Traffic Cop Hurdles in Haiti and Kin

We have been stopped by corrupt officials in many countries; Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Congo.  I even had to sit through an "inspection" in Buenos Aires with my university class last January.  In Haiti, however, we had several advantages, one being that we spoke the language, and another being that Haiti is the Wild Wild West and no one knows what is supposed to be happening.  In that sort of situation, anything can happen, and it's more likely you can talk your way through situations and negotiate solutions.  If your intentions are good, it works out.  If your intentions are bad, it works out.  You need to have a strong moral compass.

Generally, the car we used in Haiti was a business car associated with FINCA, which was a partner of USAID.  Therefor, we were given special license plates, similar to diplomatic plates.  We rarely got stopped, and when it did happen it was usually by inexperienced cops who were stunned we spoke Creole.  Amiable conversation usually won the day.

Once, I was driving a rental car with a Norwegian family.  THe traffic cops stopped me, and I portrayed myself as the driver for my boss sitting next to me.  The cop asked if we were american, I said no, we were Norwegian.  THe cop asked what language we spoke, I said Norwegian.  The cop got flustered, asked if it was like English, and I said no, it was like Swedish.  That did it, he didn't want to deal with us at all, and waved us through!

In Kinshasa, you have to lock your doors and roll up your windows.  Otherwise the police will jump into the vehicle with you and force you to either take them where they need to go or take you to a police station where your car will be impounded.  I've seen it happen at traffic stops.  Once a FINCA business car was "hijacked" by a traffic cop, back when FINCA was still a partner of USAID and therefor had diplomatic plates!  THe US Embassy had to intervene to tell the police that they were obliged to return the vehicle.

But my favorite story is still when I was singled out in a traffic jam and, being new to driving in Kinshasa, I was naive enough to actually pull over.  (by the end of my first year, I figured out that everyone usually just swerves around the traffic cops, or else sits there and blocks traffic until they let you go.)  My 2nd mistake was to roll down the window to speak to the gang of cops hovering around my car.  I knew enough not to let them INTO the car, as they requested, but one managed to reach inside and grab my car registration, then scurry to the other side of the boulevard.  They refused to give me back registration!!!!

I was so furious but tried to think of what to do.  Paying a bribe just means you have to pay again and again, and I was absolutely not going to live in this city paying bribes to cops all the time.  I called up Mike who was with the FINCA driver to get their advice.  The FINCA driver is a total mover-n-shaker in Kinshasa, and I thought if anyone knows how to handle this situation, he does.  THey were close by so they showed up along with another FINCA colleague.  It was a wonderful scene: the FINCA guys are all 6'4" and big, and they walked like a gang up to the gaggle of traffic cops.  Mike stared down the one with the registration and simply said "Give it back now"  The group stuttered out a few "calmez vous" and meekly handed it back. I never had a problem at that intersection again.

I was stopped fairly regularly after that, often without any explanation or reason.  But I soon caught on that it was better to avoid the regular cop stands, swerve around them, or sit blocking traffic reading a magazine until they let you go.  I made sure I had all my ducks in order, and obeyed all the traffic laws (well, as much as everyone else did) so that I knew there was no actual reason to stop me.  (But the fact is that in Congo I don't think anyone knows what the real laws are, especially not the police.)  Pretty soon the harassment was almost entirely stopped.  Somehow, they knew the gig was up with me.  By the end of our first year in Congo, I started to sympathize with the cops: their job is so crappy.  They stand in exhaust fumes, the hot sun, all day, for something like $30/month, and they usually don't get paid for several months at a time.  At Christmas I handed out water bottles and gave them a small bonus, on my own terms without their request and without being harassed for it.

Back to blogsite: M&M in Africa

Conflicts in Kinshasa: the When, How, and Why

Conflicts in Kinshasa: The when, how and why, from M&M perspective. Disagreement (respectful and not) are invited in the comments section.

Back when the GLC made it’s Super Safari Extravaganza in March 2007, we ended a great trip only to receive frantic emails and phone calls from FINCA in Kinshasa. (Well, Frank’s messages were actually rather dower, but he’s Dutch.) Kinshasa’s political tensions had exploded once again, this time when no one expected it, at 11am on a workday. While the GLC enjoyed iced lattes at the Nakumat Junction in Nairobi, Mike, the director of FINCA, spent all day at the free Internet cafe (much to the chagrin of the wait staff) trying to monitor the situation. His parents, Fred & Joan were very understanding. And the FINCA staff in Kinshasa that were stuck in the office for two days, under heavy fire, along with 2 Kenya trainers, and no food or water…….well they get a standing ovation.

Horror of horrors, F&J were also scheduled to return to Kinshasa with Mike and fly home from there. They could not rebook their tickets to fly out of Nairobi instead, and the best that could be done was to kick it at a hotel then tenderfoot it back to Kinshasa. I was already on my way out of Nairobi to FINCA Tajikistan, and couldn’t be of any use to anyone.

Long story short, the fighting died down after two days. The GLC eventually made it into Kin and found the city getting back to business as usual. F&J enjoyed their stay in Kin, and ended up liking Congo, mostly because of the brave face put on by FINCA staff, (insert 2nd standing ovation here).

