DR Congo: " The make-up hides the bruises and the tears so they never show ".

Chantal Faida  at Radio Netherlands worldwide reports:

Congolese media makes women invisible

This is at least the position of the Congolese Union of Women Media ( UCOFEM ), which relies on its own figures. "The media can help to reinforce inequalities, disseminating gender stereotypes, as they can help to eradicate them by promoting less anarchic and more multidimensional female models in accordance with the reality of women in the twenty-first century," says Evelyne Luyelo Coordinator the UCOFEM.

I would expect a lot more women in the DR Congo to enter the media but the issue will not go away when that happens if the western model is followed. The glass ceiling is very much a fact of life in western media. 

" The facts and figures speak for themselves. The Daily Star is the only national daily newspaper in the UK edited by a woman, Dawn Neesom, in 2013. Women are still noticeably in the minority in the top journalistic roles, despite making up the majority of journalism students."

Gender stereotypes

The organization released late September 2013 simultaneously in Kinshasa and Goma a thorough and rich in information report entitled " The image of women in the media in the DRC " . The purpose of the paper is to contribute to the eradication of gender stereotypes, to promote gender relations based on equality and mutual respect. The UCOFEM want to restore the gender balance in reference sources and information to enhance the talent of women, and finally, she wishes that a gender perspective is adopted in the Congolese media circles.

In the eastern DR Congo the " issue of stereotypes " is it would seem almost a licence to rape murder women for no other reason than it is crime that can be committed with impunity.

Engaged in the promotion of gender equality in and through the media, UCOFEM wants to see women and men participate equitably in the management of public and private life. For the effectiveness of its action, it gave many media organizations, in addition to the full report, a guide to illustrate the correct actions (to do) and incorrect (to avoid) in the information processing point of view of gender equality.

I would have thought it was fairly self explanatory if they need a report then it probably isn't going to happen.

"Not enough efforts to impose their skills"
While welcoming the initiative very encouraging and the unprecedented UCOFEM Justin Luba, a manager of a community radio Goma, is that "women journalists do not provide enough efforts to impose their skills in editorial meetings, and more rarely they are considering proposing topics on issues that affect them directly. "

A brave man Justine Luba. I sure as hell wouldn't dare make such a statement. 

However, it recognizes the responsibility of the male sex: "We love the most often ease In the quest for sources, references, and processing information very hot, we use our address books made in most. cases of men - and for all subjects - as if they were multitasking This report therefore timely and provocative, " he concludes.

Actually the established wisdom is that only women can multitask.

Women, only for bad news
to believe the report UCOFEM, recurrences of unequal representation in the media are legion. An excerpt clearly described the facts: "Women are rarely arrested as expert sources or as celebrities And while under-represented in the most important roles, women receive media attention more often than men. as victims of violence, so the bad news . "

A peculiarity of this thesis reinforces gender inequality: "These are the men who talk about gender violence women do not speak very little or almost on practices that put their lives in danger like." Femicide ", rape , sexual harassment or domestic violence. media contribute to reinforce traditional gender roles, and therefore help to progress towards gender equality. "

Although recently, the press has seen an increase in the number of women journalists, it does not necessarily guarantee a greater number of female sources. The authors of the report on the image of women in the DRC concluded: "Many women do not give more women sources Having a critical mass of women in media companies does not mean that women will have more. voice in the media. Gender equality is not a priority in the DRC. "

The truth is that if the DR Congo and particularly the eastern DR Congo want to bring about stability and some sort of new normality then involving women in the governance and power structures formal and informal is a must. 

DR Congo: "And I don't give a damn for the Fleet Street aficionados. "

Reporters sans Frontières (Paris) Reports

COVERAGE OF ARMY COLONEL’S MURDER IN NORD-KIVU CENSORED

                                                         Colonel Mamadou Ndala

Reporters Without Borders condemns attempts by military and civilian officials in the eastern province of Nord-Kivu to prevent journalists from covering the spectacular murder of an army colonel, Mamadou Ndala, in an ambush near the city of Beni on 2 January.

Several journalists in Beni and the neighbouring Butembo region have been the targets of intimidation attempts in the course of trying to report on the murder.

There are a huge number of question marks over Colonel Ndala's death. Officially it was the result of an ADF ( Allied Democratic Forces ) ambush ( Ugandan Muslim rebels). Goma journalist and blogger Chantal Faida blogs: 

" Since then, this term refers to the traitors working inside for the enemy. Their modus operandi is known: espionage, propaganda, destabilization attempts and attacks. The eastern DR Congo is plagued by repeated wars. It is strangled by armed groups, the main ones: M23 (folded in Uganda), FDLR, ADF / NALU and nebulous "MAIMAI" These are the four groups mentioned columns. And the fifth is within the regular army. If this were not the case, why the general Olenga he speaks often of the "purification" of the troops?Some cases of unsolved murders corroborate this theory of the existence of the "fifth column" within the FARDC."

