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Dec. 3, 2008 For the past decades after independence from Belgium Zaire has been in the international news for wrong reasons. It has been a dark example of the most primitive politics played with bizzare arrogance and despicable neo-colonial schemes for indirect control through planting of a stooge. Late Mobutu Sese-Seko's Zaire was an animal kingdom, a nation made mad by a man made mad himself by power and its appurtenances. Mobutu ran a country designed after his immoral image building a personality cult that was worshipped for decades. In Mobutu's Zaire a banana republic was born (much like late Samuel Doe's Liberia) and it took a reluctant fat rebel in late Desiré Kabila to turn the table against the aging dictator. It was after the triumphant capture of Kinshasa and the fleeing into exile of Mobutu that Zaire was renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo in the spirit of the new order. Desiré Kabila, unprepared for power and unable to control his military elements, was murdered gruesomely inside the Presidential Palace by one of his bodyguards, a Judas named Rashidi. Kabila the murdered father of Joseph in power was no Jonas Savimbi, the most prominent rebel leader ever to have emerged out of Africa, nor would anyone compare him to Liberian Charles Taylor in terms of rigour, organisation, intelligence and mean-spiritedness. As Kabila the surviving son was selected to lead the country -- more in solidarity with the Kabila family that had suffered state terror or international conspiracy rather than on the basis of competence or experience -- the young Joseph Kabila began the presidential journey timidly with little or no clue over the problems besetting his country and countrymen. But the power bug has bit him predictably leading to him 'winning' the presidential polls in his country which was manipulated in his favour. From one rebellion to another DR Congo post-Mobutu has been a fragile country ethnically and politically divided down the middle with warlords warring over control of far-flung territories. At a time an international war was going on in Congo-Kinshasa with countries like Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe etc taking active part to save the Kabila embattled presidency and ward off the claimed external aggression. With many peace accords signed Congo remains a fractured country without an independent military might to conquer any serious rebellion. Today one renegade military General, Laurent Nkunda, is the new warlord in town seizing one town and village after another in eastern Congo bordering Rwanda. This man who speaks polished English looks physically like President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and our own Gen. Muhammadu Buhari -- frail-looking, lanky and bespectacled. But behind these physical attributes lies a heart of steel, one of a strongman in command of troops. The Congolese authorities had accused neighbouring Rwanda of being behind the rebellion, something the Rwandese government has denied. Gen. Nkunda claims he is fighting to protect ethnic Tutsis from Hutus who fled to Congo from Rwanda after that country's 1994 genocide, but his critics contend he is more interested in power and Congo's mineral wealth. Rwanda may not escape accusations of partisanship in the war in the Congo. Even if their troops are not physically present in DR Congo territory (something Kinshasa says it has proof of on the contrary) fighting alongside the Nkunda army it is to be believed that some logistical support must have been extended to the Nkunda forces. But the hand of God and its armour of justice must have 'punished' Rwanda for creating or helping to create a huge humanitarian problems in eastern Congo. Recently a huge diplomatic row broke out between France and Rwanda. Echoes of the 1994 genocide were re-ignited as souls of millions of people brutally executed turned in their grave in anger. Ms Rose Kabuye, the chief protocol officer to President Paul Kagame was arrested in Germany for her presumed role in the genocide. Her arrest in Germany on official trip to prepare grounds for a presidential visit must have rankled Kigali to no end. The Kagame government, typical of African leaders, mobilised thousands of Rwandese to demonstrate in different locations including the French and German embassies in Kigali. Kabuye has since been transfered to Paris where she is currently standing trial. The United Nations (whose troops based in Congo, MONUC, has been accused of non-action in the face of the terrorism of the Nkunda boys) has intervened by dispatching a mediator in the person of former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo. Obasanjo may have been chosen out of his military experience and not on account of good democratic credentials or great character profile which he does not possess. Diplomatically Obasanjo is a square peg in a round hole; he does not possess the diplomatic finesse or temperament requirred in situations like this. One wonders how the Owu Chief intends to get the opposing forces to the negotiating table since President Kabila has categorically refused to do any dialogue or negotiation with the rebel leader. But as a U.N. special envoy to DR Congo Obasanjo must have been relieved that he temporarily left Nigeria to her socio-economic political problems which he chiefly caused during his eight years sojourn as the Nigerian overbearing corrupt President. Congo boasts of very rich natural resources but post-colonial circumstances have not allowed the local authorities to exploit the God-given resources to better the lives of the people. With high-profile world-class musicians like Koffi Olomide, Papa Wemba, Fally Ipupa and a host of others DR Congo is notorious for the extravagance fashion sense and the bleaching of the skin of many of her nationals, men and women, at home and abroad. Former Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was a victim of neo-colonial forces and their local collaborators. As Prime Minister his brilliance and radicalism was a testimony to a man destined for greatness, a man who loved his country and detested the White lies we had been fed as truth. He openly rebelled against the Belgian monarchical establishment that had sought to continue exploiting the resources of ex-Zaire to the disadvantage of poor Congolese. In one memorable address to his people Lumumba had urged them to rise from their slumber and refuse to be told that white approximates to black and black white. As he was pummelled savagely air-borne by the commissioned assassins he took more than a decent man could have taken and succumbed to death. The barbaric treatment meted out to him implicated quite a few retrogressive elements led by the Belgians and Americans and locally aided and abetted by Mobutu Sese-Seko and the military elements he was aspiring to command. Mobutu was used to murder his 'brother' in order for him to take control and become amenable to the whims and caprices of foreign elements masquerading as 'saviours' or masters. SOS! Who will save the soul of DR Congo? I think there is a swelling urgent need for a national appeasement, a national ecumenical day of fasting and praying to appease the restless soul of gentleman Patrice Lumumba. And then happy in his grave perhaps Lumumba can lift the obvious curse he angrily placed on his country before he gave up the ghost!
Over to you Joseph "the dreamer" Kabila!!
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