CONTENTS
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: ADFL dissolved
UGANDA: Minister plays down Libya accord
RWANDA: Accord "null and void"
BURUNDI: Government stresses neutrality in DRC conflict
TANZANIA: Over 50,000 DRC refugees
GREAT LAKES: Food situation "precarious"
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: ADFL dissolved President Laurent-Desire Kabila has announced the dissolution of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (ADFL) which swept him to power in 1997, accusing some of its members of "opportunism" and "self-enrichment". Addressing the first congress of the "Comites du pouvoir populaire (CPP)" on Tuesday, in a ceremony broadcast live by state television, he said the "disappearance of the ADFL was a matter of time", according to Congolese media reports. Kabila went on to explain the role of the CPPs as "giving power to the people". "Power will be fully exercised from the grassroots level," he said. "The CPPs will always be able to solve problems that the old system of government was unable to solve, because then the initiative as not in the hands of those who really had the power to act," Kabila told the meeting. UGANDA: Minister plays down Libya accord Ugandan Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Amama Mbabazi has played down a peace accord signed in Libya by Kabila and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, AFP reported. "The peace agreement is simply a statement of our desires - what we would like to happen in Congo," he said. "But it's not enough just to talk about ceasing hostilities or withdrawing our forces. We need details on how we would go about implementing a ceasefire, while our withdrawal is contingent on our security concerns being addressed and an international peacekeeping force coming in." RWANDA: Accord "null and void" The Rwandan government rejected the agreement as "null and void". In a statement, reported by Rwandan radio on Tuesday, it described the document as a "pseudo-peace agreement", stressing that Kigali was not consulted. The government reiterated it had explained to the international community its reasons for intervening in the DRC conflict, and these reasons must be taken into account for resolving the crisis. Foreign governments barred from interviewing genocide suspect The lawyer defending former Rwandan health minister Casimir Bizimungu at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has said his client will not be interviewed by foreign governments until his case is over, the Internews agency reported. He said that once a suspect was under the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, there could be no outside intervention. The Swedish, UK and New Zealand governments want to question Bizimungu, believed to be a leader of the extremist Hutu organisation PALIR, in connection with the abduction of three of their nationals last year. PALIR has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. Rutaganda denies sharing ideology of Radio Mille Collines Former Interahamwe leader Georges Rutaganda told the ICTR on Wednesday he was a "minority shareholder" in the extremist Radio Mille Collines, the independent Hirondelle news agency reported. Resuming his own defence at the Tribunal, the militia's former second vice-president claimed he had invested for financial reasons only and denied subscribing to the radio's ideology. He said he had never spoken on the radio. Bishop's appeal rejected Meanwhile, Kigali's Court of First Instance has rejected an appeal for the release of Bishop Augustin Misago of Gikongoro prefecture, Rwandan radio reported on Tuesday. The bishop, who was arrested last week on suspicion of involvement in the 1994 genocide, asked to be released due to health problems. BURUNDI: Government stresses neutrality in DRC conflict The Burundian government has reiterated its neutrality in the DRC conflict, the Netpress news agency reported. A government statement issued on Tuesday expressed regret over the media's "misinterpretation" of comments by First Vice-President Frederic Bamvuginyumvira during a recent interview with the BBC's Kirundi service. In the interview, he said "when war starts in a neighbouring country, you go beyond your front door ... we decided to send our soldiers as far as possible, so that we do not get surprise attacks". The government, in its statement, stressed "Burundi has no territorial ambitions and no political claim on the DRC". It added that Burundi was, nevertheless, worried about the security situation along the border and would "take all necessary measures" to ensure the DRC conflict did not endanger Burundi's security. TANZANIA: Over 50,000 DRC refugees UNHCR estimates the total number of DRC refugees who have so far fled into western Tanzania at over 50,000. Some 200 refugees a day are now being registered, most of them going to the Lugufu camp, southeast of Kigoma town. However, the camp is nearing its capacity and UNHCR and the Tanzanian government have identified two locations for a possible overspill. GREAT LAKES: Food situation "precarious" An FAO report on the food outlook for Africa has described the situation in the Great Lakes region as "precarious". Efforts to increase food production were hampered by "persistent insecurity, sporadic violence and bad weather," FAO said in a news release on Wednesday. In Burundi, it said food difficulties were particularly serious for some 550,000 people still living in regroupment camps. Burundi, Rwanda, the DRC, Tanzania and Uganda are among 17 sub-Saharan countries listed by the FAO as facing "exceptional food emergencies". Press release available on IRIN-Extra service.