Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali)
1 November 2007
Kigali — Rogue elements in the DR Congo government and among rebel ranks have forced President Joseph Kabila and General Laurent Nkunda to abandon moves to a political settlement of the conflict there, the International Crisis Group (ICG) has said.
Afraid to become the victims of revenge killings and lose everything they had illegally acquired during the war, the ICG says in a report that Goma-based Tutsi leaders have accused Nkunda of betrayal and threatened to stop supporting him.
Kabila's hardliners have also apparently attacked him over the perceived preferential treatment given to the Tutsi in the army integration process. They have also used the public outcry over the massive human rights violations and displacement of civilians caused by the operations against the FDLR to undermine legitimacy of previous agreements.
The 2006 national and provincial elections liquidated politically the other groups in eastern DRC region such as the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD).
Strengthened by his election, ICG says Mr. Kabila held discreet talks with Gen. Nkunda, facilitated by Rwanda, and concluded an agreement for the progressive integration of Nkunda's troops into the regular armed forces, a process locally known as mixage, with the understanding that they would not have to leave the province until the general security situation improved significantly.
"But neither Nkunda nor Kabila was able to contain their hardliners opposed to the settlement", says the report released yesterday.
The group says UN forces (MONUC) should resist President Kabila moves to involve the multi-national force in military campaigns against Gen Nkunda "lest it be caught in the crossfire between Nkunda and the FDLR".
President Kabila last week held talks with US counterpart George Bush, and all indications from the rhetoric by US officials indicates that calls for a negotiated settlement - are growing louder. Since fighting resumed between the insurgents of Laurent Nkunda and the Congolese army last December, over 370,000 civilians have been displaced in the province.
Due to the failure of the latest attempt to integrate Nkunda's troops into the army, the crisis has become much worse since May 2007. UN has also attempted to impose a ceasefire and appoint a special envoy to mediate but that has failed as well.
Crisis Group wants President Kabila restrained not to us force against the dissident forces.
Support joint operations with the national army, the group tells UN forces, to create weapons-free zones, control main communication routes and aggressively contain and disarm the FDLR in Masisi, Walikale and Rutshuru.
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