HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK
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NEWS ON CONGO 043: 1/2 A "partial" peace agreement
[Posted: 20.04.02]
NOTE: On websites with information on the DR Congo and for
some contact addresses, see endnote last in "NOC 044", the
continuation of this item.
INTRO NOTE:
Items 043 and 044 contain:
In 043:
A: On the imperialist war against the DR Congo
(General information, repeated from "NOC 040-041")
B: Press statement by the government of the DR Congo,
17 April 2002 (in translation by me from the text in
French as reproduced to the CONGOTRIBUNE mailing
list, address see endnote)
C: Press communiqué by the Mai-Mai movement,
18 April 2002 (translation)
In 044:
D: An AFP news report from Kigali, Rwanda, 17.04 (trans-
lation): "Combats in Kasaï Oriental province, central
DRC (rebellion)"
E: A message to the CONGOTRIBUNE mailing list, 20.04
(translation): "Serious violence at Bukavu"
F: Other information in brief, and a preliminary assess-
ment (RM)
A. ON THE IMPERIALIST WAR AGAINST THE DR CONGO
In the DR Congo, then called "Zaire", an uprising against the
Mobutu dictatorship which had oppressed and fleeced the
people in favour of imperialism since 35 years back started
in late 1996 and was victorious on 17.05.1997, when the pre-
sent state, the Democratic Republic of Congo, was founded.
The liberation struggle was led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila,
who also became the first president of the DRC.
The DR Congo from the start set itself the goal of freeing
the country from imperialist exploitation and building up
an actually democratic form of government in it, thereby
also setting up an example for all of Africa and for simi-
larly exploited countries elsewhere.
Because of this, the US and other imperialists instigated a
war of aggression against that country on 02.08.1998 by three
neighbouring states, a war which so far, directly or indi-
rectly, has cost the lives of over 3,000,000 people and which
still continues. One-half of the DR Congo today is under fo-
reign occupation. The people in the whole country continues
to suffer enormously. It very much needs the support of the
people in all other countries.
After the foul murder of L-D Kabila on 16.01.2001, his son,
Joseph Kabila, was installed as president; a government led
by J. Kabila has continued the struggle against the aggres-
sion since then.
Since some weeks back now, a conference is being held in
Sun City, South Africa, in which attempts by the imperia-
lists to gain control over the whole of the DR Congo by so-
called "peaceful" means are confronted by the strivings of
the Congolese people and the country's lawful government to
retain the independence of the DRC.
The UN Security Council on 19.03 by its Resolution 1399
(2002) condemned the recent military seizure by the aggres-
sors, in flagrant violation of the present armistice, of
the city of Moliro in the south-east of the DR Congo, and
demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the
forces of the so-called "RCD-Goma", one of the aggressors'
puppets, from that city.
B: PRESS STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE
DR CONGO, 17 APRIL 2002
*Press statement by the government concerning the South
African proposal regarding the institutions of transition*
Ladies and gentlemen,
Since 25 February 2002, day by day, the Congolese of the Go-
vernment of the Democratic Republic of Congo, of the RCD/Goma,
the MLC, the RCD/ML, the Civil Society [les Forces vives -
Tr.], the RCD/National and the Mai-Mai patriots have debated
in vain in order to work out by consensus the institutions and
the constitutional text which are to govern the Congo during
the period of transition.
[Note: The "RCD" has been acting as a Congolese mili-
tary puppet of the Rwandan invaders. It's divided
into several factions, as seen here. The "MLC" has
been acting as a Congolese military puppet of the
Ugandan invaders. These groups are the ones which are
always being called "rebel groups" by the mass media
of the imperialists. The Mai-Mai movement in the
eastern DR Congo has been fighting the aggression by
Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi since its beginning, in
August -1998. - Tr.]
Last Friday, 12 April 2002, the mediator of the negotiations
made public the proposal submitted to the delegates by the
President of the Republic of South Africa regarding a solution
of the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
[Note: The text as reproduced to the CONGOTRIBUNE
mailing list reads "Last Friday, 11 April 2000...".
I'm assuming that it's the date that is erroneous
here. The proposal mentioned, the second by Mbeki,
was submitted on Thursday, 11.04. See "NOC 041" - Tr.]
