CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
Towards genuine reconciliation?
PEACE
More than two years after the end of the 1997
civil war,
the Congolese people are getting to grips with their own and the nation’s future
Cease-fire agreements were signed in Pointe-Noire on 16 November 1999 and on 29 December 1999 in Brazzaville, between the Congolese Armed Forces (FAC) and the rebels of the Forces for Self-Defence and Resistance (FADR), in the presence of the crisis mediator, Gabon’s President Omar Bongo. Following the signing, some encouraging initiatives got going for the restoration of peace in the country.
A number of people were at first extremely pessimistic that a peaceful settlement could be achieved. Today, they’re encouraged to see the various peace initiatives which have come from different quarters. Former militia members have been progressively leaving their hideouts in the south, and are promising not to go on the warpath again. Since November, 1,100 light weapons have been handed in at Brazzaville’s main police station by former members of Bernard Kolelas’ and Pascal Lissouba’s militia. Others have surrended their weapons to members of the ceasefire agreement follow-up committee.
There have been problems. The team in charge of collecting the weapons in the Pool region have had frequent set-tos with some of the new FAC recruits (most of them recruited from Denis Sassou Nguesso’s militia, the Cobras) who had been posted at strategic points in the area. One Commission member described what happened: «At Madzie, approximately 50 km south of Brazzaville, we had problems with soldiers from the regular army who were busy looting the houses». But the peace agreements already show satisfactory results. Thousands of rebels continue to surrender to the FAC.
Dialogue — the only hope
The Republican Framework for the Defence of Democracy and National Unity (ERDDUN), a coalition of about 50 political parties from the former regime, ev-entually declared that dialogue is the country’s only hope of emerging from its murderous crisis. On 26 December 1999, Mayima Bemba, the coalition’s leader, announced that ERDDUN was determined to bring about peace and national reconciliation without delay and without any pre-conditions. At the same time, the coalition expressed support for steps which had already been taken.
On 25 January, from his place of exile, Bernard Kolelas also pleaded for genuine national reconciliation. At the same time, he recognised Denis Sassou Nguesso as Congo-Brazzaville’s Head of State and approved the recent ceasefire agreements signed by the government and the former opposition militia.
The Church and reconciliation
From 17-19 December 1999, the Grouping of Congo’s Religions organised National Meditation Days to show that peace was irreversible. For the first time in Congo’s history, an ecumenical service encompassing all religious confessions, Christian and non-Christian, was celebrated in Brazzaville, in the presence of the Head of State. The theme was: «First go and be reconciled with your brother, then come and make your offering». There’s no doubt that these days of repentance, supplication and reconciliation prove that Congo’s people want to pull themselves together and search for genuine peace and brotherly love.
Ngatali, an evangelist, put it this way: «Brotherly love must help the Congolese people build up unity again and ban racial hatred. Never again must the struggle for power take on a violent and barbarous character. The faithful must uphold the flame they have just kindled». And President Nguesso declared: «If, in the course of these three days, our prayer has been genuine, then we may then speak of peace and reconciliation and hope for blessing, prosperity and salvation for this country».
And what about the political parties?
Michel Mampouya of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development is convinced that remarkable progress has been achieved in the search for peace. «It will not be easy, however», he feels, «to restore security in a country which experienced such a violent war. War is also a kind of mental disease».
According to Jean Ngouabi, a former sub-prefect of Owando District under the previous regime: «If the Congolese people want to live in peace again, they have to sit down and speak from their hearts». He says: «Don’t let’s not repeat what took place at the National Conference when there was just a pretence at national reconciliation. Only dialogue can resolve problems. I feel ashamed of what we did. We must work together to build up our country».
Jean-Pierre Tchicaya‘s Rally for Democracy and Social Progress suggests that there must be sincere dialogue on all sides. Discussion in the true sense of the word must take the place of fighting. But his party will have nothing to do with power-sharing when the population is still suffering. Tchicaya is adamant: «When we talk about dialogue, this doesn’t mean we want Kolelas or Yhombi back on the scene. Our people have been suffering to such an extent that it would be positively indecent to speak of dialogue in terms of power-sharing».
Justin Koumba is Chairman of the National Transition Council. He focuses on the need for patience and perseverance. He insists that «reconciliation and the restoration of peace are long and exacting processes». François Lumwamu‘s National Union of Sincere Patriots also asserts that dialogue has to be maintained at all costs if we want to end massacres and Congo’s downfall.
And what about the ordinary citizen who so far hasn’t had much of a say in the on-going reconciliation process? Sassou Nguesso has invited them to play a positive role in a society which, more than ever before, must find its way back to peace, harmony and tranquillity. In his December 1999 Message to the Nation, the President said: «Countless families have suffered the loss of dear ones. Speaking on behalf of all those who have taken up arms in past years, I would like to implore the Nation’s pardon for all the transgressions that were committed and all the violence which has been inflicted».
Civil society
The Congolese people have taken many initiatives to advance and strengthen peace. Recently, the local administrative authorities, and local and foreign non-governmental organisations organised what was called a «chain of solidarity» at Pointe Noire, to say «no» to war. That day, the people in town stopped work. Schools and shops were closed. Fire sirens were sounded as a signal for people to shake hands and form a huge chain of solidarity and peace.
In a statement, the Regional Committee for Unity and Peace stressed: «Everyone knows it’s in all our interests to stop fighting each other. Our country must become such that we have something of value to hand on to our children and grandchildren. It’s time to become aware that war is only likely to worsen our country’s problems. We urge that the situation should remain quiet at Pointe-Noire and Kouilou region. We all need peace in Kouilou to try and reconstruct our country».
The displaced return home
Peace is no longer an illusion. It’s becoming a reality. You can see the displaced peasants returning home to their villages even though their houses have been devastated and their belongings looted.
This movement homewards started in mid-January. The official signal was given by Maurice Maurel Kihounzou, Makelele’s deputy-mayor, at the town’s sports centre where over 3,000 displaced people who were going home assembled very early one morning. Transport had been arranged in advance, with place for everyone, and so all were able to hitch a ride back home, especially those who lived along the road to Linzolo (20 km) south of Brazzaville) and Kinkala. At the present time, there’s places available on a train every Monday and Friday, for those who live between Brazzaville and Mindouli (130 km South of the capital). «We are very happy to return to our villages and, particularly, our plantations, even though they’ve been damaged by war», says Malonga, a visibly happy peasant. It should be remembered that the populations of the Pool, Niara, Bouenza and Lekoumou regions spent more than one year on makeshift sites.
As the situation is continuing to improve, hopes are high that genuine reconciliation can be achieved. A certain political and even social atmosphere of detente makes dialogue, in the widest meaning of the word, possible, at least as far as those Congolese are concerned who are working for a return to peace and a normal way of life. But a lot remains to be done. The war in Congo-Brazza -– like all wars -– has caused trauma among the people and wrecked the country’s economic development. The mission is hard but not impossible.
Médard Libani, Congo-Brazza, February 2000 — © Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment
ENGLISH CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 2000 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement