Reactions to the reshuffle of the government, announced on the night of Thursday to Friday March 24, are multiplying in particular with regard to the appointment of Jean-Pierre Bemba as Minister of Defense. A former warlord, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the International Criminal Court for crimes committed in the Central African Republic before being acquitted on appeal. This choice of President Félix Tshisekedi arouses reactions in Kinshasa, but also in the east of the country faced with a deterioration in the security situation.
With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi
For some, Jean-Pierre Bemba is the man for the job: capable of bringing order to the Congolese army. The priority is to manage the troops well, believes Pépin Kavota, president of civil society in Beni. “ It can be a plus in this government with regard to the history of our country. The civil society of Beni has always expressed the wish to see that the center of interest is centered on the rank and file soldiers. We will find that these military are not well taken care of “.
For Gilly Gotabo, president of the civil society of Irumu, in Ituri, the new Minister of Defense must come to the East. ” We, the people of North Kivu and Ituri, ask that Jean-Pierre Bemba leave Kinshasa and come and settle in Goma or Bunia “.
A nomination that is not unanimous, however. Even if it can raise the morale of the troops, it can be seen as supporting impunity, believes Dismas Kitenge, president of an NGO based in Kisangani. ” This risks being interpreted by many human rights defenders as if impunity has been chosen. We do not yet have all the light on the crimes and the involvement of his troops, as the leader who commanded these operations, there is still a question of justice and reparations “.
This week again, about thirty villagers died in the attack on several villages in the province of Ituri, in the northeast of the country.
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