 The press restrictions garnered a wave of harsh criticism from the Belgian media.Lumumba decreed the nationalisation of local Belga offices, creating the "Agence Congolaise de Presse", as a means of eliminating what he considered a centre of biased reporting, as well as creating a service through which the government's platform could be more easily communicated to the public.Another order stipulated that official approval had to be obtained six days in advance of public gatherings.