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USAID/OTI Democratic Republic of Congo Field Report

September 2003
Field Report #17, Monthly

USAID/OTI's goal in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is to enhance the informed participation of Congolese society in political and economic decision-making processes that contribute to a peaceful, unified, and democratic country.

To advance this goal OTI activities fall under three objectives:

• Increased country-wide availability of and access to balanced information;
• Increased public participation in informed dialogue on issues of national importance; and
• Expanded and strengthened linkages between communities.

USAID/OTI is supporting the following activities to achieve these objectives:

Congo en Action pour la Paix (CAP): Small Grants Initiative - Through OTI's implementing partner, CARE International, CAP supports activities to enhance civil society's outreach and participation in the peace process, develop skills needed for advocacy, and re-connect like-minded groups and organizations throughout the country and with the Diaspora.

Radio Okapi: DRC National Radio Initiative - OTI supports Fondation Hirondelle in its collaborative effort with the United Nations Mission in the Congo (MONUC) to broaden the effect of their national radio initiative, Radio Okapi. The station's local languages (Lingala, Swahili, Tshiluba, Kikongo) provide the population with balanced information as the peace process advances, ensuring that Congolese are informed on progress made in the normalization of political and social life.

GUTAHUKA (Going Home) & Voices of Children - The Disarmament, Demobilization, Repatriation, Reintegration and Resettlement (DDRRR) process is strengthened by OTI's support of an established radio producer to develop programming in KinyaRwandan for the Radio Okapi program, GUTAHUKA. Additionally, OTI enhances awareness of the issue of child soldiers by supporting the engagement of young people in seeking solutions to the violence that affects them and their communities. The "Voices of Children" program will also strengthen the role that youth play in the development of their communities and enhance their contribution to a national dialogue on the peace process.

DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION - The inauguration of the newly unified DRC army took place in Kinshasa this month. Officers pledged allegiance to the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo though there still remains debate as to the name of the new force. The new Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Liwanga Mata Nyamunyobo, represents the armed forces of the former Kinshasa government, while his four new deputies are from the former rebel movements. In September, the Peace Process in South Kivu took a critical step forward. On September 11 former warlords from the rebel movements, Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie-Goma (RCD/G) (General Sylvain Mbuki), and the Mayi Mayi (General Padiri Bulenda), met in Burale to discuss issues pertaining to reconciliation and peace. Central to the discussion was the creation of a joint police force consisting of soldiers from the two factions. Additionally, on September 15 military officers from the former Government, RCD/G, and Mayi Mayi signed a cease-fire agreement in the presence of UN representatives and the international community.

The Government of National Unity announced this month that it will send 3,000 police officers (a mixed force of former government, RCD-Goma, Mouvement de Libération Congolais (MLC), Mayi-Mayi, and other rebel movements) to the Ituri district in the northeast of the country. The primary goal of the force is two-fold: 1) to secure the area; and, 2) to dispel the myth that Bunia is a "protectorate" of the United Nations. Vice-President Azarias Ruberwa (leader of RCD-Goma), who is responsible for the defense and security portfolios, noted that the mixed force should be in place by December. Last May, the former Kinshasa government sent approximately 500 police officers to Bunia. However, this month they were asked by MONUC to return to Kinshasa due to their ineffectiveness and accusations that the Kinshasa government was supporting certain armed militias operating in the region.

Theophile Mbemba, Minister of the Interior, Decentralization and National Security announced that former rebel groups who are participating in the two-year power-sharing government of national unity are now permitted to function as political parties as soon as a corresponding law is passed by the National Assembly. Those political parties not previously recognized by the former Kinshasa government are required to register with the ministry; provide a copy of their charters, and a list of members.

