RCD-Goma warns of government attack on Kisangani

Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) spokesman Kin-Kiey Mulumba has warned that the latest news from the front “is bad for peace in DRC”. He told a Brussels press conference on Friday that DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila “is going to attack Kisangani in the next few days from Ikela in Equateur Province”. He claimed government forces had set up an an airbridge, implemented using Ukrainian aircraft. According to Mulumba, the governmental military aviation would be composed in total of two Ilyushins, four Antonovs, two Sukhoï-25, two helicopters, one DC-8 and several Mig-21. Kinshasa had allegedly requisitioned seven flat-bottomed vessels where ballistic missiles had been positioned. The spokesman added that “heavy artillery is furnished by North Korea”. “The new war in Kisangani will be murderous and horrific,” Mulumba said. Nevertheless, he confirmed that the RCD, as well as Rwanda, would withdraw unilaterally 200 km from the frontline “as soon as the blue helmets [UN troops] would be able to arrive in the field”. He also confirmed that a delegation from the RCD-Goma would travel to Gbadolite at the weekend for unity talks with Jean-Pierre Bemba’s Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC). However, according to the Ugandan ‘New Vision’ daily, Ernest Wamba dia Wamba of the RCD-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML), has reportedly denied that unity talks have been held. “We never got to talking,” Wamba said. “Talking to unite our groups must be done on principle.” Mulumba went on to say that the rebels intended to create “a unique movement, political as well as military”. Asked who would lead the new movement, he replied “it’s a detail”. Neither did he elaborate on the intentions of Rwanda and Uganda who back different rebel groups.