Great Lakes: Bulletin january 2012
- Detalles
- Categoría: Actualidad en inglés
- Publicado el Martes, 31 Enero 2012 09:32
Monthly Publication of the European Network for Central Africa
( EURAC )
No. 83 –January 2012
www.eurac-network.org
EDITORIAL
democracy!
People are thirsty for
he electoral processes which unfolded in Burundi and Rwanda in
2010, and in the DRC in 2011 (beginning of the electoral process that
will be finished in 2012 and 2013), seem to have left a great
thirst for democracy in the three countries. The peoples concerned and observers
expected and hoped that those elections were going to be a concrete step towards
the democratization of the three countries and lead to the opening of the
democratic and political space. Unfortunately, we are witnessing the opposite. In
Burundi, after elections that had aroused much hope, we are seeing a worrying
locking of the democratic and political space. Representatives of civil society
and independent media are targets of arbitrary arrests and threats perpetrated by
security forces, as in the cases of journalists from Radio Publique Africaine
(RPA) and leaders of the NGOs FORSC and OLUCOME. Representatives of
opposition political parties suffer the same fate. We have thus just learnt of the
arrest of the president of the Movement for Solidarity and Democracy (MSD),
Alexis Sinduhije, which follows attacks suffered by activists from this party and
from other opposition parties in recent months. In this context, President Pierre
Nkurunzia's announcement of a review of the Constitution is cause for much
concern, as the coordinator of FORSC, Pacifique Nininahazwe, reveals. In
Rwanda, representatives of a weakened civil society, above all human rights
defence organisations, are endlessly reporting the threats they are the targets of
due to their work. The latest case to date is that of the Rwandan League for the
Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (LIPRODHOR). With regard to
representatives from the opposition parties, one is unable to forget the case of
Ms Victoire Ingabire, president of the Unified Democratic Forces (FDU-
Inkingi), imprisoned under the accusation of treason, terrorism and genocidal
ideology. As for the president of the Democratic Green Party, Mr Frank
Habineza, he had to leave the country in order to avoid the same fate. In the
DRC, we remain concerned by the unfolding of the elections and the danger of
an anti-democratic drift in the country, which we have spoken of much in the
pages of this bulletin. We remain equally concerned by the aftermath of the
electoral process in progress. This situation raise many questions on the impact
that elections have on the process of democratization in these countries and
confirms the idea that supporting electoral processes must locate itself in wider
context of support for the development of good governance. For the NGO
members of EurAc, that means deepening the work of strengthening the
capacities of the organisations of the region and supporting them more in their
efforts to play an active role in the democratization of their countries. For the
European Union, that should translate into strengthening and deepening political
dialogue with the governments of these countries as provided for by the Cotonou
Agreement. This underlines the importance of joint responsibility in the
consolidation of human rights and democratization, which are essential elements
for developing a culture of peace and stability for the Great Lakes region.
Donatella Rostagno,
EurAc Policy Officer
CONTENTS
Summary of events (p. 2-4)
- Great Lakes: Obama appoints a new
Special Envoy to the Great Lakes; New
Executive Secretary of the CIRGL; the
UN and the AU in the fight against the
LRA.
- DRC: Elections and human rights; A
team of experts for the legislative
elections; Insecurity persists in the East;
Final Expert Report on the DRC
- Burundi: Divorce between the
government and coffee farmers;
Desertions in primary and secondary
teaching; Defending all victims.
- Rwanda: Loosening tongues;
Abduction of an opponent and
assassination of a refugee; Grenade
attack.
Advocacy (p.5-6)
DRC: lessons from the ballot; DRC: the
Chebeya affair, a State crime? DRC:
Call to President Obama to avoid
escalation of violence; Which countries
should receive aid from Great Britain?
etc.
Main documents received
(p. 7 - 8)
Publisher
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Secretariat:
Donatella Rostagno, Kris Berwouts, Joseph
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N.B.: Texts and information sources selected
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members of the Network
Summary of events
2011
Great Lakes
Obama appoints a new special
envoy to the Great Lakes
At the beginning of December 2011, Barack Obama, President
of America, appointed career diplomat Barry Walkley as
Special Envoy for the African region of the Great Lakes. The
United States is concerned, in fact, by the potential for
violence in the DRC and in the region after the strongly
contested results of the Congolese elections of 28 November
2011. The United States had previously intensified their
military presence in Central Africa by sending special forces
to Uganda in the context of the fight against the Lord's
Resistance Army. The American think tank Enough Project
has applauded the appointment of Ambassador Walkley, who
has long experience of Africa. It expresses its hope that this
will address "factors that systematically lead to conflict and
poverty and which are a plague for the region's populations".
