AFRICA/CONGO DR - Murdered reporter may have had important information; even if he did not, a threatening sign has been sent out to all those thinking of revealing the truth behind the war in Kivu

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - “Just before his murder, Didace Namujimbo had handed over a report to the MONUC on the death of his colleague from Radio Okapi, Serge Maheshe, assassinated in Bukavu on June 13, 2007. Perhaps he had discovered something important on the case,” a local Church source from Bukavu (capital of South Kivu) says. We have withheld their identity for security reasons.
Didace Namujimbo, a journalist from Radio Okapi, an information agency financed by the MONUC (United Nations' Mission in Congo) and the Hirondelle Foundation, was assassinated in Bukavu on November 21 (see Fides 24/11/2008).
“Namujimbo was very active on social issues, as a reporter. Recently, he had been working on the teachers protesting their low salary. He was a very esteemed person. The Church was filled with people at his funeral. It is not true that there were only 500 people, as some news agencies reported,” our source said.
“His death could have something to do with the investigations he was carrying out on the murder of one of his colleagues. What is clear is that they want to send a sign to anyone thinking of providing correct information on what is occurring in North and South Kivu,” the source said. The Congolese media itself has trouble sending people to “cover” the war in North Kivu.
The war between the government in Kinshasa and the rebels of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) led by Laurent Nkunda is also being played on the level of the media as well. Nkunda is extremely willing to grant interviews to various international organizations (including the largest television stations in the world), and he know how to present everything in a positive manner, while the Congolese are amazed at the lack of declarations on the part of the government, which seems unable to manage something so important as internal and international affairs. “It is amazing how the government in Kinshasa does nothing against the media visibility of Nkunda, recalling that he is wanted for war crimes, by the International Crime Court, something that is trivialized by many news agencies,” our source said. “It is also true that the Congolese do not have a good image, in light of the abuses committed by the army on the civilians, especially the women, something that the rebels and other militias also do. In addition, the justice system does not function and the salaries are low.”
In the meantime, the MONUC denounces the violation of the ceasefire in North Kivu, committed by Nkunda's men, whom they accuse of violence against the people. Among the crimes being committed, according to humanitarian organizations in the area, the most typical are sexual crimes, many of the victims being adolescents and young girls. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 26/11/2008)