tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84861712025-10-01T11:55:27.406-04:00This is a salon of news events in Africa, and particularly Congo. It is a place for news, opinion, and increased awareness of the happenings on the mother continent, and the situation in Congo and the Great Lakes. Comments are more than welcome. -Ali M (TheMalau/AfroVoltaire)- Chief EditorTheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.comBlogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-50955033068729075942009-05-02T22:10:00.000-04:002009-05-02T22:10:20.286-04:00

As an African living in the diaspora, there re few things more frustrating than having to constantly dispel apocalyptic views about our continent, or our country. From the preconceptions that people all live in mudhuts, and roam around with lions and leopards, to the assumption that all of Africa is nothing but a collection of sempiternal, unsolvable ethnic/tribal wars, coming to the defense of

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-74254289670118893382009-04-27T01:33:00.004-04:002009-04-27T05:33:34.123-04:00

This was bound to happen eventually.BBC NEWS | Africa | Rwanda bans BBC local broadcasts: "Rwanda has suspended BBC broadcasts in the local language Kinyarwanda because of what it says is bias in BBC reports concerning the 1994 genocide."I always find it very interesting to see how quickly the Rwandan regime retreats to a defensive posture whenever the issue of further openness about

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-78168403484986957192009-04-16T23:34:00.003-04:002009-04-30T12:30:24.403-04:00

(Someone that most readers of this blog will recognize, wrote this interesting piece.x-posted at Le Salon, and published on Black Commentator)The case FOR the CongoA response to There is No Congo, by Jeffrey Herbst and Greg Mills, posted March 2009, Web Exclusive, http://www.foreignpolicy.comby Ali M. MaminaForeign Policy magazine recently published a rather disturbing article on the Congo (There

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-75966110911301700642009-04-15T23:09:00.001-04:002009-04-17T03:09:06.444-04:00

Once again, something I missed in the past few months of absence from the blogosphere, but that is worth noting.A new report from the International Rescue Committee has indicated that the number of people dying from the results of the war in the Congo has gone up to 5.4 million. It's time to name the individuals and corporations who have profited from this. In addition, I will suggest appropriate

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-27432362987588356322009-04-15T17:38:00.003-04:002009-04-17T02:15:15.175-04:00

So, I cannot believe I did not read this when it came out. I came across this article by Severine Autessere, on Foreign Affairs magazine:The Trouble With Congo | Foreign Affairs Summary -- Although the war in Congo officially ended in 2003, two million people have died since. One of the reasons is that the international community's peacekeeping efforts there have not focused on the local

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-6651791927955543692009-03-02T15:54:00.003-05:002009-04-16T00:18:12.149-04:00

Ever since that day of April 1994 when I left Rwanda under a cloud of flying bullets, in the first fiery and chaotic week of the Rwandan genocide, and throughout all the havoc that has been wrought in its aftermath in my country, the DRCongo, I have been dreading some of the "parallelism" in the article below, and its dangerous implications Lessons from Rwanda, the 'Israel of Africa' |

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-4516370180328669662009-03-02T15:35:00.006-05:002009-04-15T17:52:00.608-04:00

From Sfbayview.comby Kambale Musavuli and Maurice CarneyJanuary 2, 2009Congo's holocaust by Khalil Bendib2008 marked the 100-year anniversary of the removal of the Congo from King Leopold II of Belgium as his own personal property. Global outrage at the King’s brutal rule resulted in his losing the Congo treasure trove on Nov. 15, 1908.Leopold II accumulated spectacular wealth for himself and the

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-79990980093425364182009-02-16T05:14:00.001-05:002009-04-16T00:10:31.552-04:00

(This is partly a response to a comment by Nshuti Habimana, on a post by Friends of the Congo, here) I am fed up. I am fed up of people always blaming the victims of the conflict in the Congo, of creating the conflict. I am sick and tired of hearing so-called experts on Congo, and duped well-meaning entertainment personalities, mis-characterize the reality of the conflict in my country. So, I

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-22974766713116492742009-02-06T16:37:00.033-05:002009-02-06T17:24:03.736-05:00

I have not been writing on The Salon for a while. That's because I have lost a bit of the grasp I had of the situation back home, in the Congo (DRC). Both the political power-players and the political game itself became blurry. There was a point when I could discern between constructive forces, and the destructive ones in a clearer fashion. Who pulls Kabila's strings? How to uncover the multiple

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-61459550494347644672008-12-05T12:35:00.001-05:002008-12-05T12:37:32.291-05:00

I am working on restarting The Salon soon, on Maneno.org. But in the mean time, I wanted to share this article by my very passionate friend Kambale Musavili, Spokesperson for Friends of the Congo.Congo in Crisis: What President Obama Can Do To Right Past Wrongs In US Policy - The Daily Voice - Black America's Daily News Source

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-36861744791962989362008-07-07T02:34:00.003-04:002008-07-07T02:36:03.065-04:00

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-67175762879693029392007-09-05T11:49:00.000-04:002007-11-08T14:38:49.395-05:00

Yesterday, I commented on Cedric's blog, then proceeded to write my rant as a post - in French - on this blog, where I have been derelict in my blogging for about a year now. I wrote because I am both optimistic and terrified, when I consider what lies ahead for Congo, and that simply unsettles me, and I feel a brewing storm of gigantic proportions.I am optimistic because there seems to be a

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-80932361113358720692007-09-04T05:13:00.000-04:002007-09-04T06:27:24.775-04:00

Il y a certaines choses absolument intolerables qui se produisent en RDC, et il semble que, comme d'habitude, le monde entier y est totalement sourd et aveugle... volontairement!Des aberrations flagrantes comme le phenomene honteux de Nkunda et les rebelles de l"Est, la multiplicité des rentrées scolaires, la magouille dans l'organisation de la paie des fonctionnaires, et le brouillard entretenu

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-36854606160956966712007-02-11T17:42:00.000-05:002007-02-08T11:53:59.899-05:00

The Salon will be back soon, especially now that there is a new government in Congo, that there is a need to follow the whole Bas-Congo army-Bundu dia Kongo debacle, and that Lansana Conte is acting up in Guinea, that Somalia is reaching new levels of complication, etc, etcI have been spending sometime updating several English-Wikipedia pages on the DRC and Africa, and that takes a lot of time.