A section of the Congolese press considers it unfortunate that
Mr Walkley will be based in Kigali. (kb)
New Executive Secretary of the
CIRGL
At an official ceremony in Bujumbura, on 9 January 2012,
Congolese Professor Alphonse Ntumba Luaba Kunu was
installed as Executive Secretary of the International
Conference on the Great Lakes Region (CIRGL). He replaces
Ambassador Ms. Liberata Mulamula in this role. This
Tanzanian diplomat, who directed the secretariat of the
CIRGL from its creation, had come to the end of her non-
renewable four-year mandate. The former Congolese delegate
to the executive of the Economic Community of the Countries
of the Great Lakes Sub-Region (CEPGL), Professor Ntumba
Luaba has placed his mandate under the sign of peace, security
and good governance. He was unanimously elected at the
conference of Heads of State held in Kampala (Uganda), on 16
December 2011. In her handover speech, Ms. Mulamula
stated: "First of all, there is the issue of peace and security.
There is also the fight against the remaining armed groups
that still endure in some of our member countries, notably in
the East of the DRC, in Sudan and Uganda, which includes
the LRA. There is also the problem of the proliferation and
trafficking of light and small-calibre arms in the region." In
wishing her successor good luck, she said: "Some things have
been accomplished, but many challenges still remain: fighting
against the illegal exploitation of resources; against the
armed groups that remain in the sub-region; against poverty
and impunity; and strengthening peace, democracy, good
governance and cross-border cooperation between the
different countries in the organisation". (kb)
December
The UN and the AU in the fight
against the LRA
On 6 January 2012, in Kinshasa, the African Union (AU)
Special Envoy for the problem of the LRA, Fransisco
Madeira, and the Special Representative of the Secretary
General to the United Nations in Central Africa, Abou
Moussa, met the most important stakeholders in the fight
against Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
They interviewed, amongst others, the Congolese
authorities and United Nations agencies, as well as
ambassadors from the USA and the European Union.
After these meetings, Ambassador Abou Moussa said he
was happy because "agreement was total". He was also
happy to have covered the whole question and the fact that
the information he had received encouraged him in his
actions. "We are convinced, he said, that we must lead
initiatives and that these initiatives should succeed". For
its part, in an article published on the site of African
Arguments, Ned Dalby from International Crisis Group
explains that, despite everything, the LRA remains a weak
priority for the governments of Uganda, the DRC, the
Central African Republic and South Sudan, given that the
LRA is active over hundreds of kilometers of the capitals.
Fortunately, local civil society and human rights defenders
continue to mobilize international public opinion. For
Dalby, it is essential for African appropriation and the
legitimacy of the fight against the LRA that the AU
launches its regional cooperation initiative. It sees in
American efforts, the AU's initiative and other
international interventions, a collective opportunity to put
an end to the LRA's rule of terror in the near future. This
is a necessity in order to enable the affected communities
to reconstruct their lives from a long-term perspective.
