UNION
POUR LA DÉMOCRATIE
ET LE PROGRÈS SOCIAL

Dr ETIENNE TSHISEKEDI'S STATEMENT
ON THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNION FOR DEMOCRACY AND SOCIAL PROGRESS

Johnnesburg, on 15th February 2002

Dear Members and Cadres of the UDPS,

On 15th February 1982, we, brave Congolese sons and compatriots in spite of the risk on our lives, decided to stand against Mr Mobutu devilish dictatorship in Congo.

This perilous initiative resulted in we being arbitrary arrested, tortured, somewhat humiliated, banned, emprisonned and relegated to our home towns. these systematic violations of human rights led to the death a number of Leaders who joined our Liberation Movement.

Thanks to our endurance and our conviction on the noble fight in which we engaged ourselves, on one hand and the pressure exerted within our country and by the International Community, the Dictator finally curved into and announced the introduction of the multiparty democracy system on 4th April 1990. A National Forum (National Sovereign Conference) was held to improve the Congolese political landscape.

In 1996, a civil war broke up that all the Congolese believed to have been directed against Mobutu's dictatorship in order to rescue the democratisation process, turned unfortunately to be a new, worst and unprecedented dictatorship on 17th May 1997.

On 23rd May 1997, we undoubtly and courageously voiced our opposition to all kind of administrations gained and maintained by the use of force.

Paying tribute to our people who again proved its political courage and maturity, our opposition was echoed by requesting inevitably the organisation of the Inter-Congolese Political Negatiations.

On 2nd August 1998, some members and Leaders of the Alliance of Democratic Forces For the Liberation of Congo who believe in democratic values joined our opposition and took arms against their former colleagues in order to virtually bring the democratisation process back into track.

On the same day, we also proposed to those factual Leaders who gained office by force to urgently call for National Political Negotiations to end the new crisis. The history has repeated itself and we have, once more, proved to be in the right way since the Inter-Congolese Dialogue was envisaged by the Parties to the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement.

We, therefore, urge all the Congolese and especially the Union for Democracy and Social Progress fellows to multiply their contribution in this process that we believe to be the sole way to finally and peacefully put an end to the current crisis.

We also would like to hold this opportunity to request to the World Leaders to lend us their capable hands through this Inter-Congolese Political Negotiations so that we can achieve the Congolese happiness which is our last goal.

The Union for Democracy and social Progress, our party, appeals upon all the five Components to the Lusaka Peace Agreement to seriously sense our common and complex responsibility to bring about and install the state of law through Democracy and National Reconciliation.

Furthermore, we urge all the Belligerants in the East to unconditionally and immmediately cease all kind of hostilities that have kept on taking our people in hostage and that may jeorpadize the blissful running of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue.

On this twentieth anniversary of our party, we would like to reassure all our Members and Leaders of our willingness to hold the first Conference as soon as the criteria spelt out in our constitution have been fully guarateed.

For the time being, however, our focal point is the organization of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue that is resuming on 25th February 2002 which will change the Congolese political landscape, and is needed for a genuine and actual development of our country.

We wish you happy anniversary.

Liberation is solely achieved through fight.

Stand Firm, the "UPDS" will be Victorious.

Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa MULUMBA
THE "UDPS" NATIONAL PRESIDENT AND
DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION LEADER.