Andre Okombi Salissa: aka
“tout bouge”, is a pure creation of President Denis Sassou Nguesso. He is a former war lord who headed the
dreaded Front 400 militia. The Front 400 was
an autonomous militia group,
created by Andre Okombi Salissa, but allegedly financed by Denis Sassou
Nguesso, during the 1997, short but brutal civil war. It was in spite all the
paintings or claims floated around it, a pure pro- Denis Sassou Nguesso back up
militia, for his greater militia group, called the Cobra. In other words, the
Cobra was the mother shock terror ship of current President Denis Sassou
Nguesso, while the Front 400 was feeder militia boat, captained by Andre Okombi
Salissa in the turbulent seas of Congo. But they were well-known to be vicious
and specialized in surgical precision attacks on civilians and western
diplomatic interest. They are reported to have planned and headed the operation
to attack the US embassy in Brazzaville and looted the compound. It was worth reminding readers that, this was
during the 1997 short but violently brutal civil war, that some say was sparked
by Denis Sassou Nguesso with the support of Jacques Rene Chirac, former French
president. While the accused (Denis Sassou Nguesso) and his supporters claimed
that, the civil war was caused by the inability of the only post independent
democratically elected president of Congo, Professor Pascal Lissouba, to respect
the spirit of the 1992 constitution. The said 1992 constitution is believed to
have produced the only electoral democracy and change at the helms of the
country.
Greatest deception
However, the great
paradox is that, the current president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who even wrote an
epic book in titled : Le Manguier, le Fleuve et la Souris or in English: The
Mango Tress, the River and The Mouse, which had two purposes. The first being
to denounce the excesses and abuses of Pascal Lissouba in 1997 and second, presents
in a subtle manner to the public, his book/campaign manifesto. Denis Sassou
Nguesso is at present, doing the same things that he had deprecated in his
book/manifesto. Some people think that,
his book was the greatest deception in Congolese political writings, while
others are putting in doubt whether he was the author of the book. However those
who are putting in doubt Denis Sassou Nguesso’s authorship of Le Manguier, le Fleuve
et la Souris, it may be simply that, they may have not read the book. For to those doubting, it is beyond comprehension,
how a respectable man of the caliber of Denis Sassou Nguesso, could trample
over his own writing. But according to Anani Bindji Rabier, a journalist: that
book is real Denis Sassou Nguesso. All what he said and wrote was simply
because, he wanted power and the French were ready to back him on the condition
that, he makes the promise to return to liberal democracy. He concludes: Denis
Sassou Nguesso is a typical prototype of what an African chief should be. And he is a man with
an extraordinary capacity to dissimulate his true character or feeling and that
is a common traits found in most reptiles, in particular the Cobra snake or in
some felines, especially the panther.
A political creation of Denis Sassou
It was as though; in
1997, Denis Sassou Nguesso was writing what he will do when he assumes power. And
this very troublesome question or observation which often comes up, Andre
Okombi Salissa, being a political creation of Denis Sassou and whom by chance
has now become an adversary of his mentor.Won’t he do or act in
the same manner as Denis Sassou Nguesso? That is, pretend as though he is for the
people and when he gets what he wants and which is power, won’t he return to
his true self? If Denis Sassou Nguesso
had the effrontery to write a book full of best intensions, and then trample
upon it, what assures the public that, his political son won’t behave like his
mentor? To the defense and discharge of Andre Okombi Salissa, Everybody has the
right for a second chance and he has even confessed of his sins, albeit in
general terms. But other questions that beg to be asked are these: were he not
shown the door out of the government, would he have ever joined the opposition?
Is he sincere? Why did he wait too long
to apologize? Will his victims accept his apologies? To his discharge, too many
crimes have been committed in Congo and those accused have they been prosecuted
because there is justice in Congo. The
areas of predilections of Andre Okombi Salissa during the civil war and which
also became his fief in peace time, were
the cosmopolitan neighborhoods of Poto-poto and Ouenze. He was assisted in his macabre
operations during the civil war by Faustin Elenga. And Mr Elenga is today Member
of Parliament for Talangai electoral constituency. This constituency is located
in the north of Brazzaville and he is representing the ruling Congolese Workers
Party abbreviated in French as PCT.
Well connected
One thing is true
though, in the weak and disorganized Congolese opposition, Andre Okombi Salissa
and Mathias Dzon are the only two people with the potentials and capacities to
succeed or challenge President Denis Sassou Nguesso, for they are fully well
prepared with sound established network of supports in the country and abroad.
