Government “preparing people for war”

The DRC government appears to have embarked on a propaganda campaign in an apparent bid to prepare people for the possible resumption of fighting, analysts told IRIN on Friday. Government ministers have been issuing strong warnings to Rwanda and rebels in the east that the DRC will not go into the next century as an “occupied” country. Now, according to Gabonese radio reporting from Kinshasa, slogans have been appearing on giant billboards in the city declaring “peace has to be earned”. “People are no doubt being prepared psychologically,” the radio observed. It recalled that President Laurent-Desire Kabila had launched a massive programme to recruit and rearm the military. The radio also cited observers as saying reinforcements were being sent to the various fronts. “In Kinshasa, people fear there will be widespread clashes,” it added.