Rapport sur la situation politique
15-10/28-11-98
DECLARATION MADE BY ERDDUN
AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT
The Prime Minister, head of the Constitutional Government of the Republic of Congo makes available to you the joint Declaration made by ERDDUN, the Republican Space for the Defense of Democracy and National Unity (Espace Républicain pour la Défense de la Démocratie et de l'Unité Nationale) and the Constitutional Government, regarding the organisation of a "Forum for Peace and National Reconciliation in the Congo", on the initiative of Denis Sassou Nguesso.
On October 15, 1997, the former single party, which had governed absolutely for more than twenty years, took up arms again to gain the power they had lost at the polls in 1992. The coup was made possible with the help of foreign armed forces, such as Angolan forces, in particular. The democratic process has been interrupted :
- The Constitution elected through universal suffrage have been dissolved
- The Constitutional Council, the Supreme Court, the Superior Court of the Judiciary, the National Assembly, the Senate, the Superior Council of Information and Communication, the Social Economic Council, the Regional, Municipal, Districts and Local Councils.
Today, the Congolese people are bent under the yoke of the foreign occupying troops. The putschist and dictatorial regime shows its true face by repeatedly violating human rights and by infringing on civil liberties (robberies, rapes, pillages, restrictions on free movement, persecutions, arbitrary arrests, summary executions, etc.).
Such a "Forum for Peace and National Reconciliation in the CONGO", organized under these conditions, by a putschist and dictatorial regime, in BRAZZAVILLE, with the support of Angolan troops of occupation is an insult to the Congolese people and a denial of democracy. Such a Forum is nothing more than a farce.
Consequently, ERDDUN, the Republican Space for the Defense of Democracy and National Unity (Espace Républicain pour la Défense de la Démocratie et de l'Unité Nationale), a political group consisting of more than 90% of local and national representatives, and the Government for National Union, the only legal and legitimate government of the Republic of the CONGO :
Ask the International Community not to provide any support, in any manner, to the putschist and dictatorial regime, and more particularly to the organization of a pseudo "Forum for Peace and National Reconciliation in CONGO".
- Warn the Congolese people against any type of participation, under any pretext, in this mockery of a forum organized by a putschist and dictatorial regime that is only concerned with legitimizing its coup.
Anyone who participates into this forum will bear the individual responsibility of having contributed to the reinforcement of the dictatorship with all its consequences, namely the genocide of the local populations and the assassination of democracy in the CONGO, crimes against humanity.
Nevertheless, ERDDUN and the Government for National Union are open to dialogue.
National and International opinion will recall that just after the formation of the Government for National Union, on the express and written invitation of the President of International Mediation, El Hadj Omar BONGO, Prime Minister Bernard KOLELAS took part at the "Summit of the African Head of States for Peace and National Reconciliation in the CONGO", on July 14-15 1997 in LIBREVILLE, in the presence of a special envoy from both the UN and OUA Organization for African Unity), Ambassador Mohamed SAHNOUN. At the end of the summit, the Government and the single party had reached common ground and had asked for the :
- Signature of a definite cease-fire;
- deployment of an international support peacekeeping force;
- Organization of presidential elections under the aegis of the UN and OUA...
All of this proves that recovery of the dialogue for peace and national reconciliation is possible.
Such a dialogue must be placed under the aegis of the international community and must take into consideration the following requirements :
- Unconditional withdrawal of the foreign troops of occupation;
Restoration of Republican legality : rehabilitation of the Constitution as well as all the democratic institutions;
- Deployment of the international force for peacekeeping;
- Organization of presidential elections under the aegis of the UN and OAU, in the presence of national and foreign observers and under the protection of an international peacekeeping force, as accurred in ANGOLA and NAMIBIA in 1992, and recently in LIBERIA, in 1997.
In conclusion, ERDDUN and the Government for National Union are asking the international community to take all the necessary actions to restore democracy in the CONGO, in the same manner as it did in HAITI and has decided to do for SIERRA LEONE.
Issued on November 28, 1997.
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