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The Politics of Democratic Transition in Congo (Zaire): Implications of the Kabila "Revolution"
The Politics of Democratic Transition in Congo (Zaire): Implications of the Kabila "Revolution" by Osita G. Afoaku INTRODUCTION The impetus for recent public agitation for political reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DROC) came from three related sources: Congo's decline in strategic and economic importance at the end of the Cold War; withdrawal of Western support for the Mobutu regime and other African dictatorships; and an intolerable level of economic hardship which added fuel to domestic demand for democracy and accountability in the public sphere.1 Although the late President Mobutu Sese Seko lifted the ban on partisan politics on 24 April 1990, his government embarked on a campaign of destabilization against the transition program. The government's strategy was centered on centralized control of public institutions which assured Mobutu the resources to co-opt, intimidate, torture and silence opposition leaders and popular constituencies. In addition, Mobutu and his acolytes resuscitated the defunct Popular Movement for the Revolution (Mouvement Populaire de la Revolution, MPR) -- the party's name was changed to Popular Movement for Renewal (Mouvement Populaire pour le renouveau, MPR) as well as sponsored the formation of shadow opposition groups. Finally, the government attempted to undermine the democratization program by instigating ethno-political conflicts among the opposition groups.2 Unfortunately, Laurent Kabila's Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (Alliance des Forces Democratiques pour la Liberation du Congo-Zaire, AFDL) brought only temporary relief to the Congolese masses when it ousted Mobutu in May 1997. Congo is among four cases identified as dissolving nation-states in a recent study of democratization in Africa. -
Directors Fortnight Cannes 2000 Winner Best Feature
DIRECTORS WINNER FORTNIGHT BEST FEATURE CANNES PAN-AFRICAN FILM 2000 FESTIVAL L.A. A FILM BY RAOUL PECK A ZEITGEIST FILMS RELEASE JACQUES BIDOU presents A FILM BY RAOUL PECK Patrice Lumumba Eriq Ebouaney Joseph Mobutu Alex Descas Maurice Mpolo Théophile Moussa Sowié Joseph Kasa Vubu Maka Kotto Godefroid Munungo Dieudonné Kabongo Moïse Tshombe Pascal Nzonzi Walter J. Ganshof Van der Meersch André Debaar Joseph Okito Cheik Doukouré Thomas Kanza Oumar Diop Makena Pauline Lumumba Mariam Kaba General Emile Janssens Rudi Delhem Director Raoul Peck Screenplay Raoul Peck Pascal Bonitzer Music Jean-Claude Petit Executive Producer Jacques Bidou Production Manager Patrick Meunier Marianne Dumoulin Director of Photography Bernard Lutic 1st Assistant Director Jacques Cluzard Casting Sylvie Brocheré Artistic Director Denis Renault Art DIrector André Fonsny Costumes Charlotte David Editor Jacques Comets Sound Mixer Jean-Pierre Laforce Filmed in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Belgium A French/Belgian/Haitian/German co-production, 2000 In French with English subtitles 35mm • Color • Dolby Stereo SRD • 1:1.85 • 3144 meters Running time: 115 mins A ZEITGEIST FILMS RELEASE 247 CENTRE ST • 2ND FL • NEW YORK • NY 10013 www.zeitgeistfilm.com • [email protected] (212) 274-1989 • FAX (212) 274-1644 At the Berlin Conference of 1885, Europe divided up the African continent. The Congo became the personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium. On June 30, 1960, a young self-taught nationalist, Patrice Lumumba, became, at age 36, the first head of government of the new independent state. He would last two months in office. This is a true story. SYNOPSIS LUMUMBA is a gripping political thriller which tells the story of the legendary African leader Patrice Emery Lumumba. -
Two Years Without Transition
July 1992 Vol. 4, No. 9 ZAIRE TWO YEARS WITHOUT TRANSITION "[The National Conference must produce] not only a new structure, but, especially, new leaders." Bishop Laurent Mosengwo, President of the National Sovereign Conference. "There will be no blockage or attempt to suspend [the National Conference], but a little reminder from time to time so that everyone respects the rules of the game . Overruling the chief serves no purpose. Getting on with him is called consensus." President Mobutu Sese Seko, June 20, 1992. Introduction................................................................................... .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2222 III The Enforced Political ImpasseImpasse.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5............555 AAA Part One: The President's Unwilling Gift of DemocraDemocracy,cy, April 1990 to January 19921992..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5555 -
Questions Concerning the Situation in the Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville)
QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE SITUATION IN THE CONGO (LEOPOLDVILLE) 57 QUESTIONS RELATING TO Guatemala, Haiti, Iran, Japan, Laos, Mexico, FUTURE OF NETHERLANDS Nigeria, Panama, Somalia, Togo, Turkey, Upper NEW GUINEA (WEST IRIAN) Volta, Uruguay, Venezuela. A/4915. Letter of 7 October 1961 from Permanent Liberia did not participate in the voting. Representative of Netherlands circulating memo- A/L.371. Cameroun, Central African Republic, Chad, randum of Netherlands delegation on future and Congo (Brazzaville), Dahomey, Gabon, Ivory development of Netherlands New Guinea. Coast, Madagascar, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, A/4944. Note verbale of 27 October 1961 from Per- Togo, Upper Volta: amendment to 9-power draft manent Mission of Indonesia circulating statement resolution, A/L.367/Rev.1. made on 24 October 1961 by Foreign Minister of A/L.368. Cameroun, Central African Republic, Chad, Indonesia. Congo (Brazzaville), Dahomey, Gabon, Ivory A/4954. Letter of 2 November 1961 from Permanent Coast, Madagascar, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Representative of Netherlands transmitting memo- Togo, Upper Volta: draft resolution. Text, as randum on status and future of Netherlands New amended by vote on preamble, was not adopted Guinea. by Assembly, having failed to obtain required two- A/L.354 and Rev.1, Rev.1/Corr.1. Netherlands: draft thirds majority vote on 27 November, meeting resolution. 1066. The vote, by roll-call was 53 to 41, with A/4959. Statement of financial implications of Nether- 9 abstentions, as follows: lands draft resolution, A/L.354. In favour: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, A/L.367 and Add.1-4; A/L.367/Rev.1. Bolivia, Congo Brazil, Cameroun, Canada, Central African Re- (Leopoldville), Guinea, India, Liberia, Mali, public, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo Nepal, Syria, United Arab Republic: draft reso- (Brazzaville), Costa Rica, Dahomey, Denmark, lution and revision. -
Kabila Returns, in a Cloud of Uncertainty
African Studies Quarterly | Volume 1, Issue 3 | 1997 Kabila Returns, In a Cloud of Uncertainty THOMAS TURNER INTRODUCTION Since the 1960's, Laurent Kabila had led a group of insurgents against the dictatorial Mobutu Sese Seko government in Kinshasa, operating along Zaire's eastern border 1. Kabila's group was one of the many rebel movements in the East that had arisen with the aim of furthering the political program of Congo's first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, the popular and charismatic leader who was assassinated in 1961. The major Lumumbist insurgencies had been subdued by Mobutu using foreign mercenaries between 1965 and 1967. The small surviving groups such as that of Kabila posed no threat to the Mobutu regime. The 1994 Rwandan genocide changed all that. Approximately one million Rwanda Hutu refugees fled to eastern Zaire, which was already near the boiling point due to conflicts over land use and political representation. In an effort to break out of its diplomatic isolation, the Mobutu government provided backing to the Hutu, including army and militia elements, thereby earning the enmity of the Tutsi-dominated government in Rwanda. Tutsi of South Kivu, the so-called Banyamulenge, staged an uprising in the summer of 1996, with the support of the Rwanda government. By the second half of that year, the alliance of Banyamulenge, Tutsi of North Kivu, and Lumumbists and others, headed by Kabila, had taken over substantial parts of eastern Zaire, with the corrupt and demoralized Mobutu army disappearing in the face of their advance. After a short seven month campaign, Kabila and the new armed coalition entered Kinshasa as Mobutu fled into exile. -
La Crise D'hommes Au Congo: Les Larmes De La Honte
Benjamin Becaud Mambuana “ La crise d’hommes au Congo: les larmes de la honte” De la déchéance à la fin programmée du fameux « Brésil africain » mort né -2008- Résumé Pourquoi malgré ses importants atouts : ses ressources les plus innombrables et exceptionnelles ce pays, autrefois nommé le « Brésil africain » continue sa plongée apnée ? Des facteurs tels la colonisation, l’impérialisme, l’ingérence extérieure,…, ont été généralement évoqués pour expliquer les causes de la déliquescence de ce « pays continent » très largement gâté par la nature. Une part relativement faible des analyses accordait l’attention à la défaillance humaine pour expliquer les vraies origines du mal qui continue à compromettre le bien-être des populations congolaises. A l’évidence, autant d’hommes qui se succèdent à la tête du Congo, autant des systèmes politiques, autant des médiocrités qui gangrènent le quotidien congolais largement marqué par la racaille. La victimisation du peuple congolais demeure une réalité frappante dont la « têtutesse » de faits semble ne pas être défiée même par le point de vue de l’observateur le plus optimiste. Le Congo s’affiche à la porte des sorties de classements conventionnellement admis, n’eût été les artifices par lesquels les meilleurs experts surdoués des institutions internationales se tirent d’affaire pour justifier des potentiels signes de vie : brandissant, notamment, des chiffres dignes des coups de baguettes magiques. Cet ouvrage tente d’examiner, tout particulièrement, l’homme congolais, et sa façon de faire. Un processus de lavage de cerveaux et de dépigmentation culturelle ont été, très tôt à l’œuvre pour transmuter ce peuple dynamique d’avant l’indépendance en vulgaire danseur avili et humilié. -
