International Crisis Group (Brussels)
31 October 2007
press release
Nairobi/Brussels — Unless the government of Congo pursues a comprehensive political approach to settle the crisis in North Kivu, the violence could again escalate and destabilise central Africa.
Congo: Bringing Peace to North Kivu, the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines the need for a new approach to address the root causes of violence in the fragile province, desist from pursuing a purely military solution and avoid an escalation that could easily draw in Rwanda and Uganda. Renewed confrontation between Laurent Nkunda’s insurgent troops and President Joseph Kabila’s army has lead to the displacement of over 370,000 civilians since December 2006. Although Nkunda has no standing as a political interlocutor, Kabila’s government must refrain from military operations that offer no prospect of success for either side and ad dress the insecurity caused by all armed groups.
“Kabila’s 15 October call for all Congolese irregular groups to disarm was a good step”, says David Mugnier, Crisis Group’s Central Africa Project Director. “It should be followed up by establishing a special taskforce to discuss with Nkunda’s representatives exactly how his fighters will be integrated into the army, a joint Congo-Rwanda-UN mission (MONUC) strategy to deal with FDLR Rwandan rebels and a substantial inter-community reconciliation policy”.
This new crisis results from failures of the Congo peace process on army integration, economic governance and transitional justice. The second half of the political transition decreased tensions by focusing on appeasement, containment and the 2006 elections, but the conflict’s roots were left unaffected, and violence resumed following the balloting. After his election, Kabila concluded an agreement with Nkunda for bringing his fighters into the regular armed forces, a process locally known as mixage. However, neither Nkunda nor Kabila were able to contain their hardliners opposed to the settlement, and it collapsed in May 2007.
The international community should encourage Kabila to maintain the suspension of offensive operations and launch a comprehensive peace initiative for North Kivu. It should be aimed first at de-escalating the conflict and improving the general security environment, then addressing the core issues related to restoration of state authority such as review of land distribution, regulation of the exploitation of natural resources, return of refugees and a transitional justice process facilitating reconciliation. Simultaneously, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court should investigate crimes committed in the province since June 2003 and hold accountable those most responsible.
A prolonged deadlock would inevitably result in further displacement of civilians and increased risk of ethnic cleansing and revenge killing on both sides.
“North Kivu has been the epicentre of Congo’s violence since the conflict began more than fifteen years ago”, says François Grignon, Crisis Group’s Africa Program Director. “Now is the time to address this major gap in the Congolese transition and end a crisis which is producing immense suffering and continues to carry wider risks for the country and its neighbours”.
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