CAR leader turns down Kabila request to retake Gbadolite

The president of the Central African Republic, Ange-Felix Patasse, has reportedly turned down a request from Kabila for help in retaking Gbadolite. News reports said hundreds of DRC soldiers fled into CAR with their weapons when Bemba's troops took the town earlier this week. RCD says accord "a start", but doesn't mean recognition of Kabila Vice-President of the rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD) Moise Nyarugabo told IRIN his Goma-based movement was satisfied with the Lusaka agreement. "It is a start," he said, adding that RCD leader Emile Ilunga would sign the accord at the heads of state summit in the Zambian capital on Saturday. Nyarugabo reiterated that the RCD did not recognise any signature by its ousted president Ernest Wamba dia Wamba. He stressed that the ceasefire accord was intended to allow inter-Congolese negotiations on the future of the country to go ahead. "It does not mean the RCD recognises Kabila as head of state, neither will it give up its territory," he said. "We didn't fight in order to hand everything back." Nyarugabo also pointed out that army integration "does not mean the RCD's troops will be incorporated into Kabila's army". He said the aim was to restructure and create a new national army. He doubted that Kabila would disarm the Interahamwe which have been fighting alongside the DRC forces, but said it would be a "nice surprise" if he did. The Lusaka agreement provides for a Joint Military Commission of the six African countries involved in the war to disarm the militias.