Suspension of Lusaka “null and void”

The leader of the Goma-based Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD), Emile Ilunga, termed President Laurent-Desire Kabila’s recent dismissal of the Lusaka accord as “null and void”. He, however, welcomed the deployment of the UN Observer Mission (MONUC) in the whole country. In a statement to journalists, Ilunga called Kabila’s statement “contradictory and insane”.

“Once again, Laurent-Desire Kabila has shown his ability to take irresponsible positions and proved to the world that he does not deserve to be called head of state, but a dangerous warmonger and an enemy of peace,” Ilunga said. “And now, in contradictory and insane statements, the Kinshasa dictator reached a point of no return,” Ilunga observed. “He has unilaterally declared the Lusaka accord null and void and at the same time he has welcomed the deployment of MONUC forces whose very existence is legitimised by the same accord,” he said.

Ilunga noted that Kabila said he accepted dialogue with the rebel movements, the unarmed opposition and the civil society with a view to involving them in the government but “without a neutral facilitator”. “In short, he comes out as a turncoat in the national dialogue which calls for unconditional re-inclusion and reunification,” Ilunga added. He also noted that Kabila has called for dialogue between the warring states to discuss “common border guarantees” while forgetting that this major concern is provided for in detail in the Lusaka peace accord, which called for the disarming of negative forces in the DRC. “The RCD reaffirms, following the summit in Lusaka between 15-18 August that the Lusaka accord is, and remains, the only framework for the peace process in the DRC,” he said. “It denies Kabila’s government, which is one of the parties to the agreement and has an equal status, the right to unilaterally suspend its implementation.”