Problems in Congo, office Brussels Airlines plundered

[blackhawk]

more in dutch: http://www.standaard.be/Artikel/Detail. ... d=0B1A0GML

Also the Memling has been plundered. Flights to Kinshasa cancelled or rerouted.

[SN30952]

Jean-Pierre Bemba, an opponent of Joseph Kabila has taken refuge in the South African embassy in Kinshasa after his men fought gun battles with government troops.
He called on his soldiers "to return to their positions and that the FARDC* does not provoke them".

Kabila has ordered Bemba to reduce his security detail to 12 police officers. At the moment his armed guards number in the thousands. Bemba has to disband his 'personal' guard.
He was allowed 12 guards.

Here is what it said:
Dans un communiqué, le général Kisempia, Chef d’Etat-major général des FARDC a fait savoir que le service de garde rapprochée est une mission dévolue à la Police Nationale Congolaise et aux services privés de gardiennage. Et par conséquent, tous les militaires qui sont encore utilisés par toutes les anciennes autorités de la transition, notamment les anciens vice-présidents de la République, doivent se présenter avec leurs équipements militaires individuels aux quartiers généraux de différentes régions militaires à travers le pays.

This week was the date-line.
Meanwhile Radio Okapi is ...silent.

Question is: who pays them? South African?

*FADRC, Forces Armees de ;a Rep Dem du Congo, Congo's army.

[FlyA330]

And there is also a SNBA crew blocked in the Memling !! Since yesterday they closed the hotel.The crew heared firearms in de region of the hotel. At 4 AM this morning the fights started again. Let's hope they will evacuate them very soon and that SNBA will not make the same mistake as a few years ago with their crew blocked in Abidjan.

[regi]

did they get a pack of boarding cards? Today at the market...

[sn26567]

SN BA cancelled their flights until further notice. Yesterday's flight was stopped at Douala, After a night rest for the crew and the Kinshasa-bound passengers, it returned to Brussems.

Today's flight to Yaounde and Kinshasa was cancelled.

Meanwhile, Air France flew normally to Kinshasa yesterday...

The SN BA offices incurred heavy damage, inside and outside. Many vehicles were also damaged.

The SN BA crew is still blocked at the Memling Hotel (a former Sabena hotel).

[SN30952]

Indeed it is politics.
There is the Christian Democrat tendency opposed to the 'liberal' tendency
Secularity against religion.
Where the Belgian colony once was a 'Christian colony', administered by churches, some instances have decided otherwise... eg. Belgian French speaking ministers and lodge members oppose to that.

This illustrates this well: De Beninse president Thomas Yayi Boni. Boni maakte in volle verkiezingscampagne uitgebreid gebruik van de helikopters, die minister van Defensie André Flahaut (PS) hem ter beschikking stelde.
The president of Benin was using Belgian Army helicopters for his election campaign, sponsored by Belgian Defense Minister.
These two helicopters are Agusta ones, that made the PS minister, who purchased them, famous and got the Belgian socialists parties in deep s**t, euh troubles.

Benin in the past had a bad record of leftist governments: A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu Kerekou and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles.
It was said later to be the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. Kerekou was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. Kerekou stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas Yayi Boni.
Afrika Nieuws schreef vorig jaar bij verkiezing van Boni: zijn overduidelijke overwinning is een klap in het gezicht voor de gevestigde politieke orde in Benin.

External influences? Do you really think this would be acceptable in elections in Europe?

[FlyA330]

It's much better for them to stay inside the hotel. Braver or not, if you know Kinshasa, you will stay inside. The road to the airport is very long and very dangerous!!

[werknemer]

to SN30952

just for your info!!!!

'blocked'?
They or their management prefered (them) to stay inside....
The AF crew and ground staff seem more brave.

AF crew is ALWAYS stationed in BRAZZAVILLE!!

and of course as you know everything, BRAZZA IS NOT RDC

I would like to see you walking now in the streets of kin,
should be very nice and funny trying to get away from 25 poeple asking you money with guns pointing to your head!
then you are not just brave , then you are my hero!

[SN30952]

It's much better for them to stay inside the hotel. Braver or not, if you know Kinshasa, you will stay inside. The road to the airport is very long and very dangerous!!

Unfortunately I know that from longer than yesterday, including the crackling of Kalashnikovs.... and heavier guns.

Don't forget when the aircraft leaves, ground staff, Reps, Station manager and staff stay behind. They also have to come and go the same road to the airport... and much more often.

I would like to see you walking now in the streets of kin

Hum, I was in SCL when they bombed the presidential palace, in Greece and Turkey when the tanks were in the streets. In Uganda in the 80, in BKK during the revolts, 300 causalities, BJM and KGL in 1994, when the presidential aircraft was downed, when the genocide was on, causalities? Can't remember.
I have seen more than my share of dead bodies in the streets.

But we helped people out to safety, and stayed behind...
Now my hands are wet and cold!

[SN30952]

Belgian media report: Congolese looters were wearing Belgian army uniform, with belgian badges...
The uniforms were donated by the Belgian Defence ministry, but they omitted to remove the signs on them.
Nato uniforms for looters!

Congolese plunderaars dragen Belgische legeruniformen

[SN30952]

The EU ambassadors in Kinshasa issued a joint statement in which they condemned the "premature use of force".
One diplomat said there had been "disproportionate use of military force".
Up to 600 people have been killed.
Is disproportionate use of military force an other way to qualify "murder"? Or how are "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group" qualified?

DRC = BRC?

[SN30952]

Armed Conflict in Congo Causes Serious Problems for Mission Aviation

....two of [their] three air planes were damaged by stray mortar rounds in the fighting between government forces and up to 600 loyalists to ex-warlord Jean Pierre Bemba....