Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Sydney Kawadza
4 November 2009
Mutare — DRC President Joseph Kabila has challenged Africa to follow his country's example by actively seeking dialogue and pursuing national reconciliation as a means of solving any internal differences.
In his keynote address at the annual Dag Hammarskjold Commemoration Seminar at Africa University here yesterday, President Kabila said victory over foreign forces that threatened to tear DRC apart was partly attributable to political dialogue.
"Political dialogue, entailing compromise and give and take, had to be brought to bear in order to defuse misunderstandings, build confidence, mend the social fabric and induce reconciliation," the DRC leader said.
"Indeed, accepting to share power with adversaries, or granting amnesty to rebels is seldom an easy decision.
"It can be politically painful and even dangerous. It takes vision, wisdom and, above all, courage.
"Looking back, we do not regret having ridden that, at times, bumpy road.
"It led us to where we stand today: strong and tall, as it was meant to be," he said.
President Kabila challenged African countries to draw inspiration from the DRC and its rebirth through resistance, dialogue, reconciliation, democratic rule and hard work.
President Kabila's presentation was titled "The State of the Congolese Nation Following Negotiations".
The war in the DRC ended in late 2002 and President Kabila subsequently formed a national unity government that roped in six vice presidents, four of them former rebel militia leaders.
President Kabila paid tribute to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for their leading role in resolving, through Operation Sovereign Legitimacy, the armed conflict that claimed millions of lives in his country.
He said the DRC received "heroic support" from Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia in those "dark days".
"I wish to seize this opportunity and, once again, pay tribute to these sister countries.
"As a nation, we will never forget the blood shed by their gallant sons and daughters to help us preserve our independence, territorial integrity and national sovereignty," he said.
In September this year at the last Sadc Summit in the DRC, President Kabila said he was grateful for Zimbabwe's assistance and would soon visit the country to personally convey his people's gratitude.
The seminar, which ends today, is being held under the theme "The Democratic Republic of Congo: The Road to Conflict Transformation and National Healing".
President Kabila chronicled the DRC's conflicts, starting with the killing of iconic statesman Dr Patrice Lumumba in 1961 soon after the country's independence from Belgium the previous year.
This resulted in a drawn-out liberation struggle led by nationalists such as Cdes Pierre Mulele, Antoine Gizenga and the current president's father, Laurent Desire Kabila.
"Unfortunately, this took place at the peak of the Cold War (between the former USSR and the West) and their efforts got entangled in the East-West rivalry.
"They could not succeed at the outset."
President Kabila said the military coup of 1965 ushered in 32 years of Mobutu Sese Seko's misrule, which only ended in 1997.
An era of freedom and democracy dawned, but this was almost nipped in the bud by invading armies.
"As if history was repeating itself, no time was given to the new revolutionary regime to organise and put people back to work. Just a year later, the DRC was dragged into a long and protracted war of aggression by her eastern neighbours," he said.
This was after Rwandese and Ugandan troops invaded the country in support of DRC rebel militias who were tacitly backed by Western powers.
The war lasted over five years and claimed millions of lives.
President Kabila said the conflict was the costliest war in terms of human losses after the Second World War.
The popular resistance organised by the late Laurent Kabila rallied friendly countries and saved the nation, though unfortunately it also claimed the liberation fighter's life.
Meanwhile, President Kabila returned home last night after spending two days in Zimbabwe.
He bade farewell to President Mugabe at State House in the evening with the Zimbabwean leader expressing his desire for the two to continue interacting.
President Mugabe parting shot was: "Thank you for the visit. Let's keep in touch."
During his visit, President Kabila met the three principals to the Global Political Agreement to get an insight into how the inclusive Government was functioning.
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