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1165619139454535242006-12-08T18:04:00.000-05:002006-12-08T18:39:17.086-05:00

Paul Kagame has surfaced in a BBC interview, after recently coming under fire from a French judge for his role in the assassination of President Habyarimana in 1994. His unconvincing performance in rebutting the allegations shows why so many believe he did it. To deflect all criticism, his trump card is the Rwandan genocide, and he uses it shamelessly to award himself a halo he doesn't deserve.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1165423672881990882006-12-06T11:11:00.000-05:002006-12-18T18:29:47.506-05:00

Today, newly-elected Congolese President Joseph Kabila was sworn in. His inaugural speech included several references to rebirth, renewal, even of a revolution in the Congo. And anything short of that would be futile in the great DRC.Joseph Kabila, and all the elected institutions of the country are embarking in a very long, and arduous journey, during which public scrutiny is going to be higher

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1165017886606605162006-12-01T18:38:00.000-05:002006-12-02T06:36:45.503-05:00

From Reuters, through The Financial Times:Congo's Kabila seeks reconciliation in violent eastBy Reuters, Friday November 1 2006KINSHASA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Congo's recently elected President Joseph Kabila carried a reconciliation message on Friday to his country's lawless east, where he is hugely popular but where rebel violence still threatens peace.Days after the Supreme Court confirmed him as

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1164892308323310732006-11-30T07:59:00.000-05:002006-11-30T14:56:58.826-05:00

Now don't get me wrong. I have my doubts on the actual abilities of President Kabila to run this country correctly, but I am more than willing to give him a chance, because the national interest matters more, and he was elected as democratically as the situation allowed it. When there will be negative actions, we will denounce them. When there will be positive action, we will praise them. Case

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1164833256955879342006-11-29T15:34:00.000-05:002006-11-29T15:47:37.086-05:00

In response to the previous post, one of our faithful opinion leaders here at The Salon, Lorraine, ask a series of questions, that may be crucial - in their own way - to the near future of the DRC. I will put the questions down here, and answer those that I believe I can give a (partial) answer to. For the rest, well... I invite you to take a stab at them in the comments section.1. Does President

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1164792279246089122006-11-29T04:25:00.000-05:002006-11-29T04:32:33.733-05:00

When looking at the Congo today, I am definitely enclined to let out an enormous sigh of relief today... and then to take it back in the following half second. Like many analysts of the political situation in the DRC, I was increasingly apprehensive of Vice-President Jean Pierre Bemba's potential military reaction to a rejection of his electoral challenge in the Supreme Court, on Monday. Jean

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1164630992753366042006-11-27T06:54:00.000-05:002006-11-28T00:04:45.033-05:00

(UPDATE: The Supreme Court of the DRC has officially declared Joseph Kabila, the winner of the elections, and the newly elected President of the Democratic republic of the Congo.)So apparently today is the day the Supreme Court its verdict on the electoral result, and we can finally know who won, really... the fact of the matter is, especially reading reports from the court proceedings, the

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1164214732668482362006-11-22T10:12:00.000-05:002006-11-27T07:47:12.260-05:00

I have been trying for the past few days to write the piece that I promised the readers of The Salon, analyzing the results of the elections in my beloved Congo (DRC), but the current events have made it impossible for me to make that analysis, because there are elements that effectively blur what seemed like a fairly straight-forward situation (as straight-forward as it could be in the Congolese

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1163655219546401882006-11-16T00:19:00.000-05:002006-11-16T00:33:40.213-05:00

During this little hiatus, due to the - still current - vicissitudes of technology, the editor of The Salon (that would be me) had some time to examine the entire electoral process, and to review the various steps that it has taken - many of which were chronicled here. Later today, I will write a piece on that very process, so stay tuned.In the mean time, the state agency in charge of organizing

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1160330221862039252006-10-08T13:57:00.000-04:002006-10-08T13:57:02.320-04:00

U.N., Congo troops battle militia fighters in eastern Congo, leaving 12 militants dead - Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune: "KINSHASA, Congo Government troops backed by U.N. helicopters and armored vehicles battled militia fighters Saturday in Congo's restive northeast, leaving two U.N. peacekeepers wounded and at least a dozen militants dead, officials said. Fighting between

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486171.post-1159349552982830812006-09-27T05:30:00.002-04:002006-09-27T05:38:25.476-04:00

The Salon is back, up and running. And it seems there has been both a lot of change in Congo, and a lot of the same. Only Congo can pull that off so well. First, the latest in a long line of "agreements":monuc.org: Kinshasa to be 'gun-free town' pledge DR Congo rivals ::: 25/09/2006: "KINSHASA, Sept 23, 2006 (AFP) - The two men bidding to become the Democratic Republic of Congo's first

TheMalauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234958400648325094noreply@blogger.com4