Lusaka talks creaking badly

Representatives of the countries and rebel groups involved in the DRC conflict met again in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, on Tuesday amid growing fears that too many differences remained and too few implementation details had been pinned down for any sustainable peace agreement to emerge. “It looks like it’s breaking down...I’d say it’s dead in the water”, one analyst monitoring the talks told IRIN on Tuesday.

While DRC Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Yerodia felt the parties were “working towards an acceptable agreement”, Kinshasa was concerned at what was meant in the draft accord by “an integrated army” and the formation of verification committees to oversee the peace process. It also objected to clauses that would enable rebels to administer areas they currently occupy after a troop standstill, Reuters reported.