Stories about D.R. of Congo from April, 2006
DRC: T.I. Petition & Elections Debate
“Master of the Universe,” a threat to Kabila? By Etienne Ngandu Today UDPS Liege echoes an AFP article announcing the presidential election will take place July 30. The election was postponed for a year last June and the July 30 date is later than the June 30 deadline mandated by...
DRC Diaspora: UDPS Wallonie May 1st Forum
On May 1st, UDPS Wallonie will hold a conference in Liege, Belgium to explain why UDPS will not partake in the upcoming DRC elections, says (FR) UDPS Liege. Details are in the post.
DRC: Blogger Wants to Petition T.I.
Blogger Tony Katombe proposes (FR) on Prince du Fleuve du Congo that he and compatriots from the country and abroad petition Transparency International to “investigate the allegations of the implication of Louis Michel, William Lacy Swing, Aldo Ajello and other international officials in the illicit exploitation of mining resources in...
DRC: UDPS Predicts “Electoral Comedy”, “Terror”
UDPS Liege discourages (FR) the Congolese from taking part in the upcoming “electoral comedy” unless of course certain conditions are met. They predict that “Joseph Kabila will be elected on the first round with 72%. He will be protected by European Union and MONUC [UN Mission to the DR of...
DRC: Report Says Ruling Party Received Illegal Corporate and State Funds
NIZA, a Dutch NGO, published a report alleging President Kabila's party (PPRD) is illegally funded by private enterprises of the Katanga region and has received government funds, says (FR) Le Blog du Congolais.
DRC: “A Poem From My Heart”
Lines from a poem posted (FR) by Prince du Fleuve du Congo: “Son of this Sacred Land, I cry for your misfortune/Yet for your salvation, I fight with fortitude.”
Image from DRC: Kobolo Humor
A Kobolo is a public transportation vehicle in the DRC. It is also the Congolese word for trunk. Photo courtesy Le Renouveau Congolais. In a humorous photo essay, Le Renouveau Congolais lists (FR) all the different positions that make Kinshasa public transportation bearable.
African music #7
Nothing beats a music festival. You meet like the music lovers, people interested in the genre and enjoy the good party vibe. And though you know the lineup in advance you have no idea what antics will be displayed on stage. With these musings I look forward to the 4th...
DRC: Cardinal Asks Congolese to Protect DRC From Foreigners
Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Etsou, asked Congolese to protect their country from foreigners, reports (FR)Renouveau Congolais. “You have left this beautiful country to foreigners who are carving it out” said the Cardinal to local political actors.
DRC: Informal vs. Official World Order
UDPS Liege contrasts (FR) the official world order (UN and other international bodies) to the informal world order (multinational corporations and secret service agencies). According to the informal world order, the DRC is not a sovereign nation, continues the blogger.
DRC: convictions for rape
Adventures of an Armchair Traveller reports on the conviction of “seven former Mouvement Pour la liberation du Congo (MLC) (or Armed Forces of the DR Congo (FARDC)) soldiers of the rape of 119 women and girls and other crimes against humanity”
DRC: UDPS Reiterates Political Muscle
In a post titled “UDPS is Congolese Political Gold”, UDPS Liege writes (FR) “we are the depositaries of democracy in our country. […] UDPS has not agreed to any alliances with the political parties that use our name. […] The real UDPS is preparing for a final assault on June...
DRC: sexual violence
Congo Watch has a report on the ongoing sexual violence in the DRC – some horrific stories.
DRC: UDPS Protest on Monday April 24, 2006
UDPS Liege announces (FR) a peaceful protest to take place Monday, April 24, 2006 in Kinshasa. The Belgium-based opposition party blog explains that UDPS is “determined to receive a favorable response to its memoranda to UN Secretary General Koffi Annan dated November 5, 2005 and March 22 of this year.”...
DRC: Upcoming UDPS Forum in Belgium
Opposition party UDPS will hold a forum entitled “Political Crisis in the DRC and UDPS’ Refusal to Participate in the Electoral Process” on May 1 in Liege-Outremeuse, Belgium, writes (FR) UDPS Liege. ( Time and address provided in the post.)
DRC: Civil Society Criticizes Electoral Process
Congolese civil society (about 2o organizations) issued an indictment of various national and international institutions involved with the electoral process on Monday, writes (FR) Tony Katombe at Le Blog du Congolais. The statement specifically asked the international community to resist imposing an electoral process that might benefit them but harm...
DRC: HIV/AIDS
Adventures of a Retired Armchair Traveler points to two reports on changes in the church's approach to HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The bad news is couples wanting to get married must be first be tested for HIV. The good news is that a netword of religious groups...
DRC: Building the Demosphere
Blogger Tony Katombe from Le Blog du Congolais invites (FR) readers to sign up for the Demosphere, ” a network of sites, blogs and emails of activists and militants involved with the struggle for democracy in countries under dictatorship.” Last week, Katombe and the Demosphere were the subject of a...
DRC: More UDPS Revelations
UDPS Spokesman Valentin Mubake was on Congolese TV again. Blogger Tony Katombe explains (FR) that Mubake unveiled attempts by electoral commission head Rev. Malu-Malu to act as a demographer by deflating population numbers in regions where UDPS is popular. In Katombe's words, Mubake also charged that international community officials in...
Voices from Zimbabwe and the Great Lakes
Zimbabwe: This is Zimbabwe is involved in a battle of semantics with Eddie cross after the former published this post which questioned some of the numbers put forth by the latter in this post after the MDC congress in Harare. Said Eddie Cross in response to the criticism, We are...
DRC: Legal Void after June 30
Transitional institutions stop being constitutional after June 30, 2006, writes (FR) blogger Mafelly-Makombo at Prince du Fleuve du Congo. He suggests that if elections should take place past that date, all of Congolese civil society including political parties and religious groups aided by the international community should be called on...