Dalby insists that, in addition to military pressure, that it is
important, through radio and written messages, to
persuade LRA combatants and prisoners to leave the
scene. He considers it urgent to intensify non-military
measures as soon as possible. (kb)
Inter-regional
trade
closer to EAC economies
comes
According to the PANA agency, the advantages of
regional integration are increasingly coming closer to the
member States of the East African Community (EAC), as
intra-regional exchanges develop year by year. For this
reason, the five partner States of the regional bloc –
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi – confirm
that they shall be stopped by nothing to lay the
foundations of regional economic growth. (kb)
EURAC - 31/01/12– page 2
DRC
Elections and human rights
A good number of non-governmental organisations for the
defence of human rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) are concerned by the deterioration in the human rights
situation in their countries in the aftermath of the presidential
and legislative elections of 28 November 2011. Whilst
unanimous in considering that those elections 'mark an
essential step in the process of democratic consolidation', they
are expressing their worries and concerns on the future of their
country following the occurrence of those elections. In their
statement, these NGOs recall the cases of serious human rights
violations that are repeatedly reported and which raise the
problem of the 'dictatorial and authoritarian shift of the DRC
government'. Among the NGO signatories are: the League des
Electeurs (LE), Voix des Sans Voix (VSV), the African
Association for the Defence of Human Rights (ASADHO), the
Ligue Nationale pour les Elections Libres et Transparentes
(LINELIT), Agir pour des Elections Transparentes et Apaisées
(AETA) and the Cadre de Concertation de la Femme
Congolaise (CAFCO). The reported acts include kidnappings
of military personnel and civilians perpetrated by armed men
in uniform, bad treatment, systematic searches and secret
detention of victims in inhumane conditions. In its statement
of 6 December 2011, VSV fears that these acts are linked to
the post-electoral political context and worries, 'with regard
to the lives and safety of victims exposed to the risk of
summary and illegal execution, torture and other cruel,
inhumane and degrading treatment'. Also in December, the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) reported
defamatory slurs directed at it and its partners in the DRC,
notably Dismas Kitenge Senga, president of the Lotus Group
(GL) and vice-president of the FIDH; Jean-Claude Katende,
national president of ASADHO and Paul Nsapu, president of
the Ligue des Electeurs and secretary-general of the FIDH.
These slurs took place after the FIDH published a press
release calling for calm of the eve of the announcement of the
presidential election results. Furthermore, Mr Kitenge Senga
was the victim of a fire
which completely destroyed his home during the night of 5
January 2012. The Lotus Group and the FIDH have
denounced the fact that this fire took place, 'after the public
and mediatory statements by Dismas Kitenge on the
irregularities and fraud linked to the election and the lack of
political will on the part of the Congolese government to fight
impunity and to compensate the victims of serious human
rights violations'. The two NGOs have asked the authorities to
order an impartial inquiry to determine the real origin of the
fire. (dr)
A
team
of
experts
legislative elections
for
the
The legislative elections that took place, as did the presidential
elections, on 28 November 2011, have raised much debate in
terms of the organisation, which was chaotic, the irregularities
observed by both national and international observers and
suspicions of massive
instances of fraud. Under pressure from the international
community, operations for compiling the results have been
suspended and a team of international experts has been sent
to the DRC in order to 'study the feasibility of a review of
the result compilation process'. The team, composed of
experts from two American organisations, the National
Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International
Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), arrived in
Kinshasa at the beginning of January with the aim: 'to
study the availability of crucial data and the staff
necessary for a wider review of the result-counting
process'. The sending of this team of experts has not been
without criticism from the CENI, which has subsequently
decided to carry on the work of result compilation, giving
as justification, according to its vice-president Jacques
Djoli, that: "the CENI does not have a technical deficit".
For the CENI, the arrival of the experts aims, "very simply,
to compensate for a problem of faith – which is elsewhere
called credibility – and therefore of belief, in what we do".
(dr)
Insecurity persists in the East
The population of the east of the DRC is condemned to live
in a context of persistent insecurity which raises many
concerns within civil society in North and South Kivu. In
North Kivu, several civilians have been killed or injured in
confrontations between members of the Democratic Forces
for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the new militia
of Maï Maï 'Guides'. In terms of South Kivu, Radio Okapi
has reported 39 victims killed by the FDLR in Shabunda as
reprisals against civilian populations, which it accuses of
