Thwarted!

We’ve got a very pushy woman in the office. Large in width and large in personality, she’ll always have something to say. When she puts her hand up to say something in office meetings, eyebrows raise and there’s a silent groan, but she’s not deterred. I tease her gently about her constant need to speak, whether it’s relevant or not.

About two weeks ago she came to see me, very excited. Breathlessly she tells me that she had been invited by UN Women to participate in an important “Forum” to discuss peace and reconciliation in the three Kasai provinces, to be held in the capital of Kasai Centrale, Kananga.

Some background. In August last year the traditional Chief in the Province of Kasai Centrale died. A well established procedure exists to choose a replacement, and the members of the tribe made their selection. But before he could be officially installed, the Government intervened, and installed an outsider who is a supporter of the Kabila regime.

That was an outrage. The tribe established a militia named after the late Chief, and government targets were attacked. In response, the army went on a killing, raping and property burning spree, and killed the man who had been nominated by the tribe as the next Chief. 

Since then, at least 400 people have been killed and the UN reports that about 1.3 million people have been displaced, many of whom have taken refuge in Angola. Mass graves have been found, and two UN investigators were murdered, almost certainly by agents of the state. The conflict has spread over a wider area, and now engulfs a population of millions.

When our protagonist made her request, the Forum was going to start in two days and she was expected to fly to Kananga the next day. All expenses would be paid by the UN – the organisers. I didn’t bother to ask why the organisation has been left so late – it’s so normal as to be not worth discussing – and gave her permission to attend. She was thrilled and left in a hurry to get ready.

Her bearing on her return was very different. The Forum had been packed with uninvited members of President Kabila’s party, and the organisers were powerless to prevent it. The proceedings were hijacked by Kabila loyalists, and the promised outcomes – resolutions that would be submitted to the Security Council in New York – never materialised. What was worse, the delegates could not even walk around the town. There were more than 20 road blocks, and they were constantly harassed. Their UN accreditation was no protection.

As it happens, we are supposed to be working in the province most affected by this violence, Kasai Centrale. Although Kananga is relatively safe, it is too dangerous to go into rural areas. So, for us it is wait and see.