Duncan Woodside
14 December 2007
Goma — South African troops are on their way to the Democratic Republic of Congo's war-torn North Kivu province, as the United Nations (UN) seeks to reinforce its presence in the east against advancing rebel forces.
The rebels have won significant ground in recent days, repelling a government offensive and taking back territory they have not held since August.
A major confrontation is brewing threatening all out war.
"We are expecting reinforcements from South African peacekeepers, with several hundred troops on their way here now," UN spokeswoman Sylvie Van Den Wildenberg told Business Day yesterday.
The exact number of South African troops could not be confirmed and it was unclear whether they were coming from elsewhere in Congo or from SA.
An Indian battalion (about 800 men) is also on its way to North Kivu, enabling the UN to further bolster its presence.
The foreign affairs department in SA and military sources said they did not know of a plan to send extra troops, but did not rule out redeployment.
The UN is forming a line against the rebels at the town of Sake, 28km north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu. The rebels are led by renegade Tutsi Gen Laurent Nkunda. It is understood he has been told that the UN will move against his forces if they attempt to advance any further.
The UN is an official partner of the Congolese army, as the government seeks to stamp its authority on the country's lawless east and disarm remaining ethnic militias.
Ahead of the arrival of the South African and Indian reinforcements, the UN troop strength in North Kivu stands at 4500, about 25% of the total peacekeeping force in the vast country.
An as yet unidentified number of people have fled the rebel advance, with government soldiers deserting their positions and allowing the towns of Mushake and Karuba to fall back into rebel hands late on Tuesday. The government had taken Mushake and Karuba last week, as part of a long-planned offensive that has seen 20000 of President Joseph Kabila's government troops massed in North Kivu.
In a press conference late on Wednesday, the Congolese army tried to reassure the local population and urged them not to panic or flee.
"The military in Sake are in control of the town. The soldiers there will ensure security for the population," said Kitenge Tundwa, a military spokesman.
"For Goma, the security situation here is good and the people must go about their business as usual," he said.
However, other sources say that the majority of Congolese troops have retreated up to 30km from Sake.
After taking back Mushake and Karuba, Nkunda has indicated his readiness to negotiate a political settlement with the government.
He has consistently put forward five conditions for a settlement: the return of Congolese Tutsi refugees from Rwanda; an amnesty law for his associates; protection of the Tutsi population; and a position of authority for himself.
The latter condition is believed to entail Nkunda becoming the overall military commander of North Kivu, which is unpalatable to the government.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Congolese government on Wednesday to protect civilians endangered by an offensive.
Ban's spokeswoman Marie Okabe said an estimated 60000 to 70000 people already displaced by violence were reported to be on the move again this week because of the renewed fighting.
"The secretary-general is deeply concerned about the intense fighting in North Kivu," Ban's office said.
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All this is a plot nkunda can not and won't be commander of Nord Kivu,we know that the american marines helped nkunda according to clear and tru source of Fdlr,so washington is involved in troubling the RDC, SO THEY CAN EXPLOITE THE ALL RESOURCES,THAT PITY FOR BIG AND CIVILISED COUNTRY TO DO SUCH ACT, THERE IS NO RWANDESE REFUGEES SO CALLED CONGOLESE WHO ARE IN RWANDA ,WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A WHOLE PLAN TO BRING THE REAL RWANDESE IN CONGO TO CREATE A TUTSI LAND SO MAI-MAI IS WAITING FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY DO NOT JOKE WITH THESE PEOPLE… [Read Full Text]
Generations of Congolese citizens have not known peace since 1961 when Lumumba was killed. But there seems no end in sight as the civil war rages. For almost forty years Mobutu was used as a cover up to plunder the natural resources of the country and also to eliminate millions who ever raised a voice against the US democracy that he was building in the country. Lauren Kabila that attempted to correct the situation and stop the plundering of the country's natural resources was killed as Uganda and Rwanda invaded the country to check and stop Lauren Kabila's… [Read Full Text]