|
|
Uganda: Will DRC Get Rid of Foreign Rebels?
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
New Vision (Kampala)
22 December 2007
Posted to the web 24 December 2007
Joshua Kato
Kampala
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is covered by huge forests, some parts which have never been ventured into. The Congo's eastern region is rich in minerals.
These two things - the mineral wealth and large swathes of forest - have played a huge part in shaping the destiny of the Congo.
The vast forests have attracted dozens of rebel groups with different agendas. Some, like Laurent Nkunda, are fighting the regime, while others like the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), the People's Redemption Army (PRA) and the Allied Democratic Front (ADF) are fighting Uganda.
Defunct Ugandan rebel groups like the West-Nile Bank Front, Former Uganda National Army rebels and the Uganda National Rescue Front all at one time operated from the DRC.
The EX-FAR, composed of mainly former (ex-Rwanda president Juvenal) Habyarimana soldiers and the deadly Interahamwe also fight Rwanda from the Congo.
Earlier this month, another round of talks to solve the eastern Congo question was held at Munyonyo in Kampala. Uganda and the DRC countries agreed to co-operate to get foreign belligerents off DRC soil and the DRC gave the LRA rebels a January deadline to leave.
Uganda has, over the years, signed numerous protocols with the DRC, in an attempt to find ways of removing these rebel groups from Congolese soil. One was signed in Arusha in September, while the issue was also discussed in Ethiopia at the beginning of December.
Before 1996, the forests of the Congo were merely a feature to be marvelled at. But that changed when the ADF, a shadowy Islamic fundamentalist group, launched its first attacks on Kasese from there.
At around the same time, the EX-FAR attacked Rwanda from the DRC.
Another anti-Rwanda force, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, was also in the Congo at the time.
Suddenly, Rwanda and Uganda became interested in what was happening next door. In 1997, they attacked the DRC and subsequently overthrew the government of Mobutu Sese Seko. Mobutu was replaced with the flamboyant Laurent Desiré Kabila.
The eastern DRC, however, remained a hot spot, where life became as cheap as salt. Chaos erupted as the various countries involved in the Congo war tried to find ways of gaining control of particular areas and turned to each other's throats in their quests. Uganda and Rwanda fought three times in Kisangani. They created rebels groups, led by people like Wamba Dia Wamba, Jean Pierre Bemba and Thomas Lubanga. These, along with tribal groups like the Mai Mai and Lendu, wreaked havoc on the DRC.
Wamba Dia Wamba, Bemba and Lubanga are at the moment out of the picture. Bemba joined the unity government in Kinshasa for a short while, then stood for presidential elections and lost. He is now in exile in Portugal. Lubanga is incarcerated in the Hague on charges of abusing human rights. However, when one cock disappears, another comes onto the scene. The new cock is the renegade Tutsi general Nkunda.
So, can the DRC get rid of all the rebels operating on its territory? January is not far away, and the world will be watching and waiting for action on the LRA.
Uganda's worries
Other factors may come into play to help the DRC and Uganda solve the LRA problem more easily than anticipated.
There are reports that the LRA is disintegrating, with the latest news being that rebel leader Joseph Kony is relocating to the Central African Republic. Also, unlike with the ADF, NALU and PRA, there are talks going on between the LRA and the Government.
The ADF question, however, still looms. The rebels tried to re-enter Uganda in March, but were blocked by the UPDF. The ADF, according to intelligence reports, still has units hiding in the forests in Congo. The reports say there are over 300 rebels camped around Bunia, Butembo and Beni in the Ituri Forest area. As long as their leaders, Jamil Mukulu and Yusuf Kabanda, are still around, the ADF remain a threat to Uganda.
Some PRA remnants are also said to be in the Congo, especially around Ituri. However, they are not a major threat, especially after many of their commanders relocated to other countries.
Some ways to do it
There are mainly two ways in which the DRC regime can get rid of the belligerent groups. One is through the use of force. The DRC could attack and destroy the rebel camps in the east. Through the years, the DRC military has gained strength and experience.
|
In their current conflict with Laurent Nkunda's forces, the Kabila regime has shown an ability to fight. They have, through experience, learnt that an army is very important for their survival and so they now have a standing air force, infantry and mechanised divisions. If the DRC decides to fight the rebels, they may not even need outside support.
|
The article is more a reflection of Uganda and Rwanda governments views than an independent analysis to understand the chaos in Eastern Congo and help suggest appropriate solutions to end the crisis.
The fact that the above mentioned countries deny any support to rebel groups in the Eastern Congo does not mean they do not support,journalists should investigate allegations and find for themselves if this is true or not.
Dissidents from "the Congo Desk" in Rwanda in particular have made it clear that the troubles in Congo are planned and executed from Rwanda.Some "rebel groups" such as RASTAS are a... [Read Full Text]
Kato you are right if the RDC GOVERNMENT WANT TO FIGHT THE REBELS HE DOESN'T NEED HELP FROM OUTSIDE, YES BUT YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT THOSE REBELS ARE SUPPORTED BY OUTSIDE WESTERN COUNTRIES AS UK,USA VIA RWANDA AND KAGAME IS A CHAIRMAN ,WITHOUT THAT SUPPORT THERE IS NOWAY THOSE REBELS TO STAY RDC ,THE HELP THAT RDC GOVERNMENT NEED IS THAT RWANDA ACCEPT HIS PEOPLE FDLR (GROUP OF TUTSIS AND HUTUS WHO ARE AGAINST THE LEADERSHIP OF KAGOME) so why kagome doesn't want to have opposition party as a democratic country? kagame is the source of every trouble in... [Read Full Text]
The problem is, none of these groups, including Kabila junior are for the better. They all try to get hold of the riches und get millionaires. The reason for this is based in the support of the classic colonial powers in Europe und US. They feed puppets in order to get hold of the riches. They support, like Leopold 2 did, rivaling tribes in order to have peace while exploiting Congo. So colonialism has never disappeared in Africa, only the governors have changed from white to black. Those heros like Jomo Kenyatta or Patrice Lumumba have either decayed or been... [Read Full Text]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