Conférence Nationale Souveraine. Elle a Procédé À La Mise En Place Du Bureau PROVISOIRE
REPUBLIQUE DU ZAÏRE ***************************************************** RAPPORT DE LA COMMISSION SOCIALE ET CULTURELLE ****************************************************** PALAIS DU PEUPLE AOUT 1992 REPUBLIQUE DU ZAIRE CONFERENCE NATIONALE SOUVERAINE COMMISSION SOCIALE ET CULTURELLE RAPPORT FINAL DES TRAVAUX DE LA COMMISSION SOCIALE ET CULTURELLE I.S.A.M./GOMBE Août 1992 2 PLAN DU RAPPORT Préambule ………………………………………………………………………………5 CHAPITRE I : DES GENERALITES ………………………………………………..6 1. De la Composition de la Commission ……………………………………….6 2. De la Composition du Bureau de Commission ………………………….. .10 3. De la Composition des Bureaux des Sous-Commission …………………12 4. De la méthodologie du travail ……………………………………………….13 5. Du personnel d’appoint, des experts, des consultants …...15 6. Des difficultés rencontrées ………………………………………………….17 7. Des remerciements ………………………………………………………….18 CHAPITRE II : DES CONSTATS ET DES RECOMMANDATIONS …...19 I. Dans le domaine du travail et de la Prévoyance sociale ……………19 A. DES CONSTATS ………………………………………….19 B. DES RECOMMANDATIONS ……………………………. 34 II. Dans le domaine des questions sociales …………………………………...34 A. DES CONSTATS …………………………………………………………….51 B. DES RECOMMANDATIONS ……………………………………………….60 III. Dans le domaine de la jeunesse ……………………………………………..69 A. DES CONSTATS …………………………………………………………….70 B. DES RECOMMANDATIONS IV. Dans le domaine des Sports et Loisirs …………………………………….84 A. DES CONSTATS ……………………………………………………………84 B. DES RECOMMANDATIONS V. Dans le domaine Culturel et artistique …………………………………….. 85 DES CONSTATS -
Front Matter.P65
Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files CONGO 1960–January 1963 INTERNAL AFFAIRS Decimal Numbers 755A, 770G, 855A, 870G, 955A, and 970G and FOREIGN AFFAIRS Decimal Numbers 655A, 670G, 611.55A, and 611.70G Project Coordinator Robert E. Lester Guide Compiled by Martin Schipper A UPA Collection from 4520 East-West Highway • Bethesda, MD 20814-3389 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Confidential U.S. State Department central files. Congo, 1960–January 1963 [microform] : internal affairs and foreign affairs / [project coordinator, Robert E. Lester]. microfilm reels ; 35 mm. Accompanied by a printed guide, compiled by Martin Schipper, entitled: A guide to the microfilm edition of Confidential U.S. State Department central files. Congo, 1960–January 1963. “The documents reproduced in this publication are among the records of the U.S. Department of State in the custody of the National Archives of the United States.” ISBN 1-55655-809-0 1. Congo (Democratic Republic)—History—Civil War, 1960–1965—Sources. 2. Congo (Democratic Republic)—Politics and government—1960–1997—Sources. 3. Congo (Democratic Republic)—Foreign relations—1960–1997—Sources. 4. United States. Dept. of State—Archives. I. Title: Confidential US State Department central files. Congo, 1960–January 1963. II. Lester, Robert. III. Schipper, Martin Paul. IV. United States. Dept. of State. V. United States. National Archives and Records Administration. VI. University Publications of America (Firm) VII. Title: Guide to the microfilm edition of Confidential U.S. State Department central files. Congo, 1960–January 1963. DT658.22 967.5103’1—dc21 2001045336 CIP The documents reproduced in this publication are among the records of the U.S. -
Figments of a State Called the Democratic Republic of the Congo Aimee M
Macalester College DigitalCommons@Macalester College International Studies Honors Projects International Studies Department Spring 5-7-2013 The tU ility of Darkness: Figments of a State called the Democratic Republic of the Congo Aimee M. Mackie Macalester College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/intlstudies_honors Part of the African Studies Commons, International Relations Commons, and the Other International and Area Studies Commons Recommended Citation Mackie, Aimee M., "The tU ility of Darkness: Figments of a State called the Democratic Republic of the Congo" (2013). International Studies Honors Projects. Paper 17. http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/intlstudies_honors/17 This Honors Project is brought to you for free and open access by the International Studies Department at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Studies Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Utility of Darkness: Figments of a State called the Democratic Republic of the Congo Aimee Mackie Honors Thesis Presented to the Department of International Studies Macalester College Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ahmed I. Samatar 7 May 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………..3 Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………4 Chapter One Introduction A. The Problem……………………………………………………………………………6 B. Research Questions ……………………………………………………………………7 -
ZAIRE Predicament and Prospects
