DR of Congo: militia group comes forward to enter disarmament process

UN News Centre 12 May 2006 – A group of around 250 members of a renegade militia in the troubled Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have come forward to enter the country’s disarmament and reintegration process, the United Nations mission in the country (MONUC) said today.

Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today that three months after the launch of the 2006 Action Plan for the DRC, which aims to provide relief aid and promote stability in country, the international community has met just 13 per cent of identified needs, delivering only $90 million of the $682 requested.

Uganda says most LRA rebels relocated to DR Congo

May 5 2006 Xinhua/ST report in full:

The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) has said about 95 per cent of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in southern Sudan have relocated to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The UPDF 5th Division spokesman, Lt Chris Magezi, told Xinhua by telephone on Friday 5 May that most of the rebels have crossed to the DRC to join rebel leader Joseph Kony and his deputy Vincent Otti who are believed to be hiding in the jungles of Garamba National Park, eastern DRC.

"About 95 per cent of the LRA are now hiding in the DRC after our hot pursuit in southern Sudan," said Magezi.

He noted that there just a few remnants that are remaining in southern Sudan which the rebels used as their base to launch attacks against the Ugandan government, in a rebellion that has left tens of thousands of people dead.

"Our forces in southern Sudan have made major successes in wiping out these rebels. And because of our fire power, they are fleeing to the DRC," Magezi added.

UPDF spokesman, Maj Felix Kulaigye told Xinhua by telephone on Friday that Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi had returned from Sudan where he had gone to meet President Omar Al-Bashir and the UN Khartoum team to reach a regional mechanism to handle the LRA.

President Yoweri Museveni said on Thursday that there is need for the government to work in conjunction with the Sudanese government, the Sudanese People's Liberation Army and the United Nations Force in the DRC (MONUC) in ending the war in northern Uganda.

The Ugandan military said recently if Kony and his 150 armed combatants are given a safe haven in the DRC, they could build up and become a regional problem.

According to Minister Mbabazi, Uganda is to send defence and foreign affairs officials to meet the DRC authorities on how the two neighbouring countries can wipe out LRA rebels.

"It is a matter we are pushing with vigour and we are sure to receive positive reports," Mbabazi said shortly before leaving for the Khartoum meeting.

About two weeks ago, the Ugandan government proposed to the UN Security Council to allow the UPDF pursue the LRA rebels in the DRC.

Last week, the DRC government said UPDF soldiers were sighted on its territory pursuing the LRA, a thing the Ugandan army denied.

The LRA rebels have been fighting the Ugandan government for the last 20 years in a rebellion that has left tens of thousands of people dead and over 1.4 million people living in internally displaced persons camps in northern Uganda.

Sudan and DR Congo at top of 'failed states index'

Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the world's most vulnerable states, according to a new study.

FAILED STATES 2006 - TOP 10
1. Sudan (3)*
2. DR Congo (2)*
3. Ivory Coast (1)*
4. Iraq (4)*
5. Zimbabwe (15)*
6. Chad (7)*
(Tie) Somalia (5)*
8. Haiti (10)*
9. Pakistan (34)*
10. Afghanistan (11)*

* Position in 2005 report

The report - compiled by the US Foreign Policy magazine and the US-based Fund for Peace think-tank - ranked nations according to their viability.

Judged according to 12 criteria, including human flight and economic decline, states range from the most failed, Sudan, to the least, Norway.

Eleven of the 20 most failed states of the 146 nations examined are in Africa.

Full report BBC May 2, 2006 [Hat tip to Passion of the Present - http://www.passionofthepresent.org/ so sorry, permalinks and newsfeed to the site are still not working here]

U.S. Senators Leahy and Obama secure Key Panel's OK for aid for elections and military reform in DR Congo

"Congo Watchers--Have you seen this Press Release yet?" asks Taylor Walters in a comment here today at Congo Watch:

Senators Leahy and Obama Secure Key Panel's OK for Much-Needed Aid for Elections and Military Reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: April 4, 2006

Obama Contact: Robert Gibbs or Tommy Vietor, (202) 228-5511

WASHINGTON (Tuesday, April 4) -- U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) Tuesday successfully attached an amendment to the Iraq Supplemental Appropriations bill that would provide $13.2 million for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The amendment was cosponsored by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio).

The amendment, drafted as part of a collaborative effort by Leahy and Obama, provides $8.2 million for military reform and $5 million to support free and fair elections in the DRC. According to the United Nations, these are two key priorities if the DRC is to make a successful transition to democratic rule and bring peace and economic development to one of the largest nations in Africa.

Obama said, "If Africa is to achieve its promise, resolving the problems in the Congo will be critical. The country, which is the size of Western Europe, lies at the geographic heart of Africa and borders every major region across the continent. If left untended, Congo's tragedy will continue to infect Africa. This amendment accepted today represents a small but important step towards bringing peace and prosperity to the Congo. I commend Senator Leahy's leadership and the Appropriations Committee on this issue"

Leahy added, "U.S. leadership to support democratic elections and reform the Congolese military will be critical if the Congo is going to overcome decades of violence and misrule. I hope this amendment, by demonstrating that the United States is serious about supporting the Congo, will encourage all nations to join in a sustained effort in the country that holds the key to stability in central Africa. The UN peacekeeping mission deserves a great deal of credit for the progress that has been made so far."

