessary to attack and punish the insurrectionists - and those defending the thesis of conciliation - obtain the end of battles through negotiation.
The head of State, Joseph Kabila, seemed to have put all his weight in the balance and ordered the travel to the east of all who, in first line, claimed to be with him: its special adviser in charge of safety affairs, Samba Kaputo, his Minister for Information and the Press, Vital Kamerhe, his Minister of Interior Department, Theophile Mbemba – these ones are part of a delegation led by one of the four Vice-presidents of the Republic, Azarias Ruberwa Manywa, whereas faced with many hesitations which blocked those during three days in Goma, he made a second delegation, made up of her last square, land directly in Bukavu, on the disputed airport.
Led by MLC minister of Foreign Affairs, Antoine Ghonda Abilingi, it was placed under the direction of the regime’s strong man, Augustin Katumba Mwanke, former minister delegate to the Presidency of the Republic for the government before Sun City.
Were part of this second cornea: the former minister of Information, Kikaya Bin Karubi who became particular secretary of the head of State, and the former ambassador in Washington, Andre Kapanga, comrade in the times of Anacoza. Obviously, the diplomacy had a little say, apart from the old colonizing power whose Foreign Minister, Louis Michel, in the middle of an electoral campaign for the European’s, voiced twice, qualifying as "unacceptable the events in Kivu" and in Paris as "grave".
Boss of the MONUC, the American William Lacy Swing seemed not to be worried anyway about the crisis, undoubtedly wanting to make secret diplomacy triumphing. His direct hierarchy in the United Nations, the assistant of Ghanéen Kofi Annan, was very clear on May 26 in Kinshasa at the end of the n-th visit in the sub-region while the crisis in Bukavu was raging.
"The great challenge that is to be regulated once and for all consists in putting an end to the activities of ex-FAR and Interahamwe armed groups, which are a threat for the civil population of Congo, and which poison the regional relationships, while the way is all open to a regional policy of reconciliation between Rwanda and DR Congo. I believe that the question of disarmament of the ex-FAR and Interahamwe is indeed a priority. Let us not forget that they are genociders ".
And he continues: "A global strategy is needed, which requires initially a strong commitment from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is in first line on this business" and that it is "clear that Congolese armed Forces have a determining and decisive role to play".
However it appears, even in this new crisis, that it is these ex-FAR and Interahamwe that are the first to run to the presidential side’s help and that those are allies the presidency could not alienate for a long time, it not they would sign its death sentence.
From there, one can understand in which terms the crisis of ex-Zaire is posed and, by rebound, that of the Great lakes area. A political and diplomatic crisis that catches alliances and strategic interests that would prevent Kinshasa to advance on the reconciliation normalization and the reconstruction path in the sub-region.
A politico-diplomatic crisis which put at the catches alliances and strategic interests which would prevent Kinshasa to be advanced on the way of the reconciliation, standardization and the reconstrcution in the under-area. With its military victory with Bukavu, "there is no doubt that the General Laurent Nkunda appears from now on at least as the new military head" of this movement politico-soldier born in the east of ex-Zaire, and who could be called more RCD-Goma, according to concordant analyses.
It precedes an in-depth reform of RCD-Goma. Since its creation in 1998, this movement had experienced several leaders: Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, Emile Ilunga Kalambo, Adolphe Onusumba Yemba, and Azarias Ruberwa Manywa. With its military victory in Bukavu, "there is no doubt that General Laurent Nkunda appears from now on at least as the new military leader" of this political and military movement born in the east of ex-Zaire, which could be called no more RCD-Goma, according to concordant analyses
REBELS TARGET MEDIA IN EASTERN
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Journalist escapes assassination attempt
Kinshasa, June 3, 2004—Rebel forces that took control of the town of Bukavu, in eastern DRC, on Wednesday have threatened and attacked the town's three main community radio stations, forcing them off the air, according to the local press freedom group Journaliste en Danger (JED) and other local sources.
Joseph Nkinzo, director of the radio station Sauti ya Rehema (Voice of Mercy), narrowly escaped an assassination attempt this morning, when rebels came looking for him and murdered his younger brother. The rebels arrived at the journalist's home, smashed windows, and demanded to know where Nkinzo was. Believing that Nkinzo's brother was the journalist, the rebels killed him and looted the house.
Ben Kabamba, director of Radio Maria; Kizito Mushizi, director of Radio Maendeleo; and Nkinzo had been receiving death threats by telephone since May 29. CPJ sources say the rebels began hunting for the three station directors shortly after taking the town on Wednesday morning.
DRC: Now rebels withdraw from Bukavu, MONUC takes over
KIGALI, 4 June (IRIN) - The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known as MONUC, has taken control of security in the volatile eastern Congolese city of Bukavu after leaders of dissident army troops agreed to withdraw their men, a senior UN official said on Friday.
"UN forces are going to increase patrolling, right now we have redeployed inside the town," Brig-Gen Jan Isberg, the UN commander in charge of the provinces of North and South Kivu, said.
He said the UN redeployment would defuse a crisis that had threatened to plunge the Congo back into civil war.
"MONUC has verified that withdrawal has begun and there’s still movement of troops out of town," Isberg said.
Gen Laurent Nkunda, one of the renegade commanders, told IRIN that he had already ordered 300 of his soldiers out of Bukavu and was in talks with UN peacekeepers to have them take control of the town.
"Our forces are pulling out as we speak," Nkunda said. "We want to show loyalty to the transitional government."
Nkunda and Col Jules Mutebutsi, formerly with the Rassemblement
Congolais pour la democratie-Goma and who were briefly commanders in the new Congolese army, seized Bukavu on Wednesday. They had complained that the regional military commander assigned by the government, Brig-Gen Mbuza Mabe, was persecuting one of the ethnic communities in the region, the Banyamulenge.
Meanwhile, in Rwanda's western province of Cyangugu, Congolese refugees continued to arrive on Friday, fleeing the fighting in Bukavu.
A field officer with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees, Fabien Nsengiyumva, told IRIN that 2,200 Congolese refugees had so far registered with agency, but only 905 of them were staying in a designated camp. He added that the rest were staying with friends and relatives in Cyangugu.
"We are now working on expanding the camp to accommodate more refugees crossing over," he said.
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25 Massacre
COTE D'IVOIRE:
Gbagbo left isolated
after outburst
CAMEROON ON THE
BRINK OF WAR:
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Firing Rumsfeld or
Prosecuting the War
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