Chantal is a very sensible commentator and I suggest if she is asking questions alongside Reporters without Borders then FARDC has a major problem developing. Did elements of the Congolese Army kill Colonel Ndala ?

“We condemn the threats that civilian and military officials have made against journalists covering Col. Ndala’s murder and the ongoing investigation,” Reporters Without Borders said.

This time last year I would have and did described FARDC as bunch of thieves and rapists. That changed during the course of last year and we started to see the emergence of a professional military. Jason Stearns at Congo Siasa blogs:   

" In addition, the army is now giving more prominence to the commando battalions, the 321 and 322 trained by the Belgians (a third is currently being trained in Kindu), the 391 trained by the Americans, and one by the Chinese (on the northern front line in Tongo). During the operations last year, these battalions had been mismanaged by the military hierarchy, which dismantled them, sent them to areas where there was little to do, and "sabotaged them by sending them into battle without supplies or knowledge of the terrain," according to one Belgian trainer."

In other words this is a huge step backwards on the part of FARDC.

“The media must be allowed to do investigative reporting and to talk freely about this case without being constantly harassed. Censuring the media’s coverage of this murder just draws attention to the behind-the-scenes rivalries that are affecting the investigation.”

Stearns concludes:

" Of course, the problems of the Congolese army are far from over. As argued here before, the real challenge of army reform lies in tackling the culture of patronage, racketeering and impunity that undermines military discipline and any sense of hierarchy in the armed forces."

Reporters Without Borders added: “We urge the military high command to order their officers to stop this intimidation and we call on the civilian authorities to formally tell the media that they can safely talk about Col. Ndala’s murder, because this information is in the public interest.”

That is a huge understatement. FARDC along with MONUSCO and its offshoot the Intervention ( Africa ) Brigade are tasked with cleaning out the rebels holed up in the East and if FARDC have personnel that are not signed up to this objective then they should be dismissed. Keeping the Eastern DR Congo public and the International Community ( who are funding these operations ) informed of progress and setbacks is an obligation FARDC can't just ignore as inconvenient.

Col. Olivier Amuli, the spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) in Nord-Kivu, publicly threatened two journalists – Austere Malivika of Voice of America and Keny Katombe of Reuters – on 15 January.

What a bloody moron. Again from Jason Stearns:

" Both sources agreed that the departure of dozens of senior officers to Kinshasa––where around 120 officers have been sitting around in hotels in January, ostensibly for training seminars, but in reality awaiting redeployment––helped, as well. "These officers had been embezzling funds and running parallel chains of command. Their departure has simplified the military hierarchy." The Congolese intelligence officer argued: "Some of these people had been in collaboration with our enemies. Getting them out of here helped."

He accused them of “sticking their noses into the army’s business,” in particular, trying to cover the army’s operations against the ADF/NALU Ugandan rebels. And he threatened them with the same fate as journalists in other parts of Africa such as Moussa Kaka (imprisoned in Niger) or Ghislaine Dupont and Jean Hélène (murdered in Mali and Côte d’Ivoire respectively).

Colonel Oliver Amuli should be sacked.

This public threat followed several attempts by Col. Amuli to intimidate them by phone, especially as regards video footage that was filmed a few minutes after the attack on Col. Ndala’s convoy, which Amuli wanted to prohibit.

I have watched that footage and I can't see anything in it that would materially hurt the reputation of FARDC. Colonel Amuli on the other hand has damaged the reputation of FARDC beyond belief with his threats to kill journalists. Not only that but Voice of America and Reuters, the man is fool.

When reached by Reporters Without Borders, the FARDC spokesman for the 8th military region denied that any journalists had been threatened and insisted that the armed forces had a “good partnership” with the media.

I don't believe FARDC. 

Beni’s local media has also been affected by the censorship. Col. Dieudonné Muhima asked Beni’s mayor to prevent local reporters from meddling in the case.

Colonel Dieudonné sounds like he is putting his hand up for dismissal as well. FARDC needs to clean up this mess and clean out the dead wood.

On 7 January, Nord-Kivu governor Julien Paluku Kahongya asked the region’s journalists not to cover Col. Ndala’s murder because this was “obstructing the investigation.” He reversed his position at a news conference two days later, after talking to Reporters Without Borders.

Yes...“obstructing the investigation.” , sounds more like compromising the cover up.

