Congolese journalist attacked three times in Tienen: Belgian opposition sounds alarm
Journalist Claude Pero Luwara was attacked for the third time in Tienen. Congolese opposition figures in Belgium are writing urgent letters to Belgian ministers.
Third attack on Congolese journalist in Tienen in barely a year
The Congolese journalist Claude Pero Luwara was attacked for the third time on Belgian territory on Thursday, once again in Tienen where he lives. Witnesses, quoted by Flemish media, describe the attack as an "attempted murder" because of its extreme brutality. "They attacked me from behind. There were four or five of them. One of them hit me at least with a hammer," Luwara tells La Libre Belgique.
Luwara is a critical journalist with regard to the rule of President Félix Tshisekedi and has obtained political refugee status in Belgium. The attack took place around 17:30, at a time when Tienen's Grand Place was "well filled," according to the journalist himself.
"This is the third attack. I really wonder if I should stay in Belgium," says Luwara. "The people who are targeting me and who are in power in Kinshasa know this country well. They lived here for many years and clearly have contacts in certain circles."
In the first attack in Tienen, the mayor of the town was a witness. The perpetrators were arrested and sentenced to four years imprisonment. The court recognised that the attack "had a political motive." Despite this, a second and now a third assault followed.
Opposition lawyer: "Those behind it pay little heed to Belgian justice"
Hervé Diakiese, an opponent and lawyer who is now in exile in Paris, reacts with concern. "Pero Luwara has only his word and his camera. He does not incite people to war," Diakiese tells La Libre. "There has already been a conviction for the first attack. And yet it happens again. Those behind it clearly have little regard for Belgian justice."
Constitutional amendment as flashpoint in Congo
The attack occurs during a period of great political tension in the Democratic Republic of Congo. President Tshisekedi wants to amend the constitution in order to remain in power, and has announced a national dialogue of which he himself would be the sole organiser — with complete control over invitations and the agenda.
The united opposition, united in the C64 platform, has announced a demonstration for 15 September against the constitutional amendment, a march that has already been postponed several times. The platform succeeded twice before in organising large popular marches in the run-up to summer.
Meanwhile, a rumour has been circulating for weeks in Brussels about the arrival of envoys of the Congolese government who want to buy off or persuade members of the opposition. Two major targets: Moïse Katumbi's Ensemble pour la République party and Joseph Kabila's Sauvons la RDC. All opposition figures approached deny having had any such contacts, though some admit that at most there were fleeting informal contacts, "virtually inevitable in a city like Brussels, where Congolese political actors are constantly passing through."
Early this week, they all signed a statement from Sauvons la RDC rejecting any participation in the dialogue planned by Tshisekedi. "We will not sit at that table," says opposition figure Franck Diongo, who, like others, has obtained political refugee status in Belgium after a stay in Congolese prisons, where he was a victim of ill-treatment.
"It was not about consultation, but about recruitment," sums up an African politician the extended hand, as part of what he describes as "Congolese tricks."
A Congolese human rights activist adds: "Tshisekedi's announcement of his dialogue has not advanced the political situation in the DRC. It has only convinced his supporters and those he finances financially. The oppositions — from the AFC/M23 rebellion, from Kabila, from Katumbi and the other components of the C64 — have said no. Tshisekedi is now trying to turn around some pawns. However small, they could at least somewhat tear apart what would otherwise be a surprisingly closed front against his initiative."
Congolese opposition writes to Belgian ministers
The assault on Luwara is seen by the Congolese community in Belgium as a warning to all opponents who have sought refuge here. "This is the third assault on our brother Pero," says Diongo. "Belgium, a land of freedom and human rights, must respond. It cannot accept that the violence raging in Congo is transferred here."
Friday morning, the opposition figures met to send letters to the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs and Justice, the state secretary for Asylum and Migration, the head of OCAM and the leadership of the federal police. La Libre Belgique was able to view the text. In it, the signatories write that the recurrence of Congolese violence in Belgium "cannot be minimised" and that an urgent evaluation is needed "to determine, amongst other things, whether these incidents are isolated or whether they reveal the existence of a more structured system of intimidation or political violence."
The Congolese political opposition figures want to use these letters to "raise awareness among all levels of Belgian political life" of the situation. They warn that if another tragedy or attack occurs without the Belgian authorities having responded, responsibility will lie partly with them as well.
Source: La Libre