NEWS ON CONGO 057: DR Congo 17.05.1997-17.05.2004
Rolf Martens
[Posted: 17.05.04]
Note: On websites with information on the DR Congo and for
some contact addresses, see endnote last in this posting.
INTRO NOTE:
On the 7th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Re-
public of the Congo, following the liberation of the country
in 1996-1997 from the oppressive regime of the imperialists'
stooge Mobutu, but in a situation today in which the DR Congo
still suffers grievously from that largescale aggression
which started in August 1998 and from its later consequences,
I'm reproducing in translation from the French a posting sent
to mailing lists on 15.05 by Jean-Jacques Ngangweshe
<jj.nga...@wanadoo.fr>. I don't know who this writer is,
nor anything about his role in the Congolese liberation
struggle, but what he writes appears to me to be informative
and correct.
The liberation of the DR Congo (earlier called "Zaire") in
1997 was an event of considerable positive international sig-
nificance. Under the leadership of the liberation forces
headed by Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who became the first presi-
dent of the DRC, the people started building up a new kind of
government, one based on committees actually of the people
everywhere, and one that would not accept foreign domination
and exploitation of the country.
This set up an example for peoples in other countries too. And
it was considered "insufferable" by the US and other imperia-
lists, so they soon instigated an aggression against the DR
Congo which led to half of the country's being occupied for
several years by three neighbouring states, Rwanda, Uganda and
Burundi, and caused enormous suffering and bloodshed among the
Congolese people.
L-D Kabila, the most important leader of a people anywhere in
recent years, was foully assassinated in January 2001. His
son, Joseph Kabila, took over as president. Massive interna-
tional pressure from the "rich" states has forced the right-
ful leadership of the DR Congo to accept compromise after com-
promise so that eventually, a so-called peace agreement was
reached by which the foreign troops, nominally, left the coun-
try but, at the same time, those forces in the DR Congo itself
which had helped them (above all the organizations "RCD" and
"MLC") were given a share of state power, in a so-called
"transitional government" which exists today, in an unclear
and still largely chaotic situation in the DR Congo.
The Congolese people have been "punished" most severely by the
imperialists for daring to try to construct a really democra-
tic and independent state, and today are in a very difficult
situation. Their just struggle, "suitably forgotten" by all
the reactionary international mass media, merits every sup-
port.
Here follows, in translation, the posting by Jean-Jacques
Ngangweshe.
End of intro note.
[QUOTE:]
17 MAY 1997 - 17 MAY 2004 - VICTORY
OF THE CONGOLESE PEOPLE
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO - DRC
17 MAY 1997 - 17 MAY 2004
7 YEARS OF THE END OF THE SANGUINARY, TERRORIST,
CRIMINAL AND GENOCIDAL SYSTEM
17 May 2004 under the sign of crimes against humanity,
war crimes and genocide in the Congo: 4,000,000 deaths
Dear compatriots,
The Congolese people,
The 17th of May 1997 is an illustriuos date which will rest
forever in our memories, but unfortunately, the joy of the
Congolese people was very soon overshadowed by outcries and
tears because of the genocide of which we are the victims.
Thus, the seventh anniversary of the liberation for me is a
day of recollection in memory of our martyrs the victims of
crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. *The geno-
cide of 4 millions of innocent civilian victims which the UN
and other international institutions are proceeding to turn
into a forgotten part of history*.
A sad anniversary which we cannot celebrate, since our coun-
try suffers from the murderous occupation by the genocidal
armies of Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, and in particular be-
cause of the return of the genocidal Mobutuists to positions
of power in the state.
One day will come when peace will reign in the Congo;
One day will come when peace will reign in the region of the
Great Lakes;
One day will come when the peoples of the Great Lakes region
will live together in peace;
One day will come when peace and brotherhood will reign in
the DR Congo, then we can all celebrate 17 May in a national
territory which has been liberated completely;
Congolese people, we must follow the example of other oppres-
sed peoples who are not organizing celebrations while, at the
same time, many among them are being massacred by the enemies
of their country.
1874 TO 1997: END OF 123 YEARS OF THE
COLONIAL SYSTEM AND THE SYSTEM OF NEO-
COLONILALSM AND ENSLAVEMENT
Certainly, 17 May 1997 is a historical day marking the end of
more than 123 years of the colonial and neo-colonial system.
It also marks the end of acceptance of servitude to the impe-
rialists and that of the neo-colonial power of Kasa-Vubu, and
the end of the thirty-two years of the criminal and neo-colo-
nial regime of Joseph Désiré Mobutu Sese Seko.
Concerning this, honour compels me to solemnly declare:
Honour to the Congolese victims and the martyrs persecuted by
the imperialist, capitalist, colonialist and neo-colonialist
system of 1874 to 1997: more than 123 years;
Honour to the young Kadogo children who died in combat in the
flower of their life, for the liberty of the Congolese;
Honour to all the comrades killed by the enemies' bullets and
by the plots of our foreign and Congolese enemies; my thought
goes to the valiant commander Laurent-Désiré Kabila who died
as the result of a plot instigated by those dark powers which
rule the world, and to the commander Kisase Ngandu who was
assassinated by an execution squad on the orders of the com-
mander-in-chief of the APR Paul Kagame (Armée Patriotique
Rwandaise), since he had refused to carry out ethnic cleansing
of Rwandan hutus by the mono-ethnical army of the Rwandan
tutsis and also since he had denounced the genocide against
hutus committed by the commander James Kabahere;
Honour to all those Congolese who have been in the forefront,
fighting with weapons in their hands against the Mobutuist
dictatorship;
Honour to my friends and companions of the first political-
military blows for the liberty of the Congolese people;
Honour to the peasant women and men who have participated in
the war of liberation;
Honour to the foreign combatants and to all those anonymous
who died for the Congolese.