collaborating with local self-defence forces called 'Raia
Mutomboki'. These acts of violence have pushed civil
society in South Kivu to call on the FARDC in order to
ensure the safety of civilians. In North Kivu, civil society
has asked Head of State Joseph Kabila to improve the
security situation by securing persons and their
possessions. In fact, several villages in Haut Katanga are
victims of confrontations between soldiers from the regular
army and militia factions of chief rebel Kyungu Mutanga
(aka Gédéon), confrontations that have caused the
displacement of over 10,000 civilians. (dr)
Final Expert Report on the DRC
The United Nations (UN) Group of Experts has assessed
the impact of guidelines on the duty of diligence and
examined the measures taken by Member States to
instantly call on importers, processing industries and
consumers of Congolese mineral products to exercise the
diligence required by applying these guidelines. The result
is more than uncertain. Thus, armed groups continue to
supply themselves with arms and munitions. (dr)
EURAC - 31/01/12– page 3
Burundi
Divorce between the government
and coffee farmers
On 19 December 2011, the National Conféderation Nationale des
Associations des Caféiculteurs du Burundi (CNAC) officially
announced that all coffee farmers were definitively withdrawing
from the privatisation of the coffee sector. In fact, according to the
CNAC, instead of taking account of the concerns raised by coffee
farmers since the beginning of this privatisation process, the
government classed them as non-pursuable. The CNAC regrets
that the government obeys first of all the demands of the foreign
financers on which it entirely depends to the point of losing sight
of its responsibilities and role in guaranteeing a minimum price for
coffee producers which, however, brought back to it up to 80% of
its export products. Through its minister for good governance and
privitisation, the government said that nothing and nobody could
alter its course on this policy. This divorce is taking place whilst in
Bujumbara, begging has become a job for more and more people
who even organize themselves into associations. For his part, at the
opening of the First National Forum on Food Security and
Nutrition in Burundi, on 12 December 2011, the Second Vice-
President of the Republic acknowledged that hunger and
malnutrition continue to be rife in Burundi. (jn)
Desertions in primary and
secondary teaching
According to independent media (RPA and Radio Isanganiro),
teachers in the provinces of Cankuzo, Karusi and Muyinga who are
members of opposition parties (especially Rwasa Agathon's FNL)
are deserting their posts in large numbers, fearing for their safety.
The situation is such that the president of the Burundi Association
for the Protection of Human Rights and Detained Persons
(APRODH) did not hesitate to compare what is happening today to
what happened in 1972 and 1973, when civil servants were
arrested and killed, whilst others were forced into exile. Another
fact causing the desertion of teachers is the phenomenon of a wave
of pregnancies among girls in primary and secondary schools;
pregnancies for which their teachers are the main culprits. The
desertions thus concern the teachers as much as the pupils. (jn)
Defending all victims of conflicts
According to Syfia Grands Lacs (23/12/2011), last October a
dozen Burundian associations sealed a pact of alliance to unite
their forces, without any ethnic barriers, in the quest for the truth
about the crimes that punctuated the history of the country in 1965,
1972, 1988 and 1993. For the first time in several decades, Hutus
and Tutsis – the two main groups making up the country – have
decided to come to a mutual understanding. (jn).
Rwanda
Loosening tongues
According to Syfia Grands Lacs (23/12/2011), "when the
villagers of Rwanda can express themselves freely, they do
not hesitate to criticise the bad governance of local
authorities. This is the case with radio debates organized in
recent months in certain districts which have enabled
solutions to be found to the problems exposed". Over six
months, a dozen debates have thus been held in diverse
districts of the country and have all met with great success.
They are organized and broadcast live over the waves of the
local community radio, Huguka (Understand Things). Women
and men, old and young, all broach problems and point the
finger at what is wrong, but also propose solutions. Except in
the event of force majeure, nobody misses this appointment,
which provides, for once, the opportunity for people to
express themselves.
For Syfia, "Great importance is
accorded to these live debates, because what is said on the
radio is considered
by Rwandans not only as
communication, but also as a way in which to raise the
alarm". (jn)
Abduction of an opponent and
assassination of a refugee
On 2 January 2012, the United Democratic Forces (FDU-
Inkingi) party published a statement in which it announced
that, the previous night, military personnel from the marine
unit of the Rwandan army based in Gisenyi had attacked the
home of Gratien Nsabiyaremye, a member of the party's
interim executive committee and responsible for youth. The
latter lives in the village of Kabiza in the Nyamyumba sector
in the western region of Rwanda. The military personnel,
accompanied by the leader of the cell, wanted to arrest him on
the spot, but he refused to go with them and asked them to
