‘Congo DR peace extremely fragile’

The Democratic Republic of Congo is at extreme risk of descending into widespread violence, according to the UN Security Council.

UN Envoy in the DR Congo, Maman Sidikou, said threats to the 18, 000-strong peacekeeping mission there outstripped its capabilities.

Violent protests have broken out over the postponement of presidential polls.

The opposition has accused President Joseph Kabila of trying to cling to power beyond the end of his term, which is due to expire in December.

Dozens of people died in anti-government violence in the capital Kinshasa last month after the electoral commission 36said it could not hold polls in November.

The headquarters of three opposition parties were also attacked and burned down.

“Actors on all sides appear more and more willing to reort to violence to achieve their ends,” Sidikou, head of the UN peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

“While MONUSCO will do everything it can within its Husseinmandate to protect civilians, the scope of the threats dramatically outstrip the mission’s capabilities.

“The Democratic Republic of Congo has entered a period of extreme risk to its stability. The coming period will certainly be extremely difficult, the tipping point in the serious violence could be reached very quickly.”
DR Congo has never had a smooth transfer of power since independence more than 55 years ago.

Kabila took power in 2001 following the assassination of his father, Laurent Kabila, and the constitution bars him from running for office again.

Last month, the US imposed sanctions on two senior security officials allied to the president.

Comments

Chelsea preparing world-record Bonucci bid

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic has told manager Antonio Conte that a January move for Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci could be on the cards. According to reports from the Telegraph, the Russian businessman is prepared to bankroll a number of new signings in the New Year as the Blues look to retain the Premier League trophy. Bonucci would command a world-record fee for a defender, expected to be in the region of £50 million, should he move to Stamford Bridge.

Turkey bomb victims ‘mostly children’surviving

Most of the victims of the bombing of a Kurdish wedding party in the Turkish city of Gaziantep on Saturday were children, media reports have said. Twenty-nine victims were under the age of 18, reports said, with one official saying 22 were under the age of 14. The death toll rose to 54 yesterday. The suicide bomber himself was a child aged between 12 and 14, President Recep Tayyip One woman lost four children in the attack, Emine Arhan, said yesterday: “If it wasn’t for my only surviving child, I would have killed myself.” Another victim was a nine-year-old girl who had stayed on at the party to see the bride after her parents had left, according to reports. A disproportionately large number of women and children were killed in the attack because it targeted henna night, a part of the celebration attended mainly by women and children. Turkish officials said the type of bomb used, which contained scraps of metal, was similar to those used in previous attacks on pro-Kurdish gatherings. ...

IMMUNITY BILL: A MISPLACED PRIORITY

Certainly, it is not a matter of conjecture to say that the undue interference and unpalatably flagrant disregard to separation of power by the executive tier of government has raised more questions than answers on the integrity of this government and the commitment of the leadership to truly push for the genuine change in line with democratic norms all over the world. Fatunde Bamidele Samuel (VEGA) writes from lagos. Recently, the society was encapsulated with shocking news of pension bill for the National Assembly members. However, the bill was dead on arrival. This is nothing but another heinous attempt to permanently ground the country that is already suffering from the bloodsucking bedbugs (NASS) and former governors pensions. These are almost sucking the finances of this country dry; if and only if we could act fast to salvage it then we can only hope the existence of Nigeria will not be history. The recent exploit of the National Assembly is evi...

Welcome to EagleWatch

Search This Blog