Bemba and the ICC

At English club, the topic university students discussed was the arrest of Jean Pierre Bemba and its consequences. Bemba's family is from nearby Kinshasa, worth 100s of millions from Mobutu-era cronyism. He was an "opposition" rebel during the 2nd Congo War (1998-2003), one of the four Vice Presidents during the transitional government from 2003-2006, and lost the presidency in a runoff to Kabila. Bemba was the eventual Presidential runner-up in late 2006 in the first democratic elections since 1960. In 2007 he was elected a Senator, and because there was signicant tension between him and the national army, employed a sizeable personal security detail which led to the last fighting in Kinshasa in March last year.

He was recruited by then president of Central African Republic to aid him against rebels that threatened and eventually overthrew the CAR government in 2003. Bangui is just across the DRC border/Congo river and was the site of widespread sexual violence during this time. The Int'l Criminal Court was commissioned by CAR to investigate and just last week Bemba was arrested in Belgium. This led to protests at the Belgian Embassy. Protestors were irked because Bemba was arrested in Belgium not in Portugal, despite their membership in the ICC. This might be just a timing thing, but maybe Belgium is trying to assert their "authority" here...I don't know. The Belgian consulates in two other cities have since been closed.

The politics here are touchy. Bemba who enjoys local support who sees the current president as an outsider in Kinshasa, despite being a warlord responsible for troops involved in atrocities. There is always the western meddling too. People have good spirit though. Students respected each other's views. Its a fascinating place, the politics really control the livelihood of so many....and have struggled for so long. For justice this arrest is good, for the politics, I gotta hope this opens an opportunity for someone out there who might be a better politician than Bemba.