ITURI - MONUC is facilitating the distribution of humanitarian assistance throughout the district by gradually expanding the security zone from Bunia to surrounding areas, providing further security to the Ituri district. A MONUC patrol visited Fataki (85 km northeast of Bunia) to evaluate the security situation for the future deployment of the Ituri Brigade. MONUC recently reported that residents of Fataki, mainly of Hema lineage, felt safe enough to come out of the forest when the patrol arrived. NGOs reported that 5,000 displaced residents of Fataki were in urgent need of aid.

In Bunia, representatives from the two main warring factions the Union des Patriotes Congolais (UPC), led by Thomas Lubanga, and the Front des Nationalistes Integrationistes (FNI), a Lendu ally led by Floribert Ngabu, met and agreed on the free circulation of people and goods in the region. UPC and FNI members organized a march through Bunia to jointly demonstrate that freedom of movement would be respected.

Also this month, UN Spokesperson, Isabelle Abric, announced that warring factions in the area came together on September 30 to discuss issues relevant to the peace process in Ituri. A permanent liaison office has been created and representatives from most of the armed militia groups in northeastern Ituri attended the first meeting. Despite the installation of a two-year transitional government on June 30, and the recent formation of a united national army, fighting between primarily Hema and Lendu militias and allied ethnic groups continues.

GREAT LAKES – President Kabila called for a peace and development conference for the Great Lakes region during his speech to the United Nations Security Council in New York. Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia nominated National Coordinators who are to prepare for the conference, which is expected to take plan in mid-2004. Initiated by the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and led by the African Union Chairman, Joachim Chissano, presidents and representatives from Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda agreed to respect each other's territorial integrity and prevent weapons shipments to the DRC.

CARE Small Grants Initiative: Congo en Actíon pour la Paix (CAP):

Number of Grants Signed:	September	Total
Number	11	51
Funding Level (estimate)	$ 221,739.00	$1,770,759.80

NEW GRANTEES - A total of 11 grant agreements totaling $221,739 were signed this month.

Objective 1: Increased country-wide availability of and access to balanced information.

• Umoja Wa wa mama wa Kulima ya Kivu (UWAKI). Initiated by a women's association in Kindu, this project will produce and disseminate a leaflet to inform populations in Maniema province of the advancement of the peace process and citizens' roles and responsibilities in a democracy.
• Centre de Formation Informatique et Internet (CFII). This project will install an Internet center in Bunia. The center will allow civil society organizations in Ituri to open lines of communication to promote access to web sites and organizations focused on peace and development.

Objective 2: Increased public participation in informed dialogue on issues of national importance.

• Groupe Artistique Chrétien Champagnat (GACC). This project will encourage the participation of the Kisangani population in the peace process by producing and distributing audio cassettes discussing peace and reconciliation, holding public concerts on the themes of peace and reconciliation, organizing video forums, and promoting radio and television programs about the peace process.
• Association des Radios Associatives et Communautaires du Congo (ARCO). This project will support workshops with community radio personnel in Kisangani to consolidate a communications network among the various community radio stations in the DRC, especially those in the East. The objective is to facilitate the inclusion of community radio into the peace process and promote a culture of peaceful resolution of conflict. The project will also train radio journalists in peace journalism.

Objective 3: Expanded and strengthened linkages between communities.

• Association des Mamans Néo-Apostoliques (AMANA). This project will focus on reconciling inter-clan conflicts through the management of community-based potable water systems. The grant will be implemented in villages in the territories of Ubundu and Bafausende on the Kisingani-Ituri road.
  