ZAIRE Predicament and Prospects A Report to the Minority Rights Group (USA) by J. C. Willame et al. UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE CONTENTS Summary v Preface by Minority Rights Group (USA) ix Maps xii Abbreviations xiv Part I: Understanding the Unending Crisis in Zaire 1 Jean-Claude Willame 1 The Structure of Society 2 2 Economic Structures and Prospects 8 3 Political Structures and Prospects 14 4 Urgent Issues 19 Notes 21 iv Part II: Frameworks for Preventive Diplomacy 23 5 A Framework for Action to Arrest Further Violence in Zaire 24 Jean-Claude Willame 6 How Best to Provide International Economic Aid in Zaire 27 Hugues Leclercq 7 Violence in Zaire 31 Peter Rosenblum Appendix: Rwandan Refugees in Kivu, Zaire 37 Catharine Newbury Notes to Appendix 41 Chronology, 1960–96 42 About the Authors 49 About the Institute 51 v UNDERSTANDING THE UNENDING CRISIS IN ZAIRE Jean-Claude Willame To the astonishment of many observers, Zaire contin- ues to exist. Despite the implosion of key social, politi- cal, and economic structures since the beginning of the 1990s, Zairians have developed a set of informal SUMMARY arrangements that enables them to survive and pre- vents the societal explosion one would have expected. Belgian colonial rule created a society, but not a strong centralized state, out of a network of mobile and autonomous households. In the postcolonial period, attempts to establish the total unification of Zairian society through the cult of the Supreme Chief and acceptance of a party-state ran up against ethnic and mostly regional loyalties. In regions such as Shaba, Kasai, Kivu, and Kongo, these loyalties are still strong. -
United Nations E
UNITED NATIONS E Distr. Economic and Social GENERAL Council E/CN.4/1998/65 30 January 1998 ENGLISH Original: SPANISH COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fiftyfourth session Item 10 of the provisional agenda QUESTION OF THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO COLONIAL AND OTHER DEPENDENT COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES Report on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire), submitted by the Special Rapporteur, Mr. Roberto Garretón, in accordance with Commission resolution 1997/58 CONTENTS Paragraphs Page Acronyms ............................... 4 Note ................................. 5 I. INTRODUCTION .................. 1 19 6 A. Mandate of the Special Rapporteur ..... 1 2 6 B. Activities of the Special Rapporteur ... 3 9 6 C. The Special Rapporteur and the authorities of the former Zaire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo ... 10 11 8 D. International obligations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ..... 12 17 8 E. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ..... 18 9 F. Cooperation with United Nations machinery . 19 9 GE.9810343 (E) E/CN.4/1998/65 page 2 CONTENTS (continued) Paragraphs Page II. THE WAR OF LIBERATION AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE ..................... 20 9 III. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY ........... 21 72 10 A. The demise of an authoritarian regime ... 22 25 10 B. The installation of a new regime: authority in the so•called “liberated” territories . 26 31 11 C. The new power structure .......... 32 56 12 D. Transboundary nationality ......... 57 60 16 E. Promises of a new democratic order and the reality ............... -
A Familiar Frontier: the Kennedy Administration in the Congo
A Familiar Frontier: The Kennedy Administration in the Congo Master’s Thesis Presented To The Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Department of History David Engerman, Advisor In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Master’s Degree by Tyler Ritchie May 2012 ABSTRACT A Familiar Frontier: The Kennedy Administration in the Congo A thesis presented to the Department of History Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts By Tyler Ritchie Previous historical scholarship has tended to support the idea that John F. Kennedy’s inauguration began a period of increased U.S. involvement in and cooperation with Africa. However, U.S. treatment of the crisis in the Congo stayed remarkably the same from Eisenhower to Kennedy. In its treatment of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, its efforts to secure a new national leader, and its handling of the Belgian-backed, secessionist government in Katanga Province, the Kennedy Administration largely followed the lead of its immediate predecessor. This thesis uses government documents from the high levels of both Administrations to show that Kennedy’s advisers reflected the same assumptions, often wrong ones, about U.S. interests in the Congo and the dangers of communist takeover. This thesis concludes that any desire for a changed Africa policy was not strong enough to lead the U.S. to compromise its perceived national interests in the Congo. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Chapter One: Stanleyville 12 Chapter Two: Leopoldville 41 Chapter Three: Elisabethville 67 Conclusion 93 Bibliography 97 iii Introduction 1960 was known as the Year of Africa, a label that only calls the mind to the many previous years that Africa had spent either neglected or dominated by the West.