CONGO-DEM.REPUBLIC 3/6/2004 10:22 ëALL?OF BUKAVU: RECAPITULATION AND A FEW QUESTIONS/PART2 Politics/Economy, Standard The storming of Bukavu, after four days of relative calm, began at dawn yesterday, when several thousand dissident soldiers (between 2,000 and 4,000 troops according to the dominant evaluations) penetrated the city amid light and heavy weapons fire, especially in the Nguba neighbourhood, where the soldiers of Mutebusi were concentrated, and in the Nyawera district containing the troops of General Felix Mudja Mabe, commander of the military region of Bukavu. However, movements of troops were also registered elsewhere, both in the zone of Kasha, north of the city, and in the direction of Camp Teve in the surrounding hills; in any case, it seems that Nkundaë men joined the troops under Mutebusië command. The most turbulent phase of the occupation seemed to be over by late morning, even if, on the basis of information gathered by MISNA sources, the operation apparently left at least six soldiers and two civilians dead and a further 15 people injured. The market at Katudu, numerous shops and the headquarters of WFP (World Food Programme) and of UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), as well as the parish of Kabare then became the target of looting and acts of vandalism, in which civilians also took part. Meanwhile, in other cities such as Kisangani and the capital Kinshasa, demonstrations were staged outside the UN offices; at least two people were injured and a dozen vehicles were damaged. According to the protesters ?including numerous students ?MONUC (UN Mission in DR-Congo), which boasts 10,800 troops, of whom only 1,000 are in Bukavu and the surrounding area, did not do enough to block the insurgents. In this climate, the ministerial delegation led by vice president Azarias Ruberwa, which was in Goma (capital of North Kivu) waiting to travel to Bukavu, was transported back to the capital by MONUC helicopter after strongly condemning the occupation and cautioning the renegade soldiers against any use of violence. In the light of yesterdayë developments, the statement read out on state television two nights ago seems all the more significant: ëhe general staff of the armed forces informs the population that no operation aimed at rekindling hatred towards the Banyamulenge population has ever been planned, nor has a man-hunt against the cross-border population ever been organised. The general staff, whose mission is to co-ordinate all activities concerning the military command, reiterates that our armed forces have the legal duty and the professional obligation to guarantee the security of the entire Congolese population in its diversity and to protect national independence and sovereignty. Being an integral part of our people, the Banyamulenge are equal to the other tribes in the Democratic Republic of Congo and benefit from the same protection by the army as all the others.?The message invited the Banyamulenge ?thousands of whom have fled across the border into Rwanda - to continue their normal activities and not to listen to those trying to divide the population, at the same time recalling that the army is ëpolitical and has the duty to distance itself from political movements, even if the animators of these movements are part of the national community? According to MISNA sources and some commentators, the document, signed by Lieutenant Colonel Leon Richard Kasongo, communications adviser for the army chief of staff, is without precedent both in terms of the declared ëepoliticisation?of the armed forces and for the notable desire for unity and peace that it expresses. Should these intentions be confirmed by the decisions and actions over the next few hours, instead of being the epicentre of a new conflict, despite the further suffering of the civilian population, the fall of Bukavu could become the starting point for a new path carrying the country even further from a tragic and violent past that is struggling to vanish entirely from the Congolese horizon.(Translation of an article by Pietro Mariano Benni)[LC]
