Kabila pledges to form unity government

Fighters of the M23 rebel group man a position on June 3, 2013 in Mutaho, some 4kms from positions held by troops of the Democratic Republic of Congo Armed Forces (FARDC) and about 15 kms from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma. Photo/FILE 

Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila.  Photo/PETER BUSOMOKE AFP

In Summary

• DR Congo President Joseph Kabila promised today to build a national unity government.
• President Kabila said his priorities were to re-establish peace and state authority and spur economic development in the war-torn country.

 

The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Gold valued at US $8.5 million (Sh722 million) was seized at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Tuesday. PHOTO/FILE 

• Mr Kabila also pledged to allow the remains of former president Joseph Mobutu back into the country from Morocco — an announcement that won him applause from lawmakers.

By Nation Correspondent
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DR Congo President Joseph Kabila promised today to build a national unity government, after talks with civil society and opposition members in the troubled African country.

President Kabila said his priorities were to re-establish peace and state authority and spur economic development in the war-torn country.

“In line with the transparent policy I have adopted since I came to power, a government of national unity will soon be put in place,” he told parliament.

“This government will include members of the ruling majority as well as the opposition and civil society,” said Mr Kabila, who was re-elected in a disputed 2011 poll.

Mr Kabila also pledged to allow the remains of former president Joseph Mobutu back into the country from Morocco — an announcement that won him applause from lawmakers.

Mobutu, who ruled from 1965 to 1997, was chased from DR Congo by Kabila’s own father, Laurent, who was assassinated in 2001.

The move is seen as a highly symbolic gesture to the significant number of Congolese that hold Mobutu in high regard.

Kabila also agreed to introduce quotas for female candidate in elections.

He is locked in peace talks with M23 rebels operating in restive eastern DR Congo and in a diplomatic spat with Rwanda and Uganda, accused of supporting those rebels.

Eastern DR Congo, a trove of mineral resources including gold, was a key battleground in successive wars between 1996 and 2003 as rival armies scrambled for control of its riches.

Despite its potential, the impoverished nation sits second from the bottom of 187 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index for 2013, and atrocities including the use of child soldiers, widespread rape and civilian murders are common.

Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo, who has the backing of the international community, is expected to keep his post, said a source close to the government who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The source added that a new administration could see the return to power of a number of heavyweights who were dropped from the political line-up when Ponyo formed his current cabinet in May 2012.

The president called on the national electoral commission (Ceni) to organise municipal, local and senatorial elections, delayed by a political crisis after the 2011 vote. (AFP)