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: ADFL dissolved President Laurent-Desire Kabila has announced the dissolution of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (ADFL) which swept him to power in 1997, accusing some of its members of "opportunism" and "self-enrichment". Addressing the first congress of the "Comites du pouvoir populaire (CPP)" on Tuesday, in a ceremony broadcast live by state television, he said the "disappearance of the ADFL was a matter of time", according to Congolese media reports. Kabila went on to explain the role of the CPPs as "giving power to the people". "Power will be fully exercised from the grassroots level," he said. "The CPPs will always be able to solve problems that the old system of government was unable to solve, because then the initiative as not in the hands of those who really had the power to act," Kabila told the meeting. UGANDA: Minister plays down Libya accord Ugandan Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Amama Mbabazi has played down a peace accord signed in Libya by Kabila and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, AFP reported. "The peace agreement is simply a statement of our desires - what we would like to happen in Congo," he said. "But it's not enough just to talk about ceasing hostilities or withdrawing our forces. We need details on how we would go about implementing a ceasefire, while our withdrawal is contingent on our security concerns being addressed and an international peacekeeping force coming in." RWANDA: Accord "null and void" The Rwandan government rejected the agreement as "null and void". In a statement, reported by Rwandan radio on Tuesday, it described the document as a "pseudo-peace agreement", stressing that Kigali was not consulted. The government reiterated it had explained to the international community its reasons for intervening in the DRC conflict, and these reasons must be taken into account for resolving the crisis. Foreign governments barred from interviewing genocide suspect The lawyer defending former Rwandan health minister Casimir Bizimungu at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has said his client will not be interviewed by foreign governments until his case is over, the Internews agency reported. He said that once a suspect was under the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, there could be no outside intervention. The Swedish, UK and New Zealand governments want to question Bizimungu, believed to be a leader of the extremist Hutu organisation PALIR, in connection with the abduction of three of their nationals last year. PALIR has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. Rutaganda denies sharing ideology of Radio Mille Collines Former Interahamwe leader Georges Rutaganda told the ICTR on Wednesday he was a "minority shareholder" in the extremist Radio Mille Collines, the independent Hirondelle news agency reported. Resuming his own defence at the Tribunal, the militia's former second vice-president claimed he had invested for financial reasons only and denied subscribing to the radio's ideology. He said he had never spoken on the radio. Bishop's appeal rejected Meanwhile, Kigali's Court of First Instance has rejected an appeal for the release of Bishop Augustin Misago of Gikongoro prefecture, Rwandan radio reported on Tuesday. The bishop, who was arrested last week on suspicion of involvement in the 1994 genocide, asked to be released due to health problems. BURUNDI: Government stresses neutrality in DRC conflict The Burundian government has reiterated its neutrality in the DRC conflict, the Netpress news agency reported. A government statement issued on Tuesday expressed regret over the media's "misinterpretation" of comments by First Vice-President Frederic Bamvuginyumvira during a recent interview with the BBC's Kirundi service. In the interview, he said "when war starts in a neighbouring country, you go beyond your front door ... we decided to send our soldiers as far as possible, so that we do not get surprise attacks". The government, in its statement, stressed "Burundi has no territorial ambitions and no political claim on the DRC". It added that Burundi was, nevertheless, worried about the security situation along the border and would "take all necessary measures" to ensure the DRC conflict did not endanger Burundi's security. TANZANIA: Over 50,000 DRC refugees UNHCR estimates the total number of DRC refugees who have so far fled into western Tanzania at over 50,000. Some 200 refugees a day are now being registered, most of them going to the Lugufu camp, southeast of Kigoma town. However, the camp is nearing its capacity and UNHCR and the Tanzanian government have identified two locations for a possible overspill. GREAT LAKES: Food situation "precarious" An FAO report on the food outlook for Africa has described the situation in the Great Lakes region as "precarious". Efforts to increase food production were hampered by "persistent insecurity, sporadic violence and bad weather," FAO said in a news release on Wednesday. In Burundi, it said food difficulties were particularly serious for some 550,000 people still living in regroupment camps. Burundi, Rwanda, the DRC, Tanzania and Uganda are among 17 sub-Saharan countries listed by the FAO as facing "exceptional food emergencies". Press release available on IRIN-Extra service.
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