Gazing in the Congo (DRC): the dark heart of Africa (2006-2017)

[Tom Odom]

Latest from Carl in K-town

Heavy shootings were heard in Nyabushongo (west of Goma town) when police and army tried jointly to disperse rioters following stabbing of a young man by a neighbour because that one used his private latrine without permission. The stabbed man is admitted in DOCS (Doctors on Call for Service) for emergency care. Revengeful angry mobs destroyed who houses before torching the rest of the buildings.
An appeals court in Bas-Congo has called on the DRC's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to organize a second round of polls for the positions of governor and vice governor of the province. The first round of polls to the positions of governor and vice governor for the two Kasai have been rescheduled for Thursday, February 15.

The Mission has deployed a mobile operations unit to South Kivu, which has been beset by unrest even since the formal end of the country's civil war in 1999, to help maintain public order. Military Operations Commander in Ituri district announced that FNI militiamen have fled deeper in Katanga forest instead of surrendering to the army for quick integration.

A miner found a 143-carat diamond in a river in Congo and sold it for $1.4 million, an official said Saturday. Amos Maseko discovered the stone in a river near Banalia, 129 km north of Kisangani, where usually only diamonds of between one and three carats are to be found, the president of the Congolese Federation of Gold and Diamonds, John Tokole told UN radio Okapi. The diamond was cheaply sold to a Lebanese subject because its real value is supposed to $4 million by officials contradicting Kisangani governor who was involved in the deal. Rudimentary mining attracts many minors to resorb unemployment. Those mining sites attract also children, drug consumers and mafia dealers; the main cause of unrest in such places.

A Border Security Force contingent will on Tuesday leave on a peacekeeping mission to Congo. The contingent, consisting of seven officers and fourteen subordinating officers, will be stationed in Lubumbashi and will assist in restoration of law and order for creating a conducive atmosphere for holding of elections.

The choice of Lubumbashi is probably related to illegal mining, mineral smuggle including cobalt and uranium.

[Tom Odom]

More from Carl in K-Town

There is trouble related to dual nationality for some Congolese officials at high level.
The crisis started when a report about two governor candidates being British and
Belgian in addition to their birth Congolese nationality at the same time, so the polls
were rescheduled in the two Kasais. According to the law, being Congolese is exclusive.
If one acquires new nationality, he loses the Congolese one. The National Assembly decided
in a plenary session yesterday that the matter be discussed a bit later to give who illegally hold
the nationality illegally to decide and sort out the situation in time. The decision was wise because
the motion was tabled by opposition seemingly to cause similar trouble to those who accused the
two candidates to governorship. The number of Congolese officials holding their birth nationality illegally
has incredibly increased these years of unrest. Let's wait and see how many will have complied with the
law when investigations start.

[Tom Odom]

From Carl in K-Town

The South African government cautioned Wednesday that an early withdrawal of peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of Congo could reverse gains made since the end of a five-year war in 2003. South Africa has around 2,000 troops serving in MONUC, which mainly consists of soldiers from African armies.

The United Nations appealed on Tuesday for fresh funds to help nearly 100,000 Congolese refugees go home this year, but said continuing violence prevented returns to the eastern part of the DRC. Some $47 million of its $62 million appeal is earmarked for the voluntary repatriation programme, with the remaining $15 million aimed at providing aid to 1.1 million people uprooted within Democratic Republic of Congo.

A train derailed anda t leat twenty passengers died in the town of Mokambo (south east of Lubumbashi) in Katanga province. Congolese National Railway officials told AFP that all those killed were stowaways. When DRC got independence, the railway network was one the most important in Africa, now travelling by train is so hazardous that losses (of lives and goods) are often registered. Tons of food stored by WFP in Lubumbashi cannot be carried to the starving population when airlifts are too costly to the organosation.

Investigations are being carried on by different commissions to find out the cause of last riots in several towns in Bas Congo province. On a different site, at least 250 houses were torched and one person killed in land dispute in Kasai Oriental province (60 km south of Mbujimayi).

Insurgents faithful to renegade general Nkunda are alleged to be recruiting new fighters in Ngungu (Masisi territory). Monuc observed the same recruitment in Tongo where demobilised troops are being conscripted intothe army by a certain Saddam, mixed battalion commander in Tongo. Furthermore, some residents at Karibu hotel preferred to move because Gen Nkunda was alleged to be among the customers this weekend.

[Tom Odom]

From Carl in K-Town

Highlighting that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to pose "a threat to international peace and security in the region," the Security Council yesterday extended the UN mission in the impoverished DRC for another two months. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Congolese authorities to focus on security sector reform and tighten up legislation covering business practices relating to diamond and other minerals to avoid funding armed groups.

The Democratic Republic of Congo faces disaster if United Nations peacekeepers are withdrawn too soon, international aid agency Oxfam warned on Friday. "Without a substantial and effective MONUC presence, the security situation -- which is currently fairly stable -- could soon unravel," Juliette Prodhan, head of Oxfam in the DRC, told Xinhua news agency in Nairobi

When a significant step is made toward democracy by electing 10/11 governors all over the DRC, one minister of the current cabinet resigned before reporting himself. His resignation letter was presented by his party president. Later on three individuals showed up under the same name of Kasongo Ilunga based in Kinshasa, Kalemie and Lubumbashi respectively.

