DRC: Live up to your promises or lose recent gains, Kabila urged
Source: IRIN
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NAIROBI, 6 July 2007 (IRIN) - The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could lose recent gains in its
democratisation process unless President Joseph Kabila starts to promote
dialogue and
accountability, and strengthens cooperation with the wider
international community, the International Crisis Group (ICG) has warned. The report, Congo: Consolidating the Peace, issued by the ICG
on 5 July,
warns that while the transition period, which ended with elections six months
ago, helped to unify the country and improved security in some areas, governing
institutions had remained
weak, abusive or non-existent. The national
army, it added, was still the worst human rights abuser while another crisis is
looming in the east. "Despite Kabila's strong mandate, the last
months
have seen the rapid paralysis of the state machinery, increased authoritarian
tendencies and no decisive progress in the restoration of peace in the Kivus,"
said David Mugnier,
ICG's Central Africa project director. "Kabila and
Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga need to acknowledge the shortcomings of the last
months," the report stated. "A return to
full-scale war is unlikely but
violence in Bas-Congo and Kinshasa in early 2007 with over 400 people killed and
renewed threats of war in the Kivus show the country's fragility," it
added. Role for opposition The ICG called for
conditions that would allow for the return of opposition leader, Jean-Pierre
Bemba, and greater freedoms for parliament, the courts and media. "Despite late but commendable efforts to grant it more space in
parliament, the opposition's capacity to play that role remains severely
undermined by the recurrent use of force
against its supporters and the exile of
Jean-Pierre Bemba, the main challenger to President Kabila during the recent
election," the ICG said. "The opposition's virtual exclusion
from governorships
despite winning five provincial assembly elections is another sign of shrinking
political pluralism." On the volatile situation in North and South Kivu,
the ICG called
for urgent diplomacy and dialogue. "Much remains to be done to
turn the army and police into competent, confidence-inspiring forces that can
provide stability and tackle lawlessness,
especially in the militia-dominated
east," it noted. It said the security situation in areas such as Ituri
was better, but there had been little progress in disarming militia groups in the Kivus. Kabila was elected president in 2006 after 40 years of
authoritarian rule by Mobutu Sese Seko. Before being elected, he headed an
interim administration that replaced his father,
Laurent Desiré Kabila, who was
assassinated in 2001 after toppling Mobutu. At his inauguration, the
35-year-old Kabila promised to provide leadership and good governance during his five-year stewardship. "The way forward lies in strengthening democratic
governance," the ICG said. "Reform requires genuine political will to tackle
impunity by vetting police
and army officers and making courts independent." Related stories eo/mw © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org
