It’s hardly surprising that Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila and his Minister of Defence, Adolphe Onusumba, dashed to Katanga last weekend when a secessionist storm appeared to be breaking over the province.
Kabila’s sudden trip to the provincial capital of Lubumbashi has delayed a visit to the country’s capital, Kinshasa, by President Thabo Mbeki to witness the adoption of the country’s new Constitution.
The DRC province, best known for its post-independence split that led to three years of civil war until 1963, is purportedly Kabila’s political stronghold. The native Lundas desire to break away from the DRC has been fuelled by the province’s mineral riches, which would make it a viable state in its own right.
But despite the huge financial and political investments in Katanga by Kabila’s father, the late Laurent, the province is divided. ”Joseph Kabila is not the master of Katanga, but it is the best he has because he has no following at all in Kinshasa,” says Richard Cornwell the senior analyst at the Institute for Security Studies.
Kabila’s intelligence service intensified its watch on the secessionists after the major theft of arms from a Lumumbashi military camp in March. The group has been disguising its meetings to advocate a break from Kinshasa at sporting and religious events.
The swoop, which reportedly netted 103 people last weekend, follows a crackdown last month in which 53 people were arrested. The detainees are being charged with treason and conspiracy. Among them is André Tshombe, son of the secessionist leader Moise Tshombe. Analysts see this as illustrating the seriousness of this development. Tshombe junior is president of the Lubumbashi-based Congo National Confederation.
There are reports that elements of the so-called ”Katanga Tigers” are involved in this attempted split. They have their roots in Tshombe’s gendarmes, who were notoriously cruel and ferocious fighters in the 1960s. When the civil war ended with the aid of the United Nations, many of them crossed the border to Angola and took up arms for the MPLA, which has since become the ruling party. They came home to launch further secession attempts in the 1970s. Many joined the forces of Laurent Kabila in 1997 to help him overthrow Mobutu Sese Seko.
Adding to the confusion is the reported involvement of the entrepreneur, Raphael Katebe Katoto, who made his fortune in mining, arms sales and from supporting Angolan rebel Jonas Savimbi. He also worked as a go-between for the Rwandan government.
Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye has appointed Jean Marie Ngendahayo as Minister of the Interior, ending weeks of disagreement between the president and the former main rebel group, the CNDD-FDD.
His appointment follows talks last week in Pretoria between Ndayizeye and CNDD-FDD leader Pierre Nkurunziza. Deputy President Jacob Zuma, who is the facilitator of the Burundi peace process, mediated the talks.