New cabinet called “government of combat”

The new cabinet formed by President Laurent-Desire Kabila on Sunday was a “government of combat” set up to “win the war”, DRC Information Minister Didier Mumengi said yesterday (Monday). Belgian RTBF radio, monitored by the BBC, quoted Mumengi as saying “the Rwandans, the Burundians and the Ugandans do not want peace, do not want negotiations”. The new government has “brought together all those who are needed for us to win this war militarily,” he added. Meanwhile, a regional analyst told IRIN today that Sunday’s cabinet reshuffle did not represent any significant change for the Kabila government. It was a “non-event” that did not “express any strong message.” New Economy and Industry Minister Bemba Saolona, a business tycoon and father of anti-Kabila rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, will be constrained by his lack of control over the finance portfolio, although he may be able to raise the level of confidence among the private business community to some extent, the analyst added.