Members of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) threatened freelance reporter Alain Wandimoyi and Agence France-Presse stringer Albert Kambale in Butembo on 4 January, accusing them of knowing too much about Col. Ndala’s death and insisting that they surrender the material they had gathered on the case.

You fight bad information with good information as a certain New Zealand blogger often points out. He is right. Suppressing information has only increased speculation and death  threats aimed at journalists attempts to confiscate information, instructing civil authorities to become involved in the cover up is batshit crazy.

Col. Ndala, who headed the 42nd Battalion’s Rapid Reaction Unit, has been posthumously promoted to brigadier-general. The exact circumstances of his death and the identity of those responsible have not yet been established.

The question is will they ever be established, one has to wonder why FARDC are covering up this. If there is a fifth column operating in the army the arrest the pricks and make it it clear that treason will not be tolerated but do it publically.   

He was combatting the ADF/NALU Ugandan rebels at the time of his death and was very popular with the region’s media because he was always very open and ready to talk to them.

Which of course makes the colonels clowns mentioned above look even more stupid and unprofessional.

Democratic Republic of Congo is ranked 142nd out of 179 countries in the 2013 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.

I suspect that will decline as a result of this fiasco.

DR Congo: Hydro Electricity for Mutwanga

Robert Williams blogs at Virunga National Park's Gorilla Blog 

Virunga’s First Hydroelectric Plant Online!

Virunga National Park has brought the rural community of Mutwanga its first electrical grid. If you have been reading this blog over the last two years, you’ve witnessed the massive amount of work that has gone into this project. Well, construction is now complete, water is flowing down the race channel and spinning the turbines, and electricity is being generated. This is a huge breakthrough for the park in terms of promoting socio-economic development, and ultimately peace and security. The revenue that will be generated by the Mutwanga hydroelectric plant is also a big first step on the path toward helping the park fund operations even when tourism is closed by conflict. “Hats off” to the team and the European Union for their generous financial assistance. Thanks also go out to the Howard G. Buffet Foundation and the 11th Hour Project for their support of Virunga’s other vital development projects.

Main channel where a portion of the river’s water is diverted to the power plant

          End of the channel where water makes to drop into the turbines

                                 Inside the hydroelectric plant

                   The beginning of the power grid leading to Mutsora

                                New street light in Mutwanga

               Skull and crossbones - a universally understood message…

This image and those that follow are a reminder of all the work along the way

I have said it before the guys at Virunga are the real heros of the Eastern DR Congo 

DR Congo: Kabila attempts to turn Goma dry.

New Times ( Rwanda ) reports

DRC clashes leave traders counting losses

                                                                       Rwandan Traders

More and more Rwandan small traders are either afraid of travelling to Goma or bribe Congolese security officials to take their goods across the border as relations between Rwanda and the DRC grow frosty following allegations that Kigali supports M23 rebels.

Fighting between the rebels and the Congolese army resumed in the middle of last month before relatively calming down again.

Rwandan small traders say that border police in the DRC are harsher and more corrupt, taking advantage of the current diplomatic climate between the two countries.

It is easy to get pissed of with the Rwandan Government for the mayhem they have sponsored In the Eastern DR Congo but taking it out on the Traders of Rwanda is bloody stupid. Free and fair trade is part of is part of the solution to the problem.   

Business affected

Emerthe Nyirakabanza, 63, is one of the people whose daily job is to carry beer from Rwanda and she is paid per quantity transported.

She said that since the war in the DRC started again in mid last month, her and other small traders are not earning as much money as they used to do before the new clashes.

“We are not doing our business well, we are scared, at any time we hear bombs and are not allowed to cross the border,” she said.

“I live on transportation of beers from Rubavu to neighboring Goma. I used to cross the border many times a day and earnings were huge, but look at me now, I am sitting as if there is no demand, I have gone to Goma only five times while I used to go there more than 10 times until midday,” she said.

When she carries 36 bottles of Mutzing across the border, Nyirakabanza said that she earns $3 (around Rwf 1900).

“But now as we can’t  go far from the border because we fear to be killed or kidnapped, we are only paid around Rwf 900, a third of which we have to use to corrupt the police in the DRC,” she said.  “I used to go there more than 20 times a day but now I go there less than 10 times.”

I am not sure why anyone would object to an increase in beer supply or why anyone would want to murder a trader in the product. Border cops on the take is no surprise though and it would seem to be counter productive for them to strangle the trade.

Another woman who sells vegetables said that her business was worsened by the violations in the DRC.

“Most of my clients live in Goma. They always ask me to go there but I can’t. I instead ask them to come to the border so we can exchange the goods and that means that the prices for my products are reduced. Sometimes they don’t show up and I have to go back home with my vegetables,” she said.

