[Ugnet] Rwanda Awaits Kabila's Commitment to Peace

Now that is another bull crap which Kabila is peddling ..... Kabila knows very well that his third rated " Army " cannot, in the real sense of the word, disarm anybody. So why engage in such nonsensical utterence, if not to play politics as usual! ..and perhaps decieve a few naive memebers of the International Community. Indeed how can Kabila's forces succeed where the so callled MONUC forces have failed?

The Rwandan government has said it is keenly awaiting the implementation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila's commitment and directive to his army, to disarm all armed groups, among them the ex-FAR and Interahamwe militia, operating in the vast central African country.

"We are waiting to see them implementing the decision," Presidential Envoy to the Great Lakes Region Richard Sezibera told The New Times Thursday.

Dr. Sezibera said Rwanda would keep a close watch on the progress of Kinshasa's new move and, reiterated the need to have the militia disarmed and repatriated.

President Kabila said Tuesday that he had ordered his army to begin, with immediate effect disarming thousands of foreign militia in the east of his country. "All armed foreign groups operating in the DRC, particularly in the east should be disarmed immediately," Kabila was quoted as telling diplomats in Kinshasa, at a meeting to evaluate the performance of his two-year transitional government.

The DRC Secretary General in charge of Administrative Affairs, Ntumba Luaba, said, "The Congolese army was given these instructions and would operate with the logistic support of the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC)." But he declined to say when the troops would be deployed.

Independent observers say Kabila's decision could have been sparked off by increased international pressure, particularly from the African Union and European Union, both of which have vowed to ensure that the Rwandan militia be disarmed and repatriated.

The EU Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region Aldo Ajello, said last week in Kigali that the Union was in contact with Kinshasa on how to empower and the use Congolese army to disarm the militia.

"Since a political option is not working, for the time being we are moving to the military option." The military option has three components: one is the Congolese army; we are trying to work with the Congolese army to form a certain number of Brigades that could be used for that purpose. We are thinking about six--two in Ituri, two in the north, and two in the South Kivu," Ajello told reporters Friday after meeting President Paul Kagame.

He said the EU has "asked the Congolese government to make a strong announcement that these people are unacceptable anymore in Congo. They should leave Congo."

Meanwhile the AU on Friday took a further step in setting pace for the commissioning of a continental force to disarm the militia--now called the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)--by resolving to dispatch a military reconnaissance team to the eastern DRC to determine the financial and manpower needs for the exercise.

Ambassador Sezibera, who attended last week's AU meeting in Addis Ababa, said the AU was committed to disarming the militia. "The AU is committed to implementing its resolution," he said, adding that "all Rwanda wants is the disarmament of these armed groups, whether voluntarily or forcefully."

Meanwhile, there has been change in FDLR leadership, with Lt Col. Christopher Hakizabera, ousting Ignace Murwanashyaka, who was accused by the 'new leaders' of failing the earlier repatriation program as per the Rome Declaration of March 30, 2005.

Reports say Hakizabera has restated the group's commitment to voluntarily disarm and repatriate, and denounced Kabila's forceful disarmament decision.

"We reiterate our commitment to disarm and return to our country," he told VOA Thursday morning.

The Rwandan government estimates that about 15,000 militia are holed up in the DRC, but the UN puts the figure to around 10,000.

Kabila's directive comes three months after the rebels--many of them suspected to have participated in the 1994 Genocide--made a declaration in Rome, Italy, for voluntary disarmament and repatriation, organised by St Egidio Community. The declaration was made after secret talks with Kinshasa officials.

[Ugnet] Rwanda Awaits Kabila's Commitment to Peace

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