Therefore, Okombi Salissa is a force to be counted upon in the march toward the
respect of the constitution in Congo. As already mentioned, he might become the
president of the Republic. What is not known about him is where he stands
ideologically. He is currently at the head of a powerful well established
political movement that was once aligned to the youth wing of the ruling
Congolese Workers Party or the PCT. He is also one of the rare former allies of
President Denis Sassou Nguesso who has support all over the country. His secret
is simple. When he was government minister from 1997 to 2012, he used his
ministerial post to create a network of formidable loyal supporters who got
jobs or were integrated into the civil service because of his influence. Furthermore, he has placed his men and women,
all over and in strategic places. The only other member of the Denis Sassou
Nguesso galaxy who has used his influence to spread his tentacles all over the
government is Jean Dominique Okemba and it also explains the reason why, Andre
Okombi Salissa is and was the only One, who could confront without fear the
dreaded Jean Dominique Okemba. Mr Okemba is arguably the most influential
member of Denis Sassou Nguesso’s innermost circle. He is variously referred to
as: Satan the Devil, “very special one” or “vice president” of the Republic.
Formidable capacity of mobilization
In a country where
there are little or no jobs outside the civil service, because the private
sector is feeble or inexistent, Andre Okombi Salissa has succeeded in building
a large pool of fanatical supporters who are a kind of reserved fighting force
for him, whenever the need may arise. It also explains the reason why his close
aides are presently subject to police harassments. As a pure creation of Denis
Sassou Nguesso, he is capable of reenacting identically, what his mentor did to
Pascal Lissouba in 1997.His only handicap is
that, a section of opposition and people of the Pool region who were victims of
the exactions of his militia during the civil war still looks at him with some
tinge of suspicions. This is so because, he has not yet openly expressed his
opposition to the ruling party and he is still an MP for the Lekana electoral
district in the Plateau region under the banner of the ruling PCT party. Nevertheless,
he has a formidable capacity of mobilization and therefore, he is a nuisance to
the ruling party and the President and his ambition to change the constitution
and also get re-elected. He is an asset to the opposition and not a liability
at the present dispensation. However, all the suspicions on him seems to have been
dropped, since he has now openly decided to stand against the change of the
constitution, that will enable President Denis Sassou Nguesso to stand for another
third presidential mandate. He has recently shown his determination or
opposition credentials by joining hands with established opposition party
leaders such as Clement Mierassa, Pascal Tsaty Mabiala, Mathias Dzon, Claudine
Munari, Paul-Marie Mpouele and new comer Blanchard Oba. Andre Okombi Salissa, who studied and
unspecified course in the former Soviet Union, is claimed by his detractors, to
have studied propaganda and mobilization and upon return, he got plunged into
the Congolese civil war and was rewarded with a ministerial post immediately
after. He held ministerial appointments for 12 years. Unlike other Congolese of his age group, he
has never known unemployment upon graduation.
Coward or opportunist
The same detractors
also claim that, he rebelled against his former friends only after his friend
and supporter Isidore Mvouba MP, was not given the post of secretary general of
the Congolese Workers Party at the 2011 extraordinary congress, that saw the
appointment of Pierre Ngolo MP as secretary general. And according to Arlette Soudan Nonault, former special
adviser to Pierre Ngolo, Andre Okombi Salissa is not only a political coward,
he is not logical. If he were bold and logical, he would have quit his post as
MP for Lekana and also resigned from the ruling party. However, Okombi Salissa
who is taciturn and speaks most often via his communications adviser, Augustine
Kallakalla, replies that: there is time for everything. He adds that: he has
nothing against President Denis Sassou Nguesso but against his misrule and the tribalism
that he has established in the country. As already mentioned above, Okombi is
the only person who can stand and challenge Jean Dominique Okemba, the dreaded
and most influential man in Denis Sassou Nguesso’s government. And the fact
that, he has now taken a bold stand against the change of the constitution, it
is certain that, Congo might plunge into another civil war, should Denis Sassou
Nguesso maintains his controversial plans to change the constitution and also
if General Jean Francois Ndenguet, who acts now more as the head of a militia
than the head of a republican Police, tries to forcefully arrest him.
Another Colonel Marcel Nstourou
For it is reported by well informed sources who do
not want to be named that, Andre Okombi Salissa, still has his armed militia. They are not only based in
Brazzaville, but are spread around the country and they will be ready to
confront the Congolese Police, which has been transformed into the Pierre
Nkurunziza style Police: tribal and violent. Furthermore, since André
Okombi is an ethnic Bateke, a tribe that
seems to have now been ostracized by the
current predominantly ethnic Mbouchi regime, his(Andre Okombi Salissa) tribal kith and kin
who are present in 8 of Congo’s 12
administrative divisions or departments,
won’t allow one of theirs to become another or second Colonel Marcel Nstourou.
Therefore, in the current presidential contest, the most dreaded challenger to
the current regime is not the new kid on the block, General Jean Marie Michel
Mokoko, but Andre Okombi Salissa. The man to watch in this presidential
election of March 20th 2016 and after, is Andre Okombi Salissa, for he
has the money, the capacity to wedge civil and armed warfare and he has the
network around the country that, the ragtag regroupings of Mokoko doesn’t have in
spite all the euphoria being made around him.
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