Today the families were informed from the Foreign Ministry that Alida Endresen has left Kinshasa to participate in meetings and have holiday. She is coming back on January 8th! It’s like a slap in the face, a Christmas greeting from hell! There the boys are, under very difficult conditions in a prison in danger of being stormed.
Their phones have been taken from them, and we don’t even have an e-mail or phone number to contact anyone if anything happens! Maybe they don’t think anything will happen, that’s what they thought when they were in Kisangani as well until it all blew up! Even after the riots started they stated that “they were fine under the circumstances”. Without even checking what was going on! This is scandalous treatment of Norwegian citizens who are in deepest need. Can you imagine prioritizing meetings and holiday to life and health! If Endresen had to leave all common sense would say that someone else is sent in her place. I’m sure Kinshasa is not a pleasant city to celebrate Christmas, but if you’re employed in the Foreign Ministry you just have to deal with it, like if you’re at sea or other important work during the holiday. I work in a shipping company with among others do health, environment and safety. The regard for life and health comes before anything else, and everything thinkable is done to avoid accidents and risks for these. That is why I watch the Foreign Ministry’s priorities with wonder. Here they leave people in a critical situation to celebrate Christmas. That’s a priority that stinks! Can they really operate like that in a department? Is there really no quality assurance of these irresponsible decisions? It has to be allowed to ask questions. The following is sent to the Foreign Ministry as a response to this “Christmas greeting”: to the Foreign Ministry: I take this into consideration, and would like to express my deep disappointment to this. As everybody knows this is a life threatening situation for the boys the way it is in Kinshasa at the moment, especially with the difficult conditions in the prison. This will be the 3rd prison they are locked up by this thugs, convicted as the Foreign Ministry knows without evidence for anything. A verdict based on racism and hope for money. VG says this week that the criminal police will not prosecute them in Norway. That was no surprise; there is no evidence of any crime being committed at all. In this situation the foreign ministry priorities to send their representative home for almost a month to attend meetings and Christmas holiday. There is nothing that suggests that the foreign ministry is doing anything before way out in January. This is the worst priority I’ve ever heard of. If there are any human feelings in those who’ve decided this the Christmas dinner will probably have a poor taste this year! Dear NN (assistant director in the foreign ministry) for me this was a Christmas greeting from hell!
With regards, Knut Moland
