Political wrangling continues in Bunia

Political wrangling is still continuing in DRC's northeast Bunia area, with rebel leader Professor Ernest Wamba dia Wamba contending that his rival Mbusa Nyamwisi has failed to disband his militiamen who are still "roaming around". Wamba, who leads the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML), last weekend survived an attempt to topple him by his deputy Mbusa Nyamwisi which led to two days of bitter fighting between the rival factions. Nyamwisi's faction accused Wamba of "institutionalising ethnic hatred and refusing the collaborate with other liberation movements". During talks in Kampala last month, brokered by the Ugandan government, Wamba said there was an agreement that Nyamwisi's 'Usalama' militia would be disbanded and the RCD-ML troops would be organised under one battalion with one commander. However, Wamba told IRIN on Monday that none of the issues agreed upon had been implemented, and that the problem was a political one, "pitting a few individuals who want to enrich themselves against the population". According to the embattled RCD-ML leader, the 'Usalama' militiamen are still "roaming around and looting houses". "The UPDF [Uganda People's Defence Force] has proved that it cannot deal with or curb the insecurity in the area," Wamba said. For this reason, he did not attend a meeting in Kampala called by the Ugandan authorities at the weekend to try and bring the two factions together. "Was this meeting to resolve the problem of the presence of militias in my area or to discuss the security of the population?" Wamba asked. "The UPDF must ensure the security of the population before any negotiations can take place." The 'EastAfrican' weekly on Monday said Wamba's refusal to go to Kampala signalled a growing rift with the Ugandan authorities, despite the Ugandan army providing protection for the professor in Bunia and restoring him to power after the attempted coup. Wamba told IRIN there were "very good people" within UPDF and the entire army should not be blamed. "Conflicting directives" from various army officers had "complicated" UPDF operations in the RCD-ML area. Wamba and his supporters blame certain Ugandan army officers for inciting the unrest in order to "protect their economic interests" in northeast DRC.