United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
Bilamekaso Tchagbele
29 February 2008
"I came to inform myself, to learn and to listen," said Alan Doss, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC, during his work visit this Thursday 28 February 2008 to Matadi, capital of Bas Congo province in western DRC.
Mr. Doss also made an allusion to the insecurity which appears to be spreading in Bas Congo, with acts of civil disobedience and violence by followers of the politico religious movement Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK).
In front of journalists, Mr. Doss insisted that violence is not a way to solve a problem; on the contrary it will do nothing but worsen the situation. The BDK issue was on the agenda of the talks he had with provincial governor Mr. Simon Mbatchi.
With the members of his provincial security council Mr. Mbatchi made a presentation to Mr.Doss on his jurisdiction through policy, security and economic perspectives.
On provincial security, the governor explained the extent of the BDK phenomenon, which has arisen from extreme poverty and youth unemployment on the one hand, and from insufficient manpower, equipment and training of the police force on the other.
For the governor, the BDK problem is more a socio economic problem than a political one, as he believes economic development is the only solution to the BDK phenomenon.
It is in this direction that he asked Mr. Doss to help the province in his efforts to reassure and attract foreign investors, in addition to having a trained and equipped anti riot police force.
Mr. Doss also held talks with Provincial Parliament President Mr. François Kimasi and members of his office. In addition to the security situation and the BDK phenomenon, discussions centered on the decentralization issue, and the constitutional proviso that the provinces will keep 40% of their income.
The relationship between the legislative and executive powers at the provincial level was also discussed.
On these subjects, Mr. Kimasi asked Mr. Doss to continue to accompany the province of Bas Congo and the whole of the DRC, in his role as facilitator for good decision making.
Mr. Doss also met MONUC staff and UN agency representatives in Bas Congo, where he seized the occasion to congratulate United Nations staff for their work under difficult conditions.
He said he counted on everyone, at every level, to continue the work of the re-establishment of peace and the rebuilding of the country, and he reiterated that in relation to the United Nations zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation, UN staff must have irreproachable behaviour.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
