North Kivu ceasefire undermined by new clashes in Lubero

A ceasefire among belligerents in North Kivu Province of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could be undermined by capture of the town of Lubero on Thursday by the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) rebel movement. Lubero had been under the control of the Kinshasa government and their ally, RCD-Kisangani/Mouvement de liberation (RCD-K/ML), before the Rwandan-backed RCD-Goma captured it after heavy fighting. Speaking in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, where the ceasefire talks were being held, the head of the DRC government delegation, Vital Kamerhe, accused Rwandan troops of assaulting Lubero, an allegation immediately rejected by RCD-Goma. Nevertheless, all parties agreed that the ceasefire would take effect on Thursday at 6 p.m. (16:00 GMT). "My feeling after the signing of the ceasefire is one of disappointment. At the moment we are discussing with our friends from RCD-Goma, we do not understand why tanks of the Rwandan army assaulted Lubero city, accompanied by several battalions of the Rwandan Patriotic Army," Kamerhe, the DRC commissioner-general in charge of the peace process in the Great Lakes region, told reporters. "We've certainly signed the document, RCD-Goma can sign it or not, but my impression is that the principal actor is absent," he said, making veiled reference to Rwanda. "The document will help us to pursue diplomatic actions, and it will enable the Congolese to understand that the danger is always there," Kamerhe added. "The document will also enable the international community to continue applying pressure, because the Rwandan government is against peace and reconciliation in the DRC." Kamerhe warned that the ceasefire agreement would be useless if Rwanda intended to continue the occupation of Congolese territory in order to plunder the country's natural resources. Reacting to Kamerhe's allegations, Joseph Mudumbi, head of the RCD-Goma delegation to the ceasefire talks, said Lubero was not captured by Rwandan troops but rather by RCD-Goma, after government troops together with Rwandan ethnic Hutu militias known as "Interahamwe" had attacked RCD-Goma positions. "It is not true, Lubero was not assaulted by Rwanda," Mudumbi said. "As earlier stated, our movement announced a cessation of hostilities early Wednesday morning and we respected it until government troops and Interahamwe came to attack us. In chasing the assailants, we found ourselves in Lubero town, which is under our control at present." He added: "In any case, Rwandan troops are not involved in operations taking place in North Kivu. The international community and the UN Mission in the DRC [known as MONUC] have all witnessed the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese soil." MONUC head Amos Namanga Ngongi, who presided over the ceasefire talks, had prepared a plan for the withdrawal of all parties from the newly occupied territories. The plan was due to be forwarded to belligerents 24 hours after the signing of the ceasefire.