come back the following morning with a warrant in good
order. Very early in the morning, military personnel in
uniform surrounded his home, arrested him and took him to a
destination which at this time remains unknown. This
abduction took place whilst two days previously we had
learned that a Rwandan exiled in Uganda, Jérôme
Ndagijimana, had been assassinated during the night of 25-26
December 2011 in his shop in Kabalagala, a district of the
capital Kampala. His lifeless body was found in a sea of blood
with his throat cut. (jn)
Grenade attack
According to several media sources, 20 people were injured
on the evening of 3 January 2012 during a grenade attack
close to an outdoor fruit and vegetable market in Nyabisindu,
in the Gasabo district, near the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
This sad start to the year in Kigali occurred after several other
attacks, including one on 12 July 2011 in Kamembe in which
21 people were injured, four seriously. (jn)
EURAC - 31/01/12– page 4
ADVOCACY ISSUES
Lessons from the ballot
In his article 'DRC: lessons from the presidential ballot', the
project director in Central Africa for International Crisis
Group, Thierry Vircoulon, assesses that Joseph Kabila was re-
elected on the basis of the 'same anti-democratic cocktail that
we observe in other countries in the region: Uganda, Rwanda,
Central African Republic, Cameroon, etc. This means:
control of the electoral machine, control of security
institutions, United Nations leniency for the power in place,
the double language of external powers and the lack of
opposition strategy.' The international community, according
to Vircoulon, played an ambiguous role. It was witness to the
bad organisation of the elections, but it remained silent on the
problems and manipulations which prevented the vote from
being held correctly, and was also silent on the millions of
votes which disappeared. In the name of democracy, Western
countries financed 100 million dollars of an electoral process
that they knew to be biased from the start which they would
have reluctantly acknowledged had it not been evidence of
fraud. The African countries financed nothing and observed
nothing: their mission appearing to be more electoral tourism
than electoral observation. But they did not attend the
inauguration, leaving President Kabila in the poor company of
President Mugabe, the only Head of State present. Finally, the
financers paid without being able to say that they had achieved
an investment in democracy and the presidents of the region
leant their support through anti-democratic solidarity but
without going so far as to appear in public with the winner.
For Vircoulon, neither the Western nor the African countries
rendered a service to democracy, and the solitary inauguration
of Joseph Kabila's second mandate in the company of Robert
Mugabe was the worst political communication possible. It is
not enough to be elected, it is necessary to be well-elected,
meaning adding to the formal legality of State institutions
national and international legitimacy. (kb)
DRC: the Chebeya affair, a State
crime?
Belgian cinema director Thierry Michel (who directed the
films 'Mobutu, Roi du Zaire', 'Congo River' and 'Katanga
Business') has just presented his new film: 'L'Affaire
Chebeya, un crime d'Etat?' ('The Chebeya Affair, a State
Crime?'), dedicated to the ex-president of Voix des Sans Voix
(VSV), a Congolese NGO for the defence of human rights.
On 2 June 2010, Floribert Chebeya was found dead in his car
and the body of his chauffeur, Fidèle Babanza, has never been
found. Thierry Michel filmed all the scenes reconstructing the
murder and followed the hearings of the military court trial
where 5 police officers have appeared accused of his murder.
Among the accused, three have been sentenced to death,
without, however, being executed, and a fourth sentenced to
life imprisonment. Conversely, General Numbi, considered as
being behind the crime, has appeared purely in the capacity
of a witness. In his film, Thierry Michel presents in depth
the political and legal climate in which Chebeya's
assassination was organised. Floribert Chebeya was not only
one of the people most critical of the elections in 2006 and
2011, but he also intended to bring charges in the
International Criminal Court (ICC) against the authors of
killings carried out by the Congolese army in the Bas-
Congo of the faithful of the politico-religious sect "Bundu
Dia Kongo" (BDK). From whence the question of whether
his assassination was a State crime. (kb)
Call to President Obama to avoid
escalation of violence
On 18 December 2011, Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) and
Enough Project launched an appeal to President Obama and
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to contribute to the non-
violent management of the crisis resulting from the latest
Congolese elections on 28 November 2011. The two
organisations invite the senior American authorities to
declare that the results of the vote are not credible, and to
call for the formation of an international panel under the
auspices of the Peace and Security Council of the African
Union. Its mission will consist of working with the
Congolese authorities and opposition on reviewing all
aspects of the elections. ECI and Enough are proposing
other measures including setting up high-level international
mediation to avoid an escalation of violence. (kb)
Africa: which countries should
receive aid from Great Britain?