Another woman who only identified herself as Shamsi said that the war in the DRC was not only affecting political affairs but also their social and economic lives.

“We are going to look for other ways rather than continuing to depend on the Goma market which is being ravaged by wars,” she said.

Congolese traders are equally worried about the security situation back home.

“We are Congolese citizens but we are worried by continuous wars where innocent people are losing lives and others are traumatised. This is affecting our wellbeing and our security and business are being worsened in both Rwanda and Goma,” said a Congolese driver who only identified himself as Pascal.

This is a loose loose situation. Kinshasa can not provide security of any form for the people of Goma, but allowing and I suspect encouraging this tom foolery on the part of the border police is insane. If the government can't provide economic opportunities at least don't deny them. People need to eat.

Rwandan officials warn against unnecessary trips to Congo

Amid reports of violations of human rights for Rwandans travelling to the DRC, with Rwandan officials reporting last Friday that some 60 Rwandans were illegally under custody in the DRC while many others were unfairly harassed, the Mayor of Rubavu District has advised against unnecessary travels to Congo.

“I would suggest that Rwandans better reduce or stop going to the DRC because there is nothing special they get from there,” Mayor Sheikh Hassan Bahame told journalists on Wednesday.

The problem is that know one doubts that Rwanda is attempting to infiltrate spies into Goma in an attempt to prolong the instability but I find the idea that middle aged and old women selling vegetables and beer are in this category laughable. 

The Rwandan government has dismissed allegations that it helps M23 rebels and has warned against reports that the Congolese army is collaborating with the FDLR, a militia blamed for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

DR Congo: The worst place in the world to be a mother.

The North Dallas Gazette reports

Save the Children report: 1 Million babies die the day they are born

WESTPORT, Conn. — A baby’s birth day is the most dangerous day of life— in the United States and almost every country in the world— according Save the Children’s State of the Worlds Mothers report, released this week.

More than 1 million babies die the day they are born yearly, according to the first global analysis of newborn day-of-death data.

In addition to new findings on newborn survival, the report also features Save the Children’s Mothers’ Index, released annually in the run-up to Mother’s Day. This year it ranks Finland as the best place in the world to be a mother, and Democratic Republic of the Congo as the toughest.

Alex Engwete takes issue with this but I find myself agreeing with the contention that the DR Congo is probably about the worst place in the world to be a mother. Where are you now Louise ?

" Louise Baseme, 28, arrived two weeks ago. She says she fled to save her baby's life. "

It is very hard to argue with that.

The United States ranks as the 30th best place to be a mother, just above Japan and South Korea but below all of Western Europe, Australia, Slovenia, Singapore, New Zealand, Estonia, Canada, Czech Republic, Israel, Belarus, Lithuania and Poland. The Mothers’ Index rankings are determined by five indicators on education, income, women’s political representation and the chances a mother and her baby will survive.

Hat Tip Alex Engwete 

DR Congo: Good news from Virunga National Park

Virunga National Park blogger Ranger Sekibibi reports

Gato’s New Baby - Humba Family

                                                           Gato’s newborn huddles against her back during a storm

By Ranger Sekibibi

A few days ago, I reported the birth of a baby in the Humba family, but at the time, I wasn’t certain about the identity of the mother. I can now tell you the mother is Gato. Another ranger, a HUGO (a community volunteer), and I located the Humba family in the Bizenge area of the Bukima sector. Gato is a very good mother and not without good reason - this is Gato’s fifth baby. Gato’s other offspring are solitary silverback Mukunda, blackback Mahindure who is still part of the family, and young Kanyarwunka and Kanyagara.

                                                           A sweet moment shared between Gato and her baby

                                                                                 Gato’s baby safely in her arms

As you’ll remember from a previous post and can see from the picture below, Gato has a bad eye infection. She has had the infection for quite some time. We are concerned the infection is getting worse and that it might spread to her newborn. Dr. Eddy Syaluha will be coming check up on mother and baby as soon as he can.

                                                        Gato eating to keep up with her baby’s need for milk.

My team that day - from left: Ranger Sekibibi Bereke (me), Ranger Semahore Hishamunda, and community volunteer (HUGO) Hhabimana Musekura

Thanks to all of you that have donated to help us give our gorillas the care and protection they need.

There is bugger all I can actually add to the wildlife blogs of the team at Virunga National Park. These guys are amazing. Why not head over to Gorilla CD and have a read. We African bloggers need to keep in mind that all over the continent there are guys like Ranger Sekibibi Bereke who are getting the job done and they are the people we need to support. 

If I could I could sack the Congolese government and replace it with Emmanuel's team from Virunga I would be confident in predicting better governance for the DR Congo.