Lucas Barasa And Jami Makan
7 November 2008
Nairobi — President Kibaki on Friday warned against using force to resolve the desperate situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
He also expressed optimism that Friday's high-level talks in Nairobi, attended by heads of state and United Nation Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, will help bring the armed conflict to an end.
Speaking at the Windsor Hotel and Country Club, President Kibaki called on regional leaders to "embrace the culture of dialogue" and "renounce any attempts to use force as a means of settling our disputes."
Despite President Kibaki's desire for peace, it emerged on Friday that the United Nations may move to expand its peacekeeping operation in war-torn DR Congo, where it already has 17,000 troops representing the largest such force anywhere in the world.
On Friday, the UN chief also called for strengthening the Congolese national army, which has been clashing with rebel militias, like the one headed by General Laurent Nkunda.
On Friday, President Kibaki also called for an end to tensions between DR Congo and Rwanda. The former has accused the latter of secretly aiding rebel forces.
And a personal assistant to Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni said on Friday DR Congo has realised that its young national army cannot end fighting with armed rebel groups.
The aide, Mr Eddie Kwizera, said regional leaders were therefore pushing for a review of the United Nations peacekeeping mandate in DR Congo, so that the UN forces can bring peace to the war-torn country.
"We want the UN forces to be allowed to confront the militias," Mr Kwizera told journalists on the sidelines of a high-level meeting in Nairobi on Friday.
Mr Allan Doss, the head of the UN forces in DR Congo, said there are plans to provide an additional "couple" of battalions to help keep peace.
However, he said troop levels are not necessarily the most important factor; soldiers must also be equipped properly for them to move quickly throughout the vast region.
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