There are riots and disturbance in large parts of the Arabic world. The public are sick and tired of despotic regimes and kleptomanias who have stolen their money. Tunisia and Egypt have overthrown their regimes and Libya is facing civil war. There are disturbance in Yemen, Algeria, Bahrain and even stirrings of disturbance Morocco and Saudi Arabia. The price of oil is increasing because of fear of the situation.
There is also disturbance in Angola and in the Ivory Coast they have 2 presidents and a very dangerous situation. The disturbance that started in Tunisia has spread like wildfire, and no one knows where this ends or what powers who takes over. There has been an attempted assassination on the president, amateurish admittedly, but six people were killed. The situation can be very dangerous and complex if the disturbance escalates. The authorities have enough problems with control in the country as it is. There is not much more needed to create anarchy. If the disturbance spreads to Congo the situation for the boys will go from miserable to imminent life danger.
The Foreign Ministry has to act NOW and end the misery that has lasted almost two years. If the situation changes politically in Congo, there may not be clear who to negotiate with. They can be dragged out of the prison and murdered by anyone! Police or military without leadership and control, guerilla who occupy the city, a mob or fellow inmates. Anything can happen. Promises about a transfer has been given, settlement has been paid. This begins in the eerie extent to look like the farces the “trials” were.
Norway, who is an active actor all over the world can’t be familiar with not being able to solve a small matter like this, but a case where two Norwegians none the less has been sentenced to death for espionage in favor of Norway. Where there was a verdict with the evidence that was the same as the verdicts for murder. Norway has sent a lot of notes, that’s all well and good, but it doesn’t seem to be taken any notice of them. It needs heavier guns to achieve that. American senators have gone and gotten people out from many places, Bangladesh among others. Clinton went to South Chorea and got people out. The German Foreign Minister got people out of Iran. I have never believed that these countries have better diplomacy than Norway.
I believe that if the Foreign Minister went to Congo himself and negotiated directly he would’ve gotten the boys home with him. That would be a diplomatic and maybe a political triumph as well. It would show that Norway has the ability and the will to help its citizens just as well as Germany and United States.
Knut Moland, March 6th 2011