The elections, scheduled for later this year, are the first in more than four decades. They represent by far the largest elections that the UN has ever assisted, in a vast country with minimal infrastructure, few roads and an electorate of more than 25 million people. The election breakthrough is the result of years of negotiations to reduce the fighting in the DRC, which involved five international peace agreements and more than 30 UN Security Council resolutions.

The amendment represents a growing concern in Congress about the DRC's future. In December, comprehensive legislation on the Congo, S. 2125, was introduced by Senators Obama, Brownback, Durbin, and DeWine.

Telegraph Correspondent David Blair visits Docs Hospital in Goma

The Daily Telegraph's Africa Correspondent David Blair recently returned home to Johannesburg after a week long tour of eastern Congo, taking in Bunia, Beni, Goma, Gisenyi and blogging an account -- note [Hello Louis!] the April 24, 2006 blog entry for "Day Five" about his visit to Docs Hospital in Goma.

Uganda backs Revolutionary Movement of Congo (MRC)

Uganda backs rebels responsible for ravaging the rugged hills and dense rainforest of Congo's Ituri district, according to UN officials and western diplomats.

Gunmen, styling themselves the Revolutionary Movement of Congo (known by their French acronym MRC), have forced tens of thousands to flee in the last three months alone

See Telegraph report by David Blair in Bunia 27 April 2006.

Congokin.com forum - DRC

CONGOKIN: Discussion Forum

UN suspects Uganda is fighting in Congo

UN peacekeepers are investigating reports that Ugandan soldiers crossed into neighbouring Congo in pursuit of rebels on Wednesday and clashed with Congolese troops, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.

Security sources in Kinshasa said Ugandan soldiers clashed with the Congolese army near the town of Aba, in the remote northeastern frontier with Uganda and Sudan - after crossing the border to hunt down the Joseph Kony-led Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels hiding there.

Full report Monitor Online 28 April 2006.

UN Security Council authorises European force in DR Congo

The United Nations Security Council today endorsed the deployment of a European Union reserve force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to bolster stability in the vast country for its June 2006 presidential and parliamentary elections and up to four months afterward.

Full report UN News Centre 25 Apr 2006.

The Goma Film Project and LUMO by American blogger and film maker Louis Abelman

Great news. American blogger Louis Abelman has launched a website for The Goma Film Project showing a trailer of his first film, LUMO shot in Goma, DRC.

Louis, who authors Telegraphe Congolais, has spent the past few years producing and directing LUMO, a deeply sensitive documentary about the lives of rape survivors in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo as they work with medical staff and counsellors to regain their health and dignity.



Louis lives in New York. After attending Brown University where he majored in African History, he worked for the International Herald Tribune as an editorial assistant and as a news assistant at the New York Times.

Several photos featured here at Congo Watch, including those here below - and in Congo Watch title banner - were shot by Louis. Links to more photos can be found in the sidebar of his blog.

The fabulous Mama Jeanne Banyere

See The savagery in the Congo is beyond imagination - excerpt:

Jeanne Banyere, or Mama Jeanne to all who know this remarkable woman. "I used to cry, but have now become more desensitised. This happens all over this area, sometimes to children as young as nine." Mama Jeanne - who also looks after 62 orphans - is one of a handful of dedicated people from the Women's Protestant Federation that network these remote parts of the Congo, providing counselling and hope to these women.

Photo: Mama Jeanne (tallest, yellow headscarf) with returned patients in village of Mema (Louis Abelman)



Photo: Close up of drawing on outer wall (Louis Abelman)

Note May 1, 2006 screening of LUMO in New York at the IFC center, further details at gomafilmproject.org.

Hague referral for Bemba and Patasse

BBC report 14 April 2006 says the top court in the Central African Republic has referred former President Felix-Ange Patasse to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Mr Patasse was referred, along with the vice-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean-Pierre Bemba, on charges of rape and murder.

Also included in the referral are a French policeman and two aides of ex-president Mr Patasse.

Security Council approves UN troop redeployment from Burundi to DR Congo

The Security Council today authorized the temporary redeployment of peacekeepers from the Organization's operation in Burundi (ONUB) to its mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) to strengthen security and oversight for the upcoming Congolese elections. Full story UN News Centre 10 Apr 2006.

The EU's strategy for Africa

EU aid means the difference between life and death for many Africans, argues Louis Michel:

"For all of them, "Europe cares", Europeans care. It is important to remember that when people in our countries express doubts about European integration and the added value of the EU - this is added value. For millions of people, our aid makes the difference between life and death."

- 40m euro programme for Sudan
- 38m euros for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Major programmes to help drought victims in the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes refugees living in camps in Tanzania, the frightened communities of Northern Uganda and the many highly vulnerable people still struggling to survive in Burundi and Liberia in the aftermath of long-running conflicts.

Full story at EUPolitix.com.