This was the 3rd street battle in Kinshasa in 9 months. The first round of fighting started in August 2006 on the same day I began a master’s degree program at the Fletcher School. It lasted for 3 days, (the fighting, not the Master’s Degree). Coincidentally, there was also another student in the program in Kinshasa at the time, and lucky for me he was an information officer at the UN. That was handy.

The second round was in November 2006 and only lasted one day, but was much heavier. Each time was centered around the neighborhood that we live in. Mike and I found ourselves on the floor of the hallway, away from windows in case something came through. The most interesting part was being on the telephone with an army officer, who explained the different weapons going off by their sound. The worst was the 2nd time, after it was already quiet, and we heard a shot, a scream, and two more shots. Two hours later we watched the police pull the bodies away from the front of our house. We don’t know who shot them, but they were civilians.

Our house, in front of the Interior Minister’s house, inside the intersection of two main boulevards, and 4 blocks from the opposition headquarters, isn’t in the best location. Frank and his wife Joy also live in the area. For perspective, we’re also next to the golf course, country club, and Belgium & Chinese Diplomats, and the local youth soccer league. So go figure. It’s been tough luck for a lot of good people to live in this neighborhood. Why not move? Because 1) This couldn’t possibly happen again (we say this each time), 2) YOU try finding a decent house/apartment in Gombe! You got no where else to go!

Our street survived relatively unscathed this last time around. Although we were on safari, there was a security guard and the gardener trapped at the house (applause to them as well). Our neighbor’s house was overrun by military “searching for someone” but the only disturbance at our house were some shegue trying to climb the wall.

The same cannot be said up at Frank & Joy’s apartment building, which is a block away and although in tact, bears a resemblance to Swiss cheese. It is next to the church of Pastor Ngoy, a controversial opposition figure, which was burned to the ground. The entire area one block above our house is peppered with bullet holes, and yesterday I found shell casings still in the street one month later. Poor Jane, the housekeeper we share with Frank & Joy, was trapped at their place for two days before it was safe enough to go home. Luckily, they had plenty of food, water, internet and satellite tv. (3rd standing ovation for the FINCA employees trapped in the office)

The bad stuff:
A stray bullet came through the window of Mike’s office at FINCA. Luckily, no one was in it, and Mike was with the GLC sipping iced lattes. I don’t care to venture into “what if” territory.

The sad stuff:
The brother of our IT manager, an employee at the BIAC (Bank) along the Boulevard, was killed when the building was bombarded. The same building also housed Unicef offices. The story (unconfirmed) is that during the fighting, after hiding for some time in the shelter under the building, he ventured up to get some coffee, and switched on the lights……………….

Good stuff:
The Congolese military has been pulled out of most Kinshasa posts. Thank God. The RPGs, guns, and marijuana smoke on the corner was pretty freaky. This likely means that Bemba’s militia are gone, or at least in hiding.

More good stuff for the moment:
The opposition has returned to government after it suspended participation saying it was being harassed. In addition, prominent opposition leaders jailed last year for “inciting violence” after the 2nd urban battle have been freed. Baby steps, people, baby steps.

The causes?
Politics as usual - Congo style. Kabila, the president, and Bemba, a former VP under a coalition govt, went head to head in the 2006 presidential elections. Both men can call hundreds of militia fighters to their cause. Kabila, as the elected president (and former interim president) has a more legitimate claim to military support, and he’s supposedly allowed 12k-15k presidential guards (sources vary). Bemba, no longer a VP but now an elected Senator, cannot legally claim a militia for his protection bu twas allotted 12 men. Both men come from families with shady mafia-like background, both men are smart, educated, wealthy, and have an extreme sense of entitlement. The govt has been pushing Bemba to disarm his militia and there were peace-talks going on up to point of the 3rd fight.

The clashes in the street are generally between Bemba’s guys and Kabila’s guys, although, Kabila’s guys are now the Presidential Guard, police, and military. So after this third round, the govt (a majority coalition of Kabila supporters) issued an arrest warrant for Bemba. Bemba sought shelter in the South African Embassy, and was allowed to go to Portugal for medical treatment. He broke his leg in December and now needs treatment……….in April, in Portugal.

Perspective:
The main thing to note is that this is a spillover of old animosities from the civil war that technically ended with an interim government in 2003. We haven’t seen mass uprisings and demonstrations of support for either Kabila or Bemba, (surprisingly, since Bemba can claim Kinshasa as a stronghold). There is real battle fatigue in Kinshasa. Nor are foreigners deliberately targeted or blamed for this particular conflict. Civilians are unfortunately among the casualties, due to the unrestricted and undisciplined ways of the troops. This doesn’t say a lot for the strength of the Congolese govt. It also doesn't say a lot for the United Nations, which has sent here the largest peacekeeping force in the world since 2003.

If anyone pushes Kinshasa through the mess, it will be the Kinois themselves. They show a desire to move forward. First with patience over delayed elections, then with a constitutional referendum that was not clarified, then peaceful voting and strong voter turnout. Right now the subconscious consensus is to move on already, and see what the future holds. And that’s what makes us feel like the DRC is still worthwhile.

Back to main blog site