In an effort to pacify the town of Goma, the army has collected more than five hundred weapons in less than a month. The collection started mid January when army officials noticed that some officers preferred to hide in Goma with bodyguards involved in various blunders. All the officers without posts have been ordered to go to Kamina for proper integration.

Security is a major concern in the Grand Nord as well where a Belgian building contractor and farmer (Claude Duvigneaud or Duvignon) was killed at his residence yesterday night together with his guards. Nothing was stolen except his computer laptop.

[Stan]

Carl and Tom,

All the officers without posts have been ordered to go to Kamina for proper integration.

An odd place for a gathering or integration, considering what the agency used Kamina for. Swimming pools, et al.

I'd be interested to know. We flew there many times on board a baby blue 727, complete with a maden on the tail

Starting to sound very Zairois. Integration would then mean...execution or simply purgatory ?

Regards, Stan

[Tom Odom]

From Carl in Kinshasa

Although the 8th military region in North Kivu has not planed operations yet, Col Makenga of Bravo Brigade would like to attack FDLR positions in the park and has asked populations at the south boundary to move elsewhere. Alpha Brigade has also agreed with Mai Mai fighters to jointly attack FDLR positions from Rwindi station in the centre of the park. Given the current location of the FDLR, we fear that our flights to the North will be flying over the battlefield. An alternative route West of the Nyiragongo mount or higher level can be a solution. We shall update the situation tomorrow in case operations are launched earlier.

Frequent house break-ins were reported last week, most targets being residences of NGO national staff. Some of the recent victims are a trainer of CIF house door was broken using a heavy stone and another was a WFP logistics assistant the assaulters found at his gate seeing off a late visitor.

Also from Carl in the same email:

If the FARDC actually does attack the FDLR, from what i've been told in the past, they will get beat up. I don't remember anybody directly attacking the FDLR since i've been here. I wonder what is prompting the move.

The FDLR has been hanging around theDRC for over a decade. Do you think this prolonged stay will eventually cause them to wither on the vine?

Out of here on March 13th. looking forward to it.

I bet you are, Carl! If the FARDC follows the martial traditions of the Force Publique, the ANC, and then the FAZ, I am sure the "attack" will be much show and no go. As long as the FDLR can maintain bases in this area and support among certain European circles, they will be there. As I read what little comes out of the area, they are a non-threat to Rwanda at this stage. That said, they are a menace to any sort of equilibriium in the area.

Stan who knows on the integration--what amazes me are the same old players still playing the same old music and you know someone is getting rich by running the music hall.

best

Tom

[Tom Odom]

From Carl soon to be leaving Kinshasa

Growing fears of a showdown between government troops and Rwandan Hutu rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have halted the return of tens of thousands of displaced persons to their homes in western Rutshuru and northern Masisi territories, OCHA information officer Andrew Zadel yesterday. Heavy shelling was reported in Kwenda river valley this morning, so some civilians have stared fleeing to Kiwanja where more others have been camping for more than a year now. Other IDPs are observed around lake Edward where Bravo mixed brigade attacked Mai Mai positions in Nyakakoma and Nyamitwitwi. As stated in my previous report, the Rutshuru valley is space to avoid when flying to the north.

The recruitment of child soldiers has continued in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite the government's efforts to integrate former militia into the army, a local human rights official has said. This finding has been confirmed by the United Nations Mission in the Congo, known as MONUC, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and some international NGOs concerned with child welfare. "The integrated brigades contain 257 children, namely 85 with Alpha Brigade, 95 with the Bravo Brigade and 77 with the Charlie Brigade. These figures are based on estimates by inspectors at the time the records were taken and not from official documents. Moreover, the figure for the Bravo Brigade included 35 children and an estimate of 60 for a battalion that they could not check."

The Bunia military court sentenced 15 soldiers to life imprisonment and a fine of $315, 000 each ; they were alleged to have massacred 30 civilians in Bavi (Ituri district) when a mass grave was discovered by UN Human Rights department. Four others were sentenced to life emprisonment for war crimes. In fact they were found guilty of murdering two UN peacekeepers in Mongwalu area in 2003.

[Stan]

Starting to sound very familar, all over again. Even with 18,000 peace keepers, we can't seem to keep a lid on K-town. Doesn't look like we've learned much in the last two decades...leaving military observers unarmed around the former Zäirois .

KINSHASA, Congo -- The U.N. evacuated dozens of staff Wednesday from a remote east Congo town after mobs of stone-throwing protesters angry over the possible return of refugees from a minority ethnic group ransacked U.N. and other humanitarian agencies there, officials said.

The protesters, angry over rumors of the return of ethnic Congolese Tutsis, or Banyamulenge, looted a house used by the U.N. observers and wrecked the offices of the U.N. refugee agency and other aid groups, de Brosses said.

Despite the end of the mineral-rich country's wars in 2002, eastern Congo has remained a lawless and violent place where local militias hold sway far from the distant capital, Kinshasa.

[Tom Odom]

Damn took a while to even find Moba, Stan. It is south of Kalemie on Lake Tanganyika, which is funny because I don't recall this being the area where the Congolese Tutsis, or Banyamulenge,came from in the first place. I thought they were from further north. Then again you never really need a good reason to riot in the Congo...

Best

Tom