NEWS ON CONGO 017: More people's support for Congo [Posted: 15.11.98] The Democratic Republic of Congo since early August is fighting a just war of defence and of national liberation against the aggression by Rwanda and Uganda, who are acting as proxies of international imperialism, US imperialism in particular. More and more people in other countries are supporting that just struggle. For instance, there is now a website in English too dedicated to supporting the struggle of the Congolese people, and a meeting for that same purpose is being planned in Los Angeles, USA, for next Saturday, 21 November. More on this further below. BRIEFLY ON THE PRESENT WAR SITUATION: In the latest weeks, the main international media have said little about this war, no doubt because the original plot to take Kinshasa quickly and bring down the legitimate regime has failed. The aggressors however together with their puppet troops still are occupying a large part of the DR Congo and are showing no signs of any intention to withdraw. On the contrary, they have recently formed a combined command with the chief of Uganda's General Staff as supreme commander and keep trying to advance, while the Congolese and allied forces, from Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Chad, in the last weeks have reinforced their po- sitions in the central/eastern DR Congo. Militarily, the situation, according to various sources, at pre- sent apparently is approximately at an impasse. The report, reproduced in the last "NEWS" (01.11), that the Con- golese and allied forces had retaken Bunia in the north-east ob- viously was incorrect. The aggressors on that part of the front on the contrary have advanced somewhat. But the fact of a coun- ter-thrust against Kalémie on Lake Tanganyika in the south-east has been confirmed. Further fighting has occurred there. In the areas occupied by the aggressors, a reign of terror against the people continues. The invaders recently have said they have cap- tured the city of Kongolo, extending their perimeter slightly in the south-east. This has not been confirmed. The government of the DR Congo consistently has refused to "ne- gotiate" with the "leaders" of the so-called "rebels", pointing out that they precisely are puppets of outside forces. It also repeatedly has said that the invaders must be driven out by means of protracted people's war. This is a quite correct poli- cy. Experience shows that this must be the basic method against such aggressions and plots. A SOMEWHAT CHANGED STANCE BY SOME WEST EUROPEAN STATES Practically all African states and a number of other third- world states too since long have recognized that this war basi- cally is a question of an aggression and by no means is a "re- bellion" by any significant part of the Congolese people, as the imperialists' media are continuing to try to make people believe. They in various ways are counteracting this aggression perpetrated by Rwandan and Ugandan troops and by some "indi- genous" puppet forces of imperialism, elements of the toppled dictator Mobutu's army. Among the West European countries, all of which are profiting, as is the USA, on the massive exploitation of the third world, still not a single one has condemned this aggression against the DR Congo, which aims to subjugate that country again for exploiting purposes. But there are some tendencies among some of them now not to back this plot to overthrow the government of the DR Congo as wholeheartedly as they did before. For instance, in connection with the planned participation of the DR Congo's president, Laurent Kabila, in a conference on France at the end of this month, he has been invited to visit Italy and Belgium too. This somewhat more "friendly" stance towards the DR Congo no doubt has to do with the fact that the West European capitalists need a certain amount of co-operation with all those African states which support that country's struggle, and also with the support that this struggle has among ordinary people in Europe. INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE CONGOLESE PEOPLE INCREASES As mentioned before, demonstrations in support of the DR Congo and against the aggression have already taken place in a number of cities in Europe and North America. They have all been re- latively small but are, nevertheless, politically significant. Since over a month back there is in function the website in French "Solidarité avec le nouveau Congo", "Solidarity with the New Congo", at . WEBSITES IN ENGLISH More recently, the website in English "Democratic Republic of Congo", in support of that country's struggle, has been set up at . It's managed by Richard Alcorn and con- tains links to other pro-Congo sites and also the statements so far by our DR Congo Committee here in Sweden and my earlier "NEWS ON CONGO" postings. Thanks for that, Rich! We shall keep in touch. And we here in Sweden are planning a website too. The DR Congo itself has started to construct a website in Eng- lish at . Information and statements in support of the Congolese people's struggle also appear at the sites , managed by Ar- thur Henson, US, and , by the group Lalkar of Indian workers in the UK. A MEETING IN LOS ANGELES, US, ON 21 NOV On this planned solidarity meeting the DR Congo Committee in Sweden has got the following message, quoted here in full: [QUOTE:] Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 20:42:57 -0800 From: Mayindi Mokwala Subject: DENOUNCING WESTERN RECOLONIZATION OF CONGO The Patrice Lumumba Coalition presents an International Emergency Forum on the Crises in the Heart of Africa CONGO UPDATE Exposing Western Imperialism's effort to topple the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and recolonize Africa. What role must Africans inside the United States play? Saturday, November 21, 1998, 1998 at 2:00 PM Faith United Methodist Church 1713 W. 108th Street, Los Angeles (between Western & Denker Avenues) Speakers: Ron Wilkins, Patrice Lumumba Coalition Mayindi Mokwala, Congo Unity Special Video Presentation: "Challenge of the Congo" (exclusive Interview with President Laurent Kabila & Independence Celebrations) For more information, please contact: (323) 291-8459 ~ ~ SAVE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL ~ ~ ~ SAVE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL ~ ~ [END OF QUOTE] ________________________________________________________________ "NEWS ON CONGO" postings bring statements by the Congo National Association in Sweden and the DR Congo Committee in Sweden and also reproduce information and analysis from other sources. For French-readers are recommended the sites Agence Congolaise de Presse, ACP: , Congon- line (Belgium-based, brings info from various sources): , and also the sites and . An important site: Solidarité avec le noveau Congo, at . There now also are English-language websites: Richard Alcorn, US, manages one at with various links and with much material from us supporters of the DR Congo in Sweden. The DR Congo itself is constructing a site at . Among sites managed by enemies of the Congolese people, one is of particular interest: . It's managed by Ed Marek, formerly(?) of US Intelligence, and quite "informa- tive"; all must be warned however of the tactics of such people of mixing some truths with some (often big) lies. The "rebel" aggressor puppets "have" a site at . Some contact addresses: Congo National Association Box 5343 SE - 102 45 Stockholm Sweden Tel: +46 - 8 - 471 96 26 (chairman) +46 - 8 - 84 57 18 (facility) Fax: +46 - 8 - 751 26 06 DR Congo Committee (Chairman: Bony Ndjov-a-Shamalo) Box 17513 SE - 200 10 Malmoe Sweden Tel: +46 - 40 - 12 48 32 E-mail: congocomse@hotmail.com