coupures 26 juin 2007 (eng)

War-ravaged DRCongo holds first social forum
Mon Jun 25, 2:06 PM ET
KINSHASA (AFP) - A social forum drawing nearly 2,000 leading figures from NGOs and labour unions opened Monday in Kinshasa aimed at helping the Democratic Republic of Congo emerge from decades of war.
The upbeat gathering, the first of its kind in the country, sees delegates, including international visitors from Belgium, France, Senegal, and Switzerland, meet in the capital's botanical gardens until Thursday.
"This forum aims to mobilise social movements in the country to put citizens at the forefront of all political, economic and social initiatives, to contribute to a fairer and more united society," said organiser Sylvestre Kambaza.
It also wants to propel citizens "into rebuilding Congo without its natural resources being pillaged," said Kambaza, from the Congolese NGO Prefed.
Attending the forum was Francois Houtart, the Belgian Roman Catholic priest and co-organiser of the first World Social Forum held in Brazil in 2001.
He deplored the fact that despite its vast mineral wealth and natural resources, more than 75 percent of the country's 60 million people earned less than one dollar a day and urged the Congolese to "be capable of orienting political and social life".
Landmark polls were held last year in the country, the first in the war-shattered nation for more than four decades and the first since independence in 1960 to be considered free and fair.
The copper-, diamond- and gold-rich country was systematically pillaged by former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko who treated the coffers as his personal bank account during his 32-year rule.
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Congo-Kinshasa: H. Menkerios - We Do Not Expect That the Return of Mr. Bemba Will Create a Security Threat



United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
INTERVIEW
25 June 2007
Posted to the web 25 June 2007
Eoin Young
Mr. Haile Menkerios, UN Deputy Special Representative to the Secretary General (DSRSG) in the DRC for the last two years, will leave his position this week. He explained to us his previous involvement in Congolese politics, which goes back to the 1990's, as well as the implications of the return of Mr. Bemba in July and the challenges now facing the DRC government.
How did your experience as senior advisor to the special envoy for the Secretary General in the Inter Congolese Dialogue process enhance your understanding and knowledge of the DRC political process?
My participation in the Inter Congolese Dialogue was not the beginning of my involvement in the Congolese political process. I was the Eritrean Special envoy to the Great Lakes Region from 1996 to 1997, and during that period I was very actively engaged in the process of change that was going on in the Congo. In fact I did work for a short period as a political advisor for Laurent Desiree Kabila.
Therefore I had an adequate understanding of the dynamics of what was going on in the Congo. During my work in the Inter Congolese Dialogue process, I was in constant discussions with all the different parties.
It was not only negotiations in Sun city, but also I attended a lot of other conferences elsewhere. It involved a lot of shuttle diplomacy, to try bridge the gap between the different parties. This gave me a better understanding of the interests and dreams of the different groups, and to what extent it was possible, or difficult, to bring them closer.
I had some understanding of Congolese politics before this, but during that period we also had to try to understand the situation of each party and their positions and therefore it helped deepens my knowledge and understanding.
And because of my previous experience in this regard, the Secretary General then asked me to work here as Deputy Special Representative in the DRC.
Mr. Bemba is due to return to the DRC in July, and a rise in tension in the DRC remains a possibility. Does MONUC have a specific political plan in relation to this?
We do not expect that the return of Mr. Bemba is going to create another security threat. It's a totally different situation now. I think that kind of confrontation is behind us, because the means does not exist. If any disturbance should occur, it would not be major and the security forces of the country can handle it, and we would be ready to assist if necessary.
What are the most important priorities and challenges facing the DRC government?
Security sector reform is obviously a priority. Furthermore, the provision of social services to the population is necessary. Peace and stability will bring higher expectations for the delivery of social services such as education health, the possibility for trade, justice, at the local level.
These are now the biggest challenges for the government, the provision of these services that are justifiably expected by the people.