The British Africa All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) is
considering the choices of the British government
concerning the countries that should receive aid. The report
'DFID's Aid Priorities in Africa' proposes reducing the
number of beneficiary countries from 43 in 2008/9 to 27 in
2016. APPG considers the premise that a reduction in the
number of countries will lead to greater efficiency to be
reasonable but regrets the absence of objective criteria. The
report uses the criteria of poverty, but as an absolute figure
and not as a proportion of poor people in relation to a
country's whole population. This disadvantages small poor
countries. The group considers it particularly unfortunate to
remove Burundi from the list. As with the report by the
International Development Select Committee of the House
of Commons, APPG recommends maintaining a bilateral
programme in Burundi. (kb)
EURAC - 31/01/12– page 5
Statement by the EU High AI considers that 'the Commission should not substitute
Representative on elections in the judicial processes to establish individual criminal
DRC responsibility'. AI recommends that Burundi does not grant
amnesty for serious crimes in international law. (jn)
In a statement the day after confirmation from the Supreme Burundi: FORSC proposals for
Court of Justice of the presidential election results published transitional justice
by the CENI, the EU High Representative, Baroness
Ashton, confirmed the EU's concerns on the lack of
transparency in the compilation and publication of the
results. Ms. Ashton called on the CENI to ensure that
compilation of results for the legislative elections be done in
a transparent manner, thereby ensuring the credibility of the
process. In the same statement, the EU asked the Congolese
authorities to take account of the recommendations made by
international observation missions and called on all political
forces to shun violence and act in favour of peace. The EU
also asked for clarity on all human rights violations arising
in the context of the elections and recalled that it is for the
Congolese government to ensure the protection and security
of the Congolese population. (dr)
Amnesty International: post-
election intimidation in the DRC
must stop
In a statement on 19 December 2011, Amnesty International
(AI) criticised several cases of arbitrary and illegal arrests in
the aftermath of the elections of 28 November 2011. The
targets of these arrests are, frequently, members and
activists of opposition parties. The practice of arrests
appears to be used as a method of intimidating civilians,
journalists, lawyers, representatives of the political
opposition and, in some cases, representatives of the
security forces themselves. For Paul Rigaud, Deputy
Director of the Africa Programme at AI: "These arrests
must end. Those detained must be released unless they are
promptly charged with a legitimate criminal offence and
brought before a judge to challenge the legality of their
detention with full respect of their fair trial rights, including
access to a lawyer." Several cases of human rights
violations are listed in this statement. For AI, "All those
responsible for such violations must be investigated and
swiftly brought to justice. Impunity would only fuel further
violence and human rights abuses." (dr)
Burundi: a critical moment for
justice
In an official statement published on 19 December 2011,
Amnesty International (AI) called for the Burundian
parliament to amend the draft law establishing a Truth and
Reconciliation Commission (the Commission) to ensure that
victims of crimes relating to international law and those
close to them may know the truth and obtain justice. In fact,
AI states, as of today, hundreds of thousands of people have
been killed during years of conflict and violence, throughout
which all parties have engaged in serious violations of
international humanitarian law and human rights. Based on
the fact that: 'under the draft law, the Commission would be
able to recommend criminal prosecutions against those
suspected for serious human rights violations',
On 22 December 2011, the Forum pour le Renforcement de
la Société Civile (FORSC) announced that it had sent, on 16
December 2011, a letter to the President of the Republic in
order to communicate to him a certain number of documents
relating, in particular, to his observations and proposals for
amendments to the draft law bill for the creation of the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CVR). In the
introduction to that day's press conference, FORSC
revealed that it had made nine main recommendations,
including: according a certain amount of power to the
Commission, not to judge, but to enable it to correctly and
fully carry out enquiries and hearings; specifying the
relationship between the Commission and the Special Court;
creating a mixed commission (Burundians-foreigners)
because 'a commission composed only of Burundians
would not be competent to qualify acts of genocide, crimes
against humanity and war crimes'; specifying the
provenance of Commissioners; setting up a Selection
Committee and, lastly,
appointing a special magistrate
attached to the Commission for it to 'fully and rapidly
exercise the judicial powers entrusted to it'. (jn)
Rwanda: worrying human rights
situation
In the 2011 edition of its annual report, Journalist in Danger
(JED) dedicates a large section to the DRC but also briefly
presents the situation in other African countries. For
Rwanda, JED evokes 'the chaotic human rights situation
(...) and especially that of human rights defenders and
journalists'. According to JED, 'the human rights situation
is becoming extremely worrying in Rwanda, where
violations have accumulated since the re-election of Paul
Kagame in 2010. Carrying out their activities in a
particularly strained political climate, several opponents
have been arrested, newspapers close to the opposition
suspended and journalists imprisoned under the pretext of
'genocide denial' or 'insulting the Head of State'. In 2011,
the Rwandan media and journalists 'worked in a political
environment which was not favourable for freedom of the
press. The media regulatory body was incapable of ensuring
the possibility for the media to work with complete
freedom, independence and professionalism'. (jn)
EURAC - 31/01/12– page 6
Documents on the Great Lakes
region December 2011
This list represents a selection of key documents received by EURAC over the last month. The list
is by no means complete. The content of the documents binds only their authors and does not
reflect the opinion of EurAC or its members. All the documents now have a hyperlink and can
thus be downloaded from the electronic version of this bulletin. The links take you to our
website or to the website of the organisations which originally published them. If you face
problems downloading them or if you would prefer a hard copy, we will be happy to forward
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Regional
perspectives
Aid Policy : Spotlight on new Deal
for fragile States
IRIN, Dakar, 20/12/11, 3 p.
