AFRICA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

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sequently claimed the refusal was an unfortunate bureaucratic error; however, credible
reports indicated that the UPC may have taken the action to force the humanitarian
community to charter planes from a private airline connected with the UPC.
The UNHCR continued to work with NGOs and the RCD/G to voluntarily repatriate
Rwandan Hutus to Rwanda.
Section 3. Respect for Political Rights: The Right of Citizens to Change Their Government
Citizens do not have the right to change their government peacefully. Citizens
have not been able to change their government through free elections since independence
in 1960. The Government continued to operate without a constitution.
President Joseph Kabila, who came to power in January 2001 after the assassination
of his father Laurent Desire Kabila, ruled by decree in the territory under government
control. At year’s end, the Government was holding talks with rebel
groups, opposition politicians, and civil society to establish a transitional government,
which would be responsible for drafting a constitution and organizing elections
(see Section 1.g.).
In 2000 the Government created the Constituent and Legislative Assembly to
draft a new constitution, prepare a national budget, and approve decrees and motions
handed down by the President. During the year, the Assembly continued to
meet and to approve decrees and motions handed down by the President, but it did
not have a significant role in governing the country.
In May 2001, the Government revised the law on political activity to allow legally
registered parties to operate freely, which significantly improved political freedom
in practice. However, the Government continued to arrest political activists and to
block some activities, including marches and press conferences, particularly of parties
who had not registered under the terms of the 2001 law (see Section 2.b.).
On March 31, supporters of President Kabila established the Peoples Party for Reconstruction
and Democracy (PPRD) to legitimize politically President Kabila’s regime.
In November the President reshuffled his cabinet; the new 34-member cabinet
included 17 PPRD members. President Kabila also eliminated three ministerial positions
formerly occupied by ministers he suspended for their involvement in resource
exploitation.
The State continued to be highly centralized in many ways. The Government in
Kinshasa generally appointed governors, but once in the provinces they had considerable
autonomy, due in part to poor communications and transportation infrastructure.
Territorial administrators also were appointed by the Government. Provincial
government resources, both financial and logistical, almost exclusively came from
the Government. Unlike in previous years, when a disproportionate number of government
positions were held by persons from Katanga Province, President Kabila’s
government generally was geographically and ethnically diverse.
There are no official restrictions on the participation of women or minorities in
politics. Three of 23 cabinet ministers and 1 of 12 vice ministers were women, and
women held 18 of the 300 seats in Parliament, including the Speaker’s chair. Pygmies
were not represented in the political process. There were no Muslims, who constituted
only 2.5 percent of the population, represented in senior positions in the
Government or in political parties.
In areas not under government control, citizens did not have the right to change
their government peacefully. In RCD/G-controlled territory, rebel authorities, often
in consultation with the Government of Rwanda, appointed local officials. Rebel
groups tended to be dominated by members of one ethnic group, often a minority
group in the areas under their control. Rebel forces and foreign troops continued to
severely limit political freedom (see Section 2.b.). The only political party allowed
to operate openly in RCD/G-held territory was the UDPS, which signed a political
alliance with Rwanda and the RCD/G.
Section 4. Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation
of Alleged Violations of Human Rights
In areas under government control, numerous domestic and international human
rights NGOs continued to investigate and publish their findings on human rights
cases. The Government Human Rights Ministry attempted to stop abuses against
NGO workers; however, the security services continued to harass some domestic
NGO workers. For example, the security services rearrested N’Sii Luanda, president
of the human rights organization Committee for Human Rights (CODHO) (see Section
1.d.). In October outside of a military court in Kinshasa unidentified individuals
in military uniform beat and abducted Sebastien Kayembe Nkokesha, chairman of
the Congolese Human Rights Observatory; Nkokesha was released the same day.
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