Everything is back to normal in Kisangani. But the incident on June 7th speeded up both Norwegian and British authorities. It’s sad to think that four representatives from UN (Monusco as the peacekeeping force in Congo is called) could allow the guards to steal personal belongings from several prisoners in the Central Prison without stopping it. Not to forget how they behaved towards to two white prisoners.
These four representatives have written their report. That is of course very different to the one Joshua dictated to his sister and we posted here on our website. Anyway, Monusco in Kinshasa has sent a couple of people to Kisangani to investigate the incident closer. We haven’t seen any report from that. Two people from the Foreign Ministry have been in Kisangani for a short trip. The thought was maybe to get the 2000 dollars back that was stolen from the two Norwegian prisoners. I think those money are long gone. The families got to sent a few things to Tjostolv and Joshua with the representatives, which they appreciated.
The Foreign Ministry has been very active in this case, both towards Monusco and the Congolese authorities. Joshua’s report was translated to English and sent to both Monusco and the British Ambassador. The organization Reprieve that I’m in close contact with sent out a press release because of the incident on June 7th. This has added pressure on the British authorities who has also contacted Monusco and the Congolese authorities. They have also sent a Note Verbal to the Congolese authorities requested that the two are immediately transferred to Kinshasa. The case has been mentioned in British press. An acquaintance of mine sent Joshua’s report and a résumé that I wrote to unwatch.com. (They keep a close eye on what happens within the UN system) We haven’t seen anything about this case on their website, but the organization is worth looking in to.
This incident is similar to the one last fall when Tjostolv was beaten up and put in the “punishment cell” in that it shows how unpredictable the situation in Congo is. All of a sudden a “normal” day in the prison can expand to unknown consequences. Now, it’s the holiday season again soon and we have to prepare ourselves for a silent period of time.
Kari Hilde French, June 18th 2011
