LOUIS MICHEL AND KAMPALA

I couldn't believe it when someone told me that this old marathoner for Joseph Kabila's regime would be in the corridors of Kampala. I still don't believe it and consider this to be just a rumor. But let's assume it isn't. What would Louis Michel be doing there? Is Kabila feeling so threatened that he needed his mentor in negotiations he has been so reluctant to participate in?  Is it that our Belgian nokos are ready to claim their DRC place where France and all its allies via the UN are forcefully fighting to redesign the shape of the Great Lakes Region? i would have expected an emissary of Didier Reynders, but if we got the old guy, then the eternal division of Belgian politics are showing again, but who cares? I hope no one in Kampala is being cheated, Louis Michel is stays Kabila greatest ally. Find out who takes care of Kabila's wife whenever she lands in the tiny Kingdom.

We only care about two questions: the first one, allow me to use it in its French expression - A quelle sauce vont-ils nous manger cette fois-ci? The second question is: are we going to be as passive as the Congolese people have always been, or are we going to stand and claim our people's right to live and develop? The discussion agenda publicized for the 17th September in Kampala does not show we are dealing with these question. And if we are, it is only marginally. 

Look at these 10 points with my free translation: 

1/ LIBÉRATION DES PRISONNIERS: Amnesty for prisonners (which ones?)
2/ TRANSFORMATION DU M23: Recycling M23 (into what?)
3/RETOUR ET RÉINSTALLATION DES RÉFUGIES ET DES DÉPLACES INTERNES: Refugees and IDPs return (census?)
4/ BIENS EXPROPRIES: Expropriated property (what about destroyed property by FDLR?)
5/ RÉCONCILIATION NATIONALE ET JUSTICE: National reconciliation (why on number 5?)
6/ COMMISSION D’ENQUÊTE INDÉPENDANTE: Independent Commission of Inquiry (Independent from who? the UN?)
7/ GOUVERNANCE ET REFORME SOCIO-ÉCONOMIQUE: Governance and socio-economic reforms (extent?)
8/ MISE EN ŒUVRE DES CONCLUSIONS DE LA REVUE DE L’ACCORD DE PAIX DU 23 MARS 2009: Implementation of 23/3/09 Peace Agreement conclusions (these being exactly what, since Kin never did its part and instead persecuted CNDP officers suspected of still supporting a better peace deal for the province?)
9/ DÉCLARATION DE LA ZONE SINISTRÉE: Declaration of a disaster area (Parole, parole, parole: where and then what once you've declared?)
10/ MÉCANISME DE MISE EN ŒUVRE, SUIVI ET ÉVALUATION: Implementation, monitoring and evaluation mechanism (by whom, the usual suspects who collude with thugs?)

I do not have time to comment on these points and I am not even sure they were discussed. One thing I can quickly state is: this is a UN type of negotiated agenda. If you doubt, just check the order of points. How can you recycle M23 before you ensure there is peace that comes with proper development agenda that should  start from the Governance and socio-economic reforms, which in turn, might rely on that so-called declaration of a disaster area. This would mean that you narrow the area of governance and socio-economic reforms to the disaster area first, so as to create conditions to resettle refugees and IDPs. But can you achieve any socio-economic reforms before you reform the socio-political situations? Impossible... Just these few points to show you how this kind of "Milk-shake" agenda is a clear image that whoever is sponsoring the process isn't really looking for lasting peace. He is looking for "patchy" solutions, which are not solutions at all. We shall look into this a little more. In the meantime, read this,  could it be possible that Congolese like repeating the same mistakes? I am hoping that M23 will do better than the time on the Goma conference and, definitely will avoid falling in the same trap as Mars 2009. 

http://www.congoindependant.com/article.php?articleid=8285