La lutte contre le trafic d'êtres
humains à la traîne derrière
les engagements
IRIN, Johannesbourg, 13/12/11,
3 p.
L'aide britannique aux Grands Lacs
BBC, Londres, 05/01/12, 1 p.
Ambassador Liberata Mulamula
hands over to Professor Ntumba
Luaba
ICGLR, Bujumbura, 09/01/12,
4 p.
DRC: UN DRC: Economy
The final Report of the UN Group of La Gécamines redeviendra un
Experts on the DRC opérateur minier indépendant
Security Council, New York, 02/12/11, JA, Paris, 16/12/11, 5 p.
392 p.
DRC: Cooperation Declaration by the High Representative of La Banque centrale du Congo entend
EU on the definitive Results of the poursuivre une politique monétaire
Presidential Elections prudente en 2012
EU, Brussels, 20/12/11, 1 p. ACP, Kinshasa, 30/12/11, 2 p.
DRC: Churches
DRC: Human Rights
Le peuple congolais a faim et soif de
justice et de paix
CENCO, Kinshasa, 11/01/12, 5 p.
Tensions in the DRC : MONUSCO must
act before having to react
FIDH, Paris, 09/12/11, 1 p.
Mise au point sur les incidents
malheureux survenus à Kananga le 28
novembre 2011
24 Killed since Election Result Announced Mgr Marcel Madila, Kananga,
01/12/11, 3 p.
HRW, Kinshasa, 21/12/11, 9 p.
Le commerce intra-régional
rapproche les économies de l'EAC
PANA, Dar-es-Salaam, 08/01/12, 2 p. Post-election intimidation through arrests
must end
AI, London, 19/12/11, 2 p.
DFID's Aid Piorities and Africa
All Party Parliamentary Goup
Déclaration sur les violences au Kasaï
London, 01/01/12, 41 p.
Oriental
Central Africa : Obama appoints New RENADHOC, Kinshasa, 15/12/11, 4 p.
Envoy to Great Lakes
The Monitor, Washington, 18/12/11, De la terreur aux assassinats odieux
Kongo Times, Times, Bruxelles, 29/12/11,
2 p.
8 p.
Working effectively in Fragile and
Communiqué sur l'incendie dans la
Conflict-Affected States : DRC and
résidence de Dismas Kitenge
Rwanda
Groupe Lotus, Kisangani, 05/01/12,
IDC, London, 12/12/11, 67 p.
2 p.
Présidentielle 2011. Des pasteurs
« indignés » manifestent à Bruxelles
Congo-Indépendant, Bruxelles,
05/01/12, 4 p.
Elections : Les propositions du
CALCC pour sortir de l'impasse
politique
CALCC, Kinshasa, 27/12/11, 2 p.
Portrait du futur Président de la
République
DIA, Kinshasa, 21/11/11, 3 p.
EURAC - 31/01/12– page 7
DRC: Elections Burundi: UN
Collaborative Statement on the DRC Securty Council authorizes one Year
Elections mandate Extension for United Nations
ECI and others, Kinshasa, 19/12/11, 1 Security Council, New York, 20/12/11,
p. 5 p.
Congo's Etienne Tshisekedi: Clown or Burundi: Human
political heavyweight ?
