CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Médard Libani, Congo-Brazza, Jan. 1999
THEME = SOCIAL CONDITIONS
In 1997, Brazzaville experienced a great deal of looting.
During the last few weeks, this has once again resurfaced
At the end of the June 1997 war, looting became an everyday affair in Brazzaville. During and following the events which took place in the last few weeks in Bacongo and Makelekele, southern Brazzaville, between the former "Cobra" militia (of President Denis Sassou-Nguesso) and the former "Ninja" militia (of Bernard Kolélas, prime minister in the ousted regime), a worrying and widespread outbreak of looting has once again come to the fore.
The upheavals which shook Bacongo and Mekelekele left 415 people dead, according to sources close to the authorities, and from 3,000 to 6,000 dead, according to the exiled opposition. The losses in property suffered by the residents of these areas are incalculable. The former Cobras robbed shops, stores and other buildings with complete impunity.
The former Cobras carried away every object of value they found in their path, which they sold openly in the "unofficial" markets in the northern districts of Brazzaville. The most famous of these markets, called "Koweit", is at Ouénzé, in the 5th Precinct of Brazzaville north. In this market, the former Cobras, Kalashnikovs in hand, sold freezers, fridges, music centres, TV sets, mattresses and other household goods at low prices. "We're selling off our electronic equipment and office equipment which we looted in Bacongo and Mekelekele. Come on, folks, roll up and by our stuff", shouts an enraptured Alain Ngapa in front of his spoils. And another goes on: "Thanks to papa Bernard Kolélas, now in exile, who sent his Ninja militia to confront the Congolese armed forces... This war has allowed us to steal and fill our pockets...".
In these unofficial markets, a freezer which would normally retail at 500,000 CFA francs, is now available for 100,000 CFA francs from these looters. A colour TV set would normally cost anything from 200,000 CFA francs to 300,000 CFA francs depending on the brand. In an unofficial market you can pick one up for 50,000 CFA francs. A new shirt and trousers (Yves Saint-Laurent, Pierre Clarence, Yves Dorsey, etc.) sold officially for 35,000 CFA francs each, can be bought in these markets for 10,000 CFA francs. The former Cobra militia amd the Angolan soldiers who fought alongside the Congolese Armed Forces took anything of value they could find at Bacongo and Makelekele of any value. They even hi-jacked taxi-drivers and owners of private cars and took their vehicles.
Mrs Flore Obanwé's experience is typical of what's happening. She's still extremely upset. "On Friday 10 December, the day the unhappy events at Bacongo and Makelekele began, I risked taking my children to Talangaï in the 6th Precinct, in our Toyota Land Cruiser. Suddenly, three young armed thugs leapt out from the side of the road and forced me to hand over the vehicle. I asked them at least to allow us to complete our journey, but they took no notice. They made me get out of the car with my children. I had to let these thugs take my vehicle".
Most of the vehicles stolen and distributed by the thieves have no registration plate, or documents. They're sold for anything from 400,000 to 500,000 CFA francs. Some "compassionate" thieves, (if you can call them that!), return the stolen buses, taxis and company cars to their real owners, charging anything between 250,000 and 300,000 CFA francs for their efforts. Other robbers, however, prefer to modify the stolen vehicles for their own use by changing their colour and registration number.
These hold-ups and looting incidents are distressing. "We're asked not to squander public money, but what our young people are doing every time war breaks out, is upsetting, to say the least. These former militia have burgled our houses. They've left us nothing. It's a sad situation!" bemoans a government official, adding, "I'm left standing in shorts and T-shirt. The little money I was able to give my wife for daily household needs was stolen by armed bandits".
In 1998, UNICEF published its report on the state of the nations. Concerning education in Congo-Brazza, the report says: In 1997, 130,000 children were enroled in primary school; in 1998, only 84,000 were recorded as actually attending school. This means 46,000 children are "missing". During the 1997 war, 26 out of Brazzaville's 106 schools were damaged or destroyed. Moreover, about 450,000 Congolese children have been seriously traumatized by war.
When some pupils and students see the rich pickings available, they're encouraged to give up their studies. For them, school's a place for those out of work. "The best way to earn a living is by looting", they say.
Several explanations for what's happening are offered. Chief among these are unemployment and the manipulation of young people by politicians. The percentage of children in full-time education in the Congo is approaching 98%. But each year the civil service, the country's main employer, only recruits 4% to 6% of school-leavers. The fact is - the civil service is saturated. It has more than 60,000 employees.
According to the Civil Service and Administrative Reform Minister, Jeanne Dambenzet, international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have recommended that more junior staff should now be recruited than senior staff.
Because of the unemployment factor, it's easy for politicians to manipulate young people. They provide them with weapons on demand, which are often difficult to recover subsequently. Consequently, each time fighting breaks out, the young people unearth their weapons and carry out acts of vandalism leading to terrible consequences.
In his traditional New Year's Message to the Nation on 31 December 1998, President Denis Sassou Nguesso stated: "I'm determined to reorganise the police force so that it responds to the needs of the nation; a force that will respect all citizens and their rights; a force in no way involved in the present epidemic of looting. I will go all out to achieve this aim".
Jean-François Ndenguet is Congo-Brazza's Director-General of the National Police Service. In December 1998, a new corps of Community Police Officers was established. Using this corps, Mr Ndenguet has already started to carry out the President's wishes. Special patrols are regularly organised to hunt down looters and recover stolen property in order to return them to their rightful owners. One unhappy young thief complains bitterly: "Look what happened to me. The police disarmed me, stripped me and relieved me of all my loot...".
There have been some hiccups. Some police officers have not always handed in the weapons they took from the miscreants, and have not always returned the stolen goods to their rightful owners. They've chosen to hang on to them for themselves. Others deliberately break or set fire to the goods.
The stolen items are very quickly disposed of. How come? Well, on the one hand, prices are going up and up and salaries are paid infrequently. The same goes for grants and pensions. Life's becoming intolerable in Brazzaville.
On the other hand, seeing stolen goods being sold at affordable prices, some people don't know which way to turn. One government official admits: "I don't earn enough for me and my family to live comfortably. Inflation seems to be taking over, and I've had to buy some stolen goods, which are sold more cheaply in the markets". Another adds: "My salary is paid so late that I'm in a complete mess...So, to try to make things easier, I had to buy my children's school equipment and my kitchen utensils in the "pirate markets" set up by the looters".
But let's try to keep smiling, in spite of everything...
END
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