The government of the Republic appreciates the just intentions
of this initiative by Thabo Mbeki, which has the advantage of
providing a concrete political plan, proceeding from which
real negotiations among the Congolese protagonists present at
Sun City could start.
This South African proposal, which envisages classical insti-
tutions such as the President, the Parliament, the Government
led by a Prime Minister, as well as Courts and Tribunals, adds
to this arrangement two major innovations, namely, the High
Council of the Republic [Conseil Supérieur de la République]
and the Council for the Defence [Conseil de la Défence].
It is under these circumstances that the Government, as we
have said above, has engaged in formal and informal contacts
with the MLC, the RCD, the political opposition, the Civil So-
ciety, the RCD/ML, the RCD/N and the Mai-Mai patriots in order
to reach an all-embracing agreement. All efforts have been
made to arrive at a plan of institutionions which could pre-
serve the equilibry so as to allow the organising of free and
democratic elections during the period of transition. Unfortu-
nately, none of those plans which have been presented to the
Political and Legal Commission and to the ad hoc commission
on the differences concerning the new political order have
received the approval of everybody.
In order not to disappoint our people and to let the work at
Sun City produce a framework agreement which will allow the
process of national reconciliation to continue, the Government
decided to make contact during a week with all the partici-
pants and all the forces represented in the national Dialogue
with a view to seek together with them a solution to the Con-
golese crisis. It is within this framework that, as we have
said above, the Government, after having consulted all the
participants, today has reached an agreement with the Mouve-
ment de Libération du Congo [MLC]. This agreement concerns
those transition institutions of classical type which are also
part of the plan proposed by the South African President,
Thabo Mbeki.
In fact we have taken from the Thabo Mbeki plan the central
proposal comprising the President of the Republic, the Parlia-
ment, the Government, the Courts and Tribunals, and also the
citizens' institutions, while taking into consideration that
the insertion of a State Council into this arrangement would
have the character of creating contradictions and even con-
flicts of competence within and between the classical insti-
tutions.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The framework Agreement which we are now going to submit to
all the participants of the national Dialogue envisages the
establishment of the following classical institutions:
- President of the Republic, Head of State
- The bicameral Parliament comprising one House [chambre]
and one Senate [Sénat]
- The Government with a Prime Minister, Head of Government,
with Vice-Premiers as Ministers
- The Courts and Tribunals.
To these classical institutions are added the citizens' insti-
tutions [institutions citoyennes]:
- The Independent Election Commission [Commission Electorale
Indépendante]
- The National Observation Committee for Human Rights [Obser-
vatoire National des Droits de l'Homme]
- The High Authority for the Media [Haute Autorité des Médias]
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission [Commission Vérité
et Réconciliation]
- The Ethics and Struggle Against Corruption Commission [Com-
mission de l'Ethique et de la lutte contre la corruption].
This agreement envisages that the Parliament is presided over
by the RCD/Goma, as to its House, and by the political opposi-
tion, as to its Senate. Each of its two houses [chambres] is
to have a Bureau consisting of members appointed by the par-
ticipating parties and entities present at the national Dia-
logue. The Government is to be led by the MLC and to comprise
Vice-President Ministers, Ministers and Vice-Ministers.
As to the citizens' institutions, they are all to be presided
over by members appointed by the Civil Society [des membres
issus des forces vives].
We wish to underline that all the parties and entities present
at the national Dialogue are to be represented both in the
Parliament and in the Government and also in all the citizens'
institutions.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As you will have noted, the Government and the MLC have en-
gaged in nothing behind the backs of the other participants.
Quite on the contrary, they have decided to save this process,
which was headed for an inevitable impasse, by drawing up an
all-embracing framework encompassing all the political and so-
cial forces present at the national Dialogue, one in which we
invite all participants to concur without reservation, in or-
der thus to give back hope to all of our people and prove to
the world our capacity to rise above our differences in giving
first priority to national reconciliation and to the general
interest.
Today, 17 April 2002, after eight days of negotiations under-
taken when it was clear to us that the process of Sun City was
heading towards an impasse, the government of the DRC and the
MCL have decided to end the war and to reunify immediately the
national territory.
In those 45 days during which the inter-Congolese political
negotiations have proceede, we have noted and deplored those
many stumbling-stones which have almost made it necessary to
start the process of national reconciliation all over again.