Swedish soldiers to join EU Congo force

April 9 Xinhua -- Sweden is to send 40 to 50 soldiers to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which will be part of an EU mission to provide security during the summer election in the troubled central African country, local media reported on Sunday.

Defense minister Leni Bjoerklund told Social Democrats on Saturday that the government would put the proposal for the Swedish contribution before parliament soon, according to Swedish news agency TT.

The EU force of around 1,000 soldiers from ten countries will support 17,000 UN peacekeeping troops. Eight UN soldiers have lost their lives in the country.

The election in the DR Congo will be the first since 1961. It was scheduled for June 18th but has been postponed until July due to security fears.

The exact task of Swedish soldiers from the elite Special Protection Group (SSG) in DR Congo is still not clear, the report said.

The SSG, which reports directly to the Commander-in-Chief of the Swedish armed forces, is trained for battle, personal protection, intelligence gathering and a range of other combat duties.

Sweden's contribution will cost a maximum of 60 million kronor (about 7.7 million U.S. dollars), according to the report.

France asks UN to redeploy troops to DRCongo

April 7, 2006 (AFP) - France on Friday proposed that the Security Council redeploy UN troops from Burundi to bolster a mission in the DRC during elections:

France circulated a draft resolution that would transfer an infantry battalion, a field hospital and 50 military observers from the UN mission in Burundi, to the mission in RDC, until July 1, with the possibility of extending the redeployment. The proposal would redeploy more than 800 UN troops now in Burundi under Resolution 1650.

Burundi has been trying to leave behind 12 years of civil war and is governed by elected officials after a long political transition. The UN mission there was deployed in 2004 and has nearly completed its mission, foreseen to end on December 31.

The RDC has set elections for later this year, before the end of a fragile political transition that began in 2003 after several years of warfare. Election day, initially set for June 18, has been put off for logistical reasons and a new date has not yet been set.

�WFP airpdrops food aid into DR Congo's embattled Katanga province

The United Nations World Food Programme said today it had started dropping food aid from an aircraft into violence-wracked Katanga province in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo – marking the agency's first food aid airdrops outside Sudan since 1998.

The airdrops of WFP food from an Antonov-12 aircraft near the town of Dubie in Katanga started on Wednesday and are the first ever into the DRC, where WFP usually transports food aid by trucks and airlifts. But the current rains have made it especially difficult to move by road sufficient amounts of food aid to Dubie, where malnutrition rates are increasingly alarming.

Full report UNWFP via ReliefWeb 7 Apr 2006.

World Food Program sends aid to refugees in DRC

The World Food Program (WFP) began to dispatch aid to refugees in Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday, a WFP official told Xinhua.

Aline Samu, who is responsible for WFP press information, told Xinhua that about 12 tons of aid had been sent to 13,000 refugees in Dubie, 500 km north from Lubumbashi, capital of Katanga province, adding that another two rounds would arrive on Thursday.

According to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the DRC (MONUC), a total of 80 tons of aid will be dispatched to the region in the following four to five days.

Samu admitted that the transportation cost climbed to 1,200 U.S. dollars per ton because of the awfully bumpy roads to the region, noting that only 530 tons of food supplies were sent to Katanga from January to March due to road conditions.

The fighting between the Mayi-Mayi militia and the national Army Forces of the DRC in Katanga had forced about 11,000 families to leave their homes since the end of 2005.

Sudan's Darfur, DRC top agenda at Annan's talks in NY

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan held separate talks in New York March 31 with top African and European officials on Darfur, Sudan, and the DRC, UN News Centre reported 31 Mar 2006:

In a meeting with Mr Konare, Chair of the AU Commission, the two discussed the Abuja peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur. They also discussed support for the AU force in Darfur, including the possibility of a donors' conference.

On the DRC, they reviewed a number of issues, including how to ensure an inclusive electoral progress.

Mr Konare, who travels to the DRC next week, also spoke with Mr Annan about the Chad-Sudan border, and steps being taken to defuse the tension there.

Darfur and the DRC were also on the agenda at a separate meeting between Mr Annan and European Common Foreign and Security Policy High Representative Javier Solana. They reviewed EU support for the AU force in Darfur and for the electoral process in the DRC.

Congo Caritas Development sends urget humanitarian aid to refugees in DRC

Urgent humanitarian aid has been sent to war refugees in the DRC. The aid, totaling 360 tons of food, medication and seeds, would be dispatched to around 30,000 people from 5,000 families in Mitwaba, 500 km north of Lubumbashi, the capital of Katanga province, said the Congo Caritas Development (CCD), a member of Caritas Internationalis on Monday.

According to the CCD, the displacement of the refugees is caused by fighting between the Mayi-Mayi militia and the national Army Forces of DRC (FARDC) since the end of 2005, which forced about 11,000 families to leave their homes. The CCD will also dispatch aid to another 5,800 families in the regions of Pweto-Mwenge and Pweto-Kizabi in a month. - Xinhua 4 Apr 2006.

World letting DRC down: UN

Violence and curable diseases are now estimated to kill around 1,200 people every day in DRC, up from a daily 1,100 in 2005.