First river convoy reaches Kisangani since end of war

The first commercial cargo convoy since the installation of a national transition government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reached the northeastern city of Kisangani on Sunday following a one-month voyage up the Congo River from the capital, Kinshasa. "The eight barges, which were an initiative of the FEC [Federation des Entreprises du Congo] in collaboration with MONUC [UN Mission in Congo] were carrying flour, salt, cement and thousands of bicycles, at a total value of some US $10 million," Jean Bamanisa, the FEC vice-president, told IRIN from Kisangani. Until the installation of a government of national unity on 30 June, Kisangani had been under the control of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma), a former rebel group. In early February 2003, a commercial cargo barge was the first to reach Kisangani from Kinshasa since war erupted in the DRC on 2 August 1998. Prior to that, the Congo River had been one of the main transportation routes across the country. Residents of Kisangani, along with MONUC authorities, humanitarian actors and Congolese entrepreneurs welcomed the arrival of the barges. William Swing, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, said that the arrival of the convoy, escorted by MONUC, was "an important moment in the physical and geographical reunification process of this vast and beautiful country, with a psychological and social impact on the populations and which would facilitate economic recovery". Swing also said that rehabilitation of the Congo's waterways would be a major challenge for the new government, as "free movement of people and goods is an essential part of the Rule of Law". For his part, Bamanisa said he hoped the shipment would help make bread cheaper. He called on the new government, in the name of Congolese entrepreneurs, to ensure that the restart of commercial activity was subject only to national taxation, and not to separate taxation by former rebel groups. "No local taxation should be tolerated," he said. The various former rebel movements had previously imposed their own local taxes, "in support of the war effort", on commercial activity in territory under their control. Bamanisa appealed to the transitional government to design a "Marshall Plan" to help compensate the Congolese people for years of financial losses, and to seek debt relief that would help revitalise economic activity. "We hope that concrete steps will be taken to grant compensation to the people of Kisangani, victims of numerous armed combats, losses of family members, houses and other properties," he said. The governor of Orientale Province, Jean-Pierre Bilusa, also welcomed the event, saying that the arrival of the barges sealed the reunification of the country, which had returned to the use of one legal tender currency throughout the national territory. Only occasional humanitarian convoys organised during nearly five years of war in the DRC managed to navigate the Congo River, although various belligerents sometimes blocked them before reaching their destination. MONUC reported that it had escorted a dozen humanitarian convoys prior to this most recent arrival. Bamanisa said that the eight barges would return to Kinshasa with palm oil - a major product of the region - as well as rice and other foodstuffs.