Peace talks adjourned, rebel governor killed

Peace talks aimed at establishing a transitional power-sharing government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were adjourned on Saturday, to be reconvened on 9 December in the South African administrative capital, Pretoria, with the hope of then finalising the work, the government of South Africa reported.

The government said the negotiators had made "good progress" in the last week, and that the parties had "reached an understanding on the principles that would underpin the operation of a transitional government".

Meanwhile, a number of committees have been formed in an effort to facilitate the resolution of outstanding issues when the parties reconvene. [the complete South African government communique].

In a related development, Roger Lumbala, the leader of the small Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-National (RCD-N) rebel faction, based in northeastern DRC, told Agence France Presse (AFP) on Sunday that his movement had withdrawn from talks.

"Faced with incessant attacks by forces of the Kinshasa government and their allies of the RCD-K-ML [Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Kisangani-Mouvement de liberation of Mbusa Nyamwisi], we are withdrawing until the next round of negotiations in Pretoria," AFP quoted him as saying from the Rwandan capital, Kigali.

It was not immediately clear what effect, if any, this would have on talks.

Meanwhile, rebel-controlled Radio Candip reported from the northeastern DRC city of Bunia on 22 November that the "governor" of Ituri, Joseph Eneko Ngwaza, had been killed along with nine bodyguards during an ambush on 21 November. He was buried on Monday in Aru, also in northeastern DRC.

Bunia is controlled by the Union des patriotes congolais of Thomas Lubanga, a breakaway faction of the RCD-K-ML, which controls - in cooperation with allied Mayi-Mayi forces - much of the surrounding region.