ICG, Brussels, 19/12/2011, 2 p.
Rwanda : Human
Rights
Il faut une contre-expertise des résultats Profil sociodémographique des
personnes albinos au Burundi
Afrikarabia, Paris, 14/12/11, 2 p.
RCN Justice et Démocratie,
Peut-on encore sauver les législatives ? Bruxelles, 30/11/11, 34 p.
Christophe Rigaud, Paris, 27/12/11, 2
p.
Rights
Update on Abduction of Anither
Opposition Leader Gratien Nsabiyaremye
FDU-Inkingi, Kigali, 02/01/12, 4 p.
Au Rwanda, le racisme et l'ethnisme sont
encrés dans les moeurs politiques
Ghislain Mikeno, Bruxelles, 21/12/11, 4
p.
Rwanda: Economy
Résolution du Forum du Réseau Des taxes sur les propriétés foncières et
Africain de Gauche les maisons d'habitation
ALNEF, Bamako, 27/11/11, 2 p. Jane Mugeni, Bruxelles, 29/12/11, 2 p.
Burundi: Economy Rwanda: Insecurity
Sécurité alimentaire et réconciliation Attaque à la grenade près d'un marché à
Deutsche Welle, Bujumbura, 02/01/12, Kigali
2 p. Jambonews, Bruxelles, 04/01/12, 2 p.
Mémorandum sur l'illégalité rendue Deuxième phase de la privatisation de Rwanda: Justice
par la Cour Suprême de Justice la filière café au Burundi
APRODEC, Bruxelles, 31/12/11 CNAC, Bujumbura, 01/12/11, 18 p.
20 p.
Les élections du 28 novembre 2011 et Divorce entre le gouvernement et les Tout faire pour que le pays ne sombre Burundi: Justice
les Droits de l'Homme caféiculteurs pas dans le conflit
Les Amis de Nelson Mandela et autres, Journal Iwacu et autre, Bujumbura, FIDH, Paris, 05/12/11, 2 p.
Kinshasa, 05/12/11, 3 p. 20/12/11, 4 p.
2012 : Où va la RDC ?
Afrikarabia, Paris, 03/01/12, 3 p.
Anatomie d'un scrutin contesté
Colette Braeckman, Bruxelles,
02/01/12, 3 p.
Moment of Truth in the Congo
Enough Project, Washington
18/12/11, 2 p.
DRC: Justice
A critical Moment for Justice
AI, London, 19/12/11, 3 p.
Burundi: Politics
DRC: Press Crise de confiance entre le
gouvernement et les autres acteurs
socio-politiques
OAG, Bujumbura, 01/12/11, 56 p.
Journalist in Danger annual Report Le Président Nkurunziza peut-il briguer
urges authorities to rescue press un nouveau mandat ?
freedom Journal Iwacu, Bujumbura, 06/01/12, 3
JID, Kinshasa, 29/12/11, 84 p. p.
DRC: Natural Face aux menaces qui pèsent sur la
paix, la jeunesse doit se mobiliser
Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, Ngozi,
22/12/11, 23 p.
Resources
Keeping track of mineral resources
IRIN, Kinshasa, 13/12/11, 3 p.
Le Rwanda ne peut pas être juge et partie
Nkiko Nsengimana, Lausanne, 22/12/11,
3 p.
Le Rwanda et la Balgique devant la
justice
Jambonews, Bruxelles, 04/01/12, 5 p.
DC, Local justice and development in
Burundi
Clingendael, The Hague, 31/10/11, 31
p.
Local Justice and Security Providers in
South Kivu
Clingendael, The Hague, 31/10/11, 27
p.
Callixte Mbarushimana, remis en liberté,
veut rentrer en France
AFP, La Haye, 20/12/11, 2 p.
Rwanda: Press
Rapport annuel 2011
JED, Kinshasa, 29/12/11, 3 p.
L'élimination des journalistes
indépendants est un acte lâche
FDU-Inkingi, Lausanne, 02/12/11, 2 p.
Rwanda: Civil
Society
La voix de la réconciliation
Laurien Ntezimana, Bruxelles, 09/12/11, 4
p.
Rwanda: Society
Made in Rwanda : Un label identitaire
complexe
Jambonews Bruxelles, 28/12/11, 4 p.
EURAC - 31/01/12– page 8