Current Partner Highlights

International Peace Day - The CAP program used the International Day of Peace on September 21 as an opportunity to mobilize local populations into the national peace process in the DRC. CAP offices in Kinshasa, Kisangani, and Bukavu supported the following activities:

• In Kinshasa, a project connected local radio stations throughout the country by broadcasting messages of peace. The project, entitled "Community Radio Engaged in the Peace Process," connected various radio stations in an effort to promote local peace and reconciliation activities. Stations in Kinshasa, Kananga, Bunia, Bukavu, Kasai, and others, opened their airwaves to local activists and reported on community peace initiatives.
• CAP/Bukavu supported a peace concert that brought out an audience of 4,000 citizens. A contest was held to choose the best peace song and the event was used as a forum to promote messages of peace, especially to undermine local rumors of a third war in the East. Simultaneously, the CAP team in Bukavu was invited to a radio broadcast organized by a local NGO. Radio Mandeleo aired a series on peace and reconciliation activities locally, where the CAP program was highlighted.
• In Kisangani the CAP team brought together a coalition of like-minded NGOs to hold a series of local events for International Peace Day. The activities included a radio and television show, a conference, and football match, and were able to attract a diverse range of people and groups, such as local churches, associations, Governor of Province Oriental, students, and university staff.

CAP OPEN HOUSE DRAWS HUNDREDS AS INNOVATIVE PROJECTS ARE PUBLICIZED THROUGH MEDIA - The CAP project in BUKAVU held an open house at which peace projects of sixteen USAID-sponsored partners were on display to the general public and the local media. Over 700 hundred people, including the communications representative for the provincial governor, and several media outlets, were on hand to witness the work of local partners toward advancing the peace process. Each partner displayed information and photographs illustrating their efforts in promoting peace in various sectors and communities. Kiosks also promoted awareness of the CAP project in general, including the three primary objectives.

FONDATION HIRONDELLE: RADIO OKAPI - Radio Okapi is taking an active part in the peace process in South Kivu. Recent meetings between the RCD/G and Mayi Mayi were covered by Radio Okapi and broadcasted nationally. A journalist was sent to South Kivu to report on the impact of the agreement on the ground, largely reporting on the troops' feelings and opinions on an end to the war. This reporting is allowing the general population to know the progress of the peace process at the community level as well as at the regional and national levels. To further reinforce the progress of the transition, Radio Okapi aired a program devoted to discussing the impact of the peace process on daily Congolese life. This program focused discussion on the positive changes in the DRC since its re-unification. People were offered the opportunity to speak on Radio Okapi and relate their views and opinions to their peers in other parts of the country. Up-to-date Radio Okapi programs can be heard via the Internet at http://www.monuc.org/radio/.

SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND (SFCG) - GUTAHUKA (DDRRR): OTI recently transferred its management of the GUTUHUKA program to the mission's Democracy and Governance (DG) team. Under the direction of the USAID DG team this program will continue to cover external demobilization concerns as well as address internal demobilization issues. This handover exemplifies the close collaboration between OTI and the longer-term development goals of the Mission.

Voices of Children - Ten participants involved in the Giving Voice to Congolese Children (GVCC) project continued participating on the development of the project throughout the school break. Four children visited Kalemie where they collected program material on topics such as rape, demobilization, child labor, orphans, displaced children and children in prison. Three child reporters visited the Idjwi Island (20 km North of Bukavu) where they collected information on healthcare, marginalization of pygmies, and schooling for Idgwi children.

Plays and short skits were written by a group of young actors about children affected by armed conflict. Some had been soldiers for up to six years and were demobilized during the last 12 months. Through this program, the former child soldiers have been given a chance to share their stories and help other child soldiers to realize the consequences of their involvement in the war. Thanks to local agreements with regional stations, the program will benefit from airtime on Radio Okapi in Bukavu and Kalemie once a week. The children's program will also be broadcast in the coming months in Bunia, Goma, Kindu, Uvira, and other locations in Eastern Congo.

• Arrival of Eleanor Bedford for the implementation of a 3 week Grants Management TDY.
• Identification of indigenous radio stations for Radio Okapi collaborative activities.
• Program production of Voices of Children project.
• Implementation of four grants management trainings in Kinshasa, Kisangani, Bukavu and Bunia.
• Continuation of CAP management restructuring and procedures review.

For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Bronwyn Bruton, OTI Program Manager, e-mail: bbruton@usaid.gov; telephone: (202) 712-0827