May their souls rest in peace.
The 17th of May is a day of personal pride for me, since I've
taken part in the liberation struggle of the Congolese people
and in the bringing down of the most sanguinary tyrannical
and dictatorical system in Africa. I also take pride in having
kept my integrity and in particular my commitment to the de-
fence of the rights of poor people, equality between the peop-
les, brotherhood and social justice.
NO TO IMPUNITY FOR THE CRIMES IN THE DR CONGO
The victory of 17 May 1997 above all is a victory of the
Congolese people, and not one of those guilty of genocide
against the Congolese people, Paul Kagame - president of Rwan-
da, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni - president of Uganda, Pierre
Buyoya - president of Burundi, and their traitorous Congolese
accomplices in genocide, those of the RCD/Goma and the MLC,
who are muliplying in the government, parliament and senate
imposed by the UN: Jean-Pierre MBemba, Azarias Ruberwa,
Adolphe Onosumba, Emile Ilunga Kalombo, Ernest Wamba dia Wam-
ba, Arthur Zhaidi Ngoma, Oliver Kamitatu and company.
The defeat of the Rwandan, Ugandan and Burundian armies on the
26th, 27th and 28th of August during the battle for Kinshasa
[in 1998; those armies had then been airlifted into the wes-
tern part of the DR Congo and were posing a serious threat to
the capital - RM] showed the world the historical truth about
the victory of 17 May 1997. *The powerfully-armed foreign ar-
mies were decimated* by the people. Only the people can move
mountains and write in golden letters new history, such as
that of 17 May 1997.
On the national order of the day is *the struggle against im-
punity for the crimes in the DR Congo*. We should all rise up
as one man and combat the impunity: that for the crimes of
the imperialists in the Congo, that for the Mobutuist crimes,
that for the crimes of Kagame, the crimes of Museveni, the
crimes of the RCD and the MLC.
Justice and righteousness will win out,
Long live the Congolese people,
Jean-Jacques Ngangweshe
For all information on the Congolese genocide, search at
Google and Yahoo under "ngangweshe".
Contact:
<jj.nga...@wanadoo.fr>
<ngang...@hotmail.com>
[END OF QUOTE]
_______________________________________________________________
"NEWS ON CONGO" postings bring statements by the Congo National
Association in Sweden and the DR Congo Committee in Sweden and
also reproduce information and analysis from other sources.
[NB: The last update of this endnote so far was on 24.03.2002;
thus some of its contents may be out of date now, in May 2004.]
Some websites with information in English and/or in French on
the DR Congo:
Official site of the DR Congo:
http://www.rd-congo.com/
Site of the DR Congo's Permanent Mission at the UN:
http://www.un.int/drcongo/
(With much information, i.a. continually updated news in French
and English; NB new address this year)
Kinshasa newspaper l'Avenir:
http://www.groupelavenir.com
The Mai-Mai movement, fighting the aggressors in the east:
http://www.congo-mai-mai.net
Great Lakes Press: http://pages.infinit.net/glp/index.htm
Congo 2000: www.congo2000.com
Two Belgium-based sites support the struggle of the DR Congo:
www.lai-aib.org/index_fr.htm and www.ptb.be/Solidaire.htm
Two other Belgium-based sites: ATMA: www.atma.net and Congon-
line: www.congonline.com (the last only for subscribers).
An English-language website managed by Richard Alcorn, USA,
with i.a. much material from August 1998 on from us supporters
of the DR Congo in Sweden: www.crocker.com/~acacia/congo.html
(This site has no more recent material; last updated Nov 1998)
AllAfrica.com: http://allafrica.com/congo_kinshasa/
(Replaces an earlier site, Africanews)
Marekinc: http://www.marekinc.com
(Managed by Ed Marek, formerly of the US Air Force. Often ap-
parently well-informed and, of late, containing considerable
criticism of the official US position on the aggression. Its
informations should be treated with great caution anyway, ex-
perience shows.)
"Rebel" aggressor puppets, a site based in South Africa:
www.congo.co.za
Three discussions sites of interest:
www.egroups.com/list/congokin_opinions
(Belgium-based. E-group discussions are in French and English.
For participation, contact <ps...@avalon.net> or <congokin_
opinion...@egroups.com>.)
www.egroups.com/list/cdf
(Congo Defence Fund)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CONGOTRIBUNE/
(Founded 09.11.2001)
Some contact addresses:
Congo National Association
Box 5343 SE - 102 45
Stockholm
Sweden
Tel: +46 - 8 - 471 96 26 (chairman)
+46 - 8 - 84 57 18 (facility)
Fax: +46 - 8 - 751 26 06
DR Congo Committee (Chairman: Bony Ndjov-a-Shamalo)
c/o Rolf Martens
Nobelvaegen 38U4
SE - 214 33 Malmoe
Sweden
Tel: +46 - 40 - 12 48 32
E-mail: congo...@hotmail.com