DRC peace process under threat
2004-07-15 12:21
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the peace process is under threat with renewed conflict in
the east of the country and political tension in the transitional government.
Reverend Yossa Way, an Anglican minister, smiles wryly over the frustrations of a foreigner at having to resort to bribery for the umpteenth time to get past the customs officials at the airport in Kinshasa.
"At one stage, things were better," he says, referring to the airport where corruption is rife as it is in the rest of the country. "Things deteriorated and there's nothing you can do about it - just smile and pay," he explains. "Everything takes time."
Time is the one luxury the country's politicians do not have. According to the peace agreement signed last year, elections must be held next year. It is hoped that this would put an end to the conflict that has claimed the lives of nearly 3.5m people.
However, rebel groups and the Congolese army clash in the east of the country on a daily basis.
More UN troops needed
International Crisis Group (ICG), a Belgian NGO, warns that if the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in the DRC isn't increased soon, the DRC could become embroiled in a war with neighbouring countries again.
The ICG says the UN force has failed to create a favourable political climate for lasting peace to become a reality, especially in the east.
"None of the problems that caused fighting in Bukavu (a town in eastern DRC) were addressed," says Susan Linee, ICG director. "Bukavu can easily come under rebel control again. Goma might be the next hotspot in the region."
The organisation explains that the peace agreements signed in South Africa between rebels and Joseph Kabila's government do not have enough momentum yet and people can still not see the benefits of peace.
Rebel groups in the east that are opposed to peace can also railroad the process. "These groups are exploiting the ethnic and political tension in the region," ICG says.
Meanwhile, the deployment of UN troops in the area is behind schedule and this is delaying disarmament of the rebels and their incorporation into the Congolese army.
Although the UN indicated earlier this month that it would be sending more troops to the DRC, observers believe UN commitments in Burundi, Haiti, Sudan and Iraq could make this difficult.
Your cellphone, your weapon
"We are so tired of war," says Marie-Jose Mikaba Kinunga, director general of the department of information.
Heavily armed soldiers are deployed around government buildings and soldiers are everywhere in the streets. After the riots in June and a rebel attack in the east, soldiers were paid their full salaries - this in a country where public servants are seldom paid.
There is little in the form of infrastructure that still works apart from South African and European installed cellphone networks. Kununga's building, for example, has no phones or electricity.
Kununga believes foreign investment would help ease the conflict in the country, as it would provide jobs to the youths who are currently spending their time fighting.
The arrival of Vodacom and other cellphone networks has clearly made an impact and has enabled the creation of many small businesses in this industry.
A cellphone has become a status symbol and some soldiers even go about with a gun in one hand and a cellphone in the other.
Hard life for women
More and more South Africans are considering investments in the DRC, says Coen van Wyk of the South African embassy in Kinshasa.
"Safety is a concern for many people, but the biggest problem is that most Congolese do not earn enough to pay for South African products," he says.
Infrastructure is also a huge problem, especially in rural areas.
Women do most of the work and can be seen working farms, catching fish and carrying heavy loads over long distances to the markets.
Despite their hard work, the average Congolese earn less that a dollar a day.
There is another way to earn a living. "It is easy to sell sex," a documentary producer, filming a programme on HIV/Aids among soldiers in Africa, says.
"It's not only the prostitutes spreading the virus. Each time the army takes over a place, many women are raped until the next force comes and does exactly the same."
Hope for a renaissance
Philemon Mayele, a translator for the UN, hopes to do business with South Africans.
He and a few friends formed a co-operative and grow coffee and sugar in the fertile Congolese soil.
"We are looking for a South African partner so we can export to that country and import other goods."
These co-operative businesses boosted the local economy in the eighties and even led to the improvement of infrastructure in the area.
However, the war has destroyed everything.
Although the future looks bleak for people like Mayele, not everyone is pessimistic.
Muhima Chariasse, a retired history lecturer, believes a renaissance is coming.
He says federalism might be a solution for the Congo - an opinion shared by many Congolese.
"But we must first have an election so we can choose leaders who can make a federal state a political reality. And for an election to take place, we must have peace," he adds.