The MLC too has drawn all conclusions from this. Because of
its willingness to leave the war, the MLC decided to engage in
negotiations with the government of the DRC.
We think that the Agreement which the two parties have reached
is a balanced one. It envisages, for the period of transition,
Joseph Kabila's remaining at the head of the state in his ca-
pacity as President of the Republic. It recognizes Jean-Pierre
Bemba as Transitional Prime Minister and proposes to the Ras-
semblement Congolais pour la Démocratie, the RCD, to assume
the presidency of the Parliament. To the RCD as well as to all
the parties and groups recognized by the inter-Congolese dia-
logue it is also proposed that they assume posts of ministe-
rial responsibility.
The presidency of an institution whose mission it is to arbi-
trate in the case of conflicts between the institutions, to
work out a plan for the constitution according to which the
country is to be ruled after the period of transition and to
put forward thoughts on the country's future will be entrusted
to the political opposition. This institution will be consti-
tuted in such a way that representation of all the provinces
is ensured.
In addition to ministerial responsibilities, the representa-
tives of the Civil Society will preside over the development
of all the citizens' institutions of democratic support. Being
in its intention all-embracing, this agreement establishes a
power structure which is both efficient and balanced. It is
inspired directly by president Thabo Mbeki's plan, since, Pri-
mo, it embraces all the participating parties. It excludes no-
body. Secundo, it remains open to those who, for one reason
or another, might be unable to concur in it immediately. Ter-
tio, it secures all those Congolese signatory parties of the
Lusaka agreement which share the responsibility of the forming
and the future of the new Congolese army within the High Coun-
cil for the Defence. This structure in inspired by the Mbeki
plan.
In the following few hours, a framework agreement will be sub-
mitted for the assessment by all the participants in the in-
ter-Congolese political negotiations. We are inviting all po-
ltitical parties, the Civil Society, the Rassemblement Congo-
lais pour la Démocratie, the RCD/ML, the RCD/N and the Mai-Mai
to support this agreement and to join us in this historic com-
promise. A compromis which has become indispensable since af-
ter the four years of war whic have caused such suffering,
tears and sorrow, the resolutions of Sun City are bringing a
breath of democracy, the wind of change and of freedom for all
our countrymen.
Sun City, 17 April 2002
C. PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ BY THE MAI-MAI
MOVEMENT, 18.04.2002
[Translated from the text in French at
http://www.congo-mai-mai.net/avr02/com18avr_02.html]
*Thursday 18 April, Press Communiqué concerning the
Agreement for Reunification of the National Territory*
We, the Mai Mai Patriotic Resistance Fighters, support the
agreement for reunification of the National Territory signed
on 17 April 2002 by the government of the Democratic Republic
of Congo and supported by other participants in the inter-
Congolese Dialogue, notably the RCD/ML, the RCD/L, the Civil
Society and three-and-a-half fourths of the non-armed politi-
cal opposition.
We declare again our support of the President of the Democra-
tic Republic of Congo, Major-General Joseph Kabila, and of
his remaining at his post to lead the transition.
Faced with the attitude of Rwanda and of its fillies the RCD/
Goma and the UDPS/Tshisekedi, we invite those last-mentioned
to concur in the agreement between the Government of the DRC
and other participants.
We declare that our struggle will continue until the last
aggressor has left.
We call on all Congolese patriots who have been misled or
taken hostage by Rwanda to join the Mai-Mai in order to
achieve the the reunification of the National Territory.
To those who will not abide by the conclusions of the Inter-
Congolese Dialogue we say that they will be neutralized
without preliminaries by the Mai-Mai.
Shabunda, 18 April 2002
For the High Command of the Mai-Mai Patriotic Resistance
Fighters,
General Joseph PADIRI BULENDA David
According to order,
Constantin Muhondosi
Responsible for Foreign Relations
Contact:
http://www.congo-mai-mai.net/avr02/www.congo-mai-mai.net
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Tel.: 00 243 98301060
PATRIOTES RESISTANTS MAI-MAI (PAREMA)
For the defence of the interests of the people, we resist.
For the just cause, we shall prevail.
[Continued in "NEWS ON CONGO 044"]
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