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Africo Resources update on legal proceedings in the DRC
Monday June 25, 2:41 pm ET
TORONTO, June 25 /CNW/ - Africo Resources is pleased to advise that on 22nd June 2007 the Presiding Judge of the Supreme Court of Justice of the DRC authorized the lodging of the judicial misconduct application referred to in Africo's press release dated April 27, 2007 with respect to the judgements obtained by Mr Alejandro Berardone and Akam Mining, respectively.
This progress follows on the pronouncement on Friday 25 May 2007 in the Supreme Court of Kinshasa in the DRC that Africo's motion for judicial misconduct had been found to be admissible.
Dr Tony Harwood, CEO of Africo Resources, said today that, "This positive development in the case has provided further encouragement to Africo's efforts to maintain its ownership of the Kalukundi asset. We are confident that this development will assist Africo to re-establish the status quo that existed prior to the judgments obtained by Mr Alejandro Berardone and Akam Mining."
The four Lubumbashi magistrates cited by the Supreme Court presiding judge on 22nd June 2007, once served with this proceeding, are required to provide their defence within 15 days. A final judgement will be handed down after this defence in the Supreme Court.
Note for editors:
Africo Resources Limited is a Canadian mineral company, committed to, acquiring, exploring and developing base metal assets in Africa. The company's main project is Kalukundi, a development stage copper-cobalt deposit located on the Katangan Copperbelt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The development team has an operational base in the DRC, with the company corporate offices located in Vancouver, Canada. The company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange in December 2006.
Forward-looking statements:
This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Africo expects to occur, are forward looking statements.
Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Africo believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration success, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Africo's management on the date the statements are made. Africo undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information
please visit our website at www.africoresources.com, or contact: Dr Tony Harwood, President and CEO, on tel: +27(11) 463-0081
Chris Theodoropoulos, Chairman, on tel: (604) 646-3225
Bill Cavalluzzo (Investor Relations), on tel: (866) 365-4706
Charmane Russell, on tel: +27(11) 880-3924

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DRC orphans given SA asylum

Mon, 25 Jun 2007
Three orphaned sisters from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were granted asylum in South Africa by order of the Pretoria High Court on Monday.
Judge Chris Botha set aside an order by the refugee Appeal Board that the girls return to the DRC.
Botha said the RAB had erred in finding that the DRC had changed for the better and that the girls — who had no parents or guardians — would not be exposed to violence if they returned.
The evidence of an advocate from Lawyers for Human Rights appointed in 2006 to represent the girls, was that the DRC was still prone to unrest and lawlessness, and the girls were in danger of abuse.
Now aged 15, 13 and 10, the girls fled to South Africa with their father and older sister in 2003, two years after their mother died. When their father died a year later, their older sister took care of them. When she disappeared, they were placed in foster care.
Their subsequent application for asylum was dismissed on the grounds that their fear of persecution was not well founded, as the DRC was no longer at war and their home town of Lubumbashi was "an island of tranquillity".
An appeal with the help of the Wits Law Clinic was dismissed in November 2005. They were put in a place of safety in January 2006 after their foster mother's welfare grant was ended as the girls were foreigners.
The Refugee Appeal Board said while it was "sympathetic" it was bound by the Refugees Act and could not grant asylum as the girls had given no reasons for coming to South Africa, nor proof of danger in their own country.
Botha said the RAB seemed to accept that the mere fact of a peace agreement and establishment of a transitional government transformed the DRC into a peaceful country.
"The evidence is that in spite of all this, tension persisted and abuses by armed groups, even government troops, continued. There was therefore not sufficient evidence of a cessation of the circumstances that entitled the applicants to refugee status," he said.
The Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict has said that all sides in the DRC used rape as a weapon of war.
Sapa
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Angola repatriates over 1,600 foreigners from DRC



Angola's Foreigners and Migration Service (SME) repatriated about 1,700 foreigners from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and some West African countries during the first five months of this year, a senior official of the SME said on Monday.
Adao Jose, acting director of SME Malanje Provincial Bureau, told reporters that "1,654 of the 1,700 foreigners residing illegally in the northern province were from DRC and were expelled through Angola-DRC border at Luheto."
The others, he added, included 45 from west African countries such as Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal who were driven to the capital Luanda to be repatriated by the SME head-office.
"Meanwhile, 14 other illegal foreigners, mostly citizens of the DRC, are under preventive custody," he said.
According to the SME official, most of the illegal foreigners were engaged in illegal diamond mining in Milando community and Kunda Dia Base district, and used Tembo-a-Luma and Luheto borders as their bases in the northeastern province of Lunda Norte.
To curb this situation, he said, the government has launched an operation dubbed "Nganga Muxica" in Milado locality, aiming at seizing foreigners in illegal condition.
As Malanje province is a transition center for other diamond- rich provinces in the country, Jose said, the SME has stepped up great efforts to prevent illegal foreigners from entering the province.
Source: Xinhua

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