Congo's transitional power-sharing government met for the first time Friday, heightening hopes for the end of nearly five years of war in the vast central African country.
President Joseph Kabila presided over the meeting, which was also attended by the four vice presidents that were named in negotiations in December -- the leaders of the two main rebel groups, an ally of Kabila's, and a member of the country's unarmed political opposition.
The new government is also comprised of 36 ministers and 25 vice ministers. All were present at Friday's meeting except one minister and two vice-ministers who have yet to be named by the government.
The government's first session was originally scheduled for July 19, but was postponed because the ministers and vice ministers from Congo's main rebel groups had boycotted an earlier ceremony, refusing to swear allegiance to Kabila.
The boycotters finally took the oath on Thursday, agreeing to a slightly re-worded pledge in which they pledged loyalty not only to Kabila, but to the government and country's laws as well.
High on the agenda for the government's first meeting was the continued violence in northeastern Congo.
Medecins sans Frontieres, the French-based relief group, said Friday that nighttime killings, rapes and abductions have terrorized the population of Bunia, the region's main city, despite the deployment of a French-led emergency force there in early June.
The emergency military force was dispatched to Bunia to stem fighting between rival tribal factions that have killed hundreds of people.
The volatility in northeastern Congo poses one of the new government's most difficult hurdles as it aims to lead the country to elections within the next year.
Many also wonder how well old enemies will be able to work together in the cumbersomely structured government.
Congo's war, which has killed an estimated 3.3 million people through violence, starvation and disease, erupted in 1998 when neighboring Rwanda and Uganda backed Congolese rebels trying to overthrow then-President Laurent Kabila, accusing him of harboring armed militias that threatened their own security.
Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia stepped in on the government's side.
Kabila was assassinated in January 2001 by one of his own bodyguards and was succeeded by his son, Joseph, who pushed ahead with peace efforts, eventually leading to the withdrawal of foreign armies from the country.
REBUILDING: A researcher said that it might seem counterintuitive to start talking about reconstruction amid the war with Russia, but it is ‘actually an urgent priority’ Italy is hosting the fourth annual conference on rebuilding Ukraine even as Russia escalates its war, inviting political and business leaders to Rome to promote public-private partnerships on defense, mining, energy and other projects as uncertainty grows about the US’ commitment to Kyiv’s defense. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were opening the meeting yesterday, which gets under way as Russia accelerated its aerial and ground attacks against Ukraine with another night of pounding missile and drone attacks on Kyiv. Italian organizers said that 100 official delegations were attending, as were 40 international organizations and development banks. There are
TARIFF ACTION: The US embassy said that the ‘political persecution’ against former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro disrespects the democratic traditions of the nation The US and Brazil on Wednesday escalated their row over US President Donald Trump’s support for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, with Washington slapping a 50 percent tariff on one of its main steel suppliers. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva threatened to reciprocate. Trump has criticized the prosecution of Bolsonaro, who is on trial for allegedly plotting to cling on to power after losing 2022 elections to Lula. Brasilia on Wednesday summoned Washington’s top envoy to the country to explain an embassy statement describing Bolsonaro as a victim of “political persecution” — echoing Trump’s description of the treatment of Bolsonaro as
The military is to begin conscripting civilians next year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. The Cambodian parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier. “This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and
Pakistani police yesterday said a father shot dead his daughter after she refused to delete her TikTok account. In the Muslim-majority country, women can be subjected to violence by family members for not following strict rules on how to behave in public, including in online spaces. “The girl’s father had asked her to delete her TikTok account. On refusal, he killed her,” a police spokesperson said. Investigators said the father killed his 16-year-old daughter on Tuesday “for honor,” the police report said. The man was subsequently arrested. The girl’s family initially tried to “portray the murder as a suicide” said police in
RSS