CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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Congo RDC |
TENSION
Kisangani symbolises national unity and peace,
but at the same time political and military turbulenceOn Sunday August 31 2003, at about 3a.m. Kisangani woke up to the sound of shooting. Everybody, even the authorities, was afraid. What had happened? During the night, soldiers had been sent to arrest General Kamwanya Bora Uzima on the orders of the 7th Brigade’s second-in-command, Lt. Col. Richard Mungura. He must have received an order from his military superiors. The RCD-Goma had appointed General Bora as commander of Kisangani’s 4th military district. Later on, the RCD had suggested to the Inter-Congolese Dialogue’s Follow-Up Committee, that General Bora would be a suitable candidate for the Congolese Armed Forces (FAC)’s general staff. But President Kabila would not accept Bora’s candidature because he had been implicated in the plot leading to the late President Laurent Désiré Kabila’s murder. Kinshasa’s Military Court of Order had, in fact, sentenced General Bora to death in absentia.
General Bora’s personal guard of 26 soldiers opposed his arrest, and an exchange of fire took place. Eventually, the soldiers sent to arrest Bora got the better and Bora was taken to Bangboka International Airpost. During the day, a plane belonging to Victoria Air which had been requisitioned for the purpose, landed to fly him to Goma.
MONUC‘s military commander immediately swung into action and went around the town to reassure the population. The province’s governor also held a closed meeting of the province’s security committee.
Rumours and comments abounded. Some thought it was a suicide operation carried out by a commando unit from Kinshasa to kidnap the general and take him to prison. Others thought it was an arrest carried out by the RCD to silence the general. This followed a much talked-about radio broadcast at Kigali, threatening to start a new rebellion from Kisangani against the RCD, which had betrayed him. According to other comments, General Bora had returned to Kisangani on Thursday 28 August, to put the final touches to a plot against Vice-President Zaidi Ngoma and Health Minister Jean Yagi Sitolo who’d been expelled from his post as governor of Kisangani by the RCD-Rwanda coalition in 1998. Observers think this last assumption is the most plausible in that during every meeting dealing with security matters, General Bora was among those who adopted a «let’s go to war» language and attitude.
And yet, the first two weeks of August had been marked by events giving Kisangani’s inhabitants every confidence and hope.
Revival in trade
Indeed, on 2 August, 8 cargo boats had arrived in Kisangani, in a convoy protected by a MONUC boat. This was followed in the afternoon by the arrival of a Beltexco boat. The people were overjoyed and MONUC personnel, the political, civil and military authorities, the business community and the just plain curious, all went to the beach to welcome the arrivals. In his speech, the chairman of Congo’s Business Federation expressed the hope that this first arrival of cargo boats would open up, once and for all, free passage on the River Congo, so that Kisangani would again become a city where it is good to live, as in former times. He also expressed the wish that compensation would be offered to all those business people, who had been plundered and stripped of all their goods during the five years of war. Beltexco’s representative said his burning desire was to see security returning to the Eastern province. He asked the politicians to do their work in such a way that the business community can secure an economic future for the region.
Ambassador William Lacy Swing, the UN secretary-general’s special representative, expressed his joy in seeing MONUC‘s and the people’s dream becoming a reality. He announced that the international community, especially the World Bank, has promised to continue to support the effort made by Congolese in rebuilding their country. He asked all the warring parties to once and for all give up this useless war bedeviling Congo.
The passengers on the boats coming from Kinshasa which had taken more than a month to reach Kisangani, had had to endure many trials on the journey. The penultimate one was the forced stopover at the administrative centre of Isangi, dictated by the province’s authorities, supposedly for a routine control. The final straw took place in Kisangani where passengers were prevented from leaving the boat until the following day, again under the pretext of a police and army control. People think that the province’s present authorities (stemming from the RCD old guard), continue to mistrust the Kinshasa authorities. They were convinced that some soldiers from the previous Kinshasa administration had infiltrated the passengers to create disorder. These days, the province’s fiscal authorities are now present on the dockside.
Security and health services
On Tuesday 12 August 2003, the official graduation ceremony for successful cadets of the police Rapid Intervention Force took place. The course was organised at the Kapalata Instruction Centre from 2 January to 2 August. 65 of the 265 cadets following the course graduated successfully.
In his speech marking the event, Ambassador Swing stressed the importance of once again building a democratic State based on the rule of law. He invited the police officers to reflect on the role which they have to play in society, and to undertake to respect the law and human rights. The Congolese people count on a trained police force to achieve a difficult task.
Interior Minister Theophilus Mbemba was also present. This was the first time a member of the National Unity Government had visited Kisangani. He said that his presence is a clear sign that the government wants to succeed in uniting the nation. He thanked MONUC for its help in providing the police officers with a solid training and reminded the graduates of what being a policeman is all about. He added that, from now on, the police force does not belong to any particular political party, but is at the service of the people. He made it clear to Kisangani’s population that the war is over, and now it’s necessary to rebuild Congo — a large country at the very centre of Africa.
On 29 August, Kisangani welcomed the Health Minister, Dr Yagi Sitolo and the Deputy Health Minister, Mr Aziz Kumbi, accompanied by several other personalities. The minister had come to launch the second phase of the vaccination campaign in the Eastern Province. The campaign was described as a campaign for peace and reunification. The minister invited parents to bring as many children as possible to be vaccinated. To set an example, some children were vaccinated on the platform in front of everyone.
Four years of war and destruction
Many people who knew the town of Kisangani twenty years ago, wouldn’t recognize it today. It’s become a shadow of itself. Tshopo urban district, known as the «Matonge» of Kisangani, was the scene of fierce fighting for six days between Ugandan and Rwandan troops, resulting in untold destruction. The schools just about function, because all the school expenses, at every level of education, are borne by the parents — if they still live. AIDS has been making inroads for several years among the people, especially when war has come their way. Ever since the end of 1986, a multitude of soldiers has largely contributed to spreading this plague...
People started to hope again...But the pretence of arresting General Bora Uzima and his removal to Goma came at just the wrong moment. Is there any hope that the situation will continue to improve in the days to come, so people can be reassured that reunification has been achieved? Or will another painful event come to disturb Kisangani’s citizens’ tranquillity.
- Cats-Ta, Congo RDC, September 2003 — © Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment