Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  3. DRC

Rebels will "disappear politically" - Kabila

    NAIROBI

    DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila said on Monday that if the rebels "ever sign" the Lusaka ceasefire accord, "peace will be established, but with peace they will disappear", Lubumbashi radio reported. He was speaking to journalists in Lubumbashi before leaving for South Africa. According to Kabila, prospects for the return of peace in the DRC were "good", and the international community was trying to put pressure on the
    rebels to sign the documents. "Indeed they will have to join the national debate, elections will be held, and being disapproved by the people they will disappear politically," he said.

    In South Africa meanwhile, Kabila asked President Thabo Mbeki to "use his influence" to bring about a cessation of hostilities, SAPA news agency reported. Mbeki replied that his country would do everything possible, adding it was "imperative" for the rebels to sign the Lusaka accord. Mbeki told reporters South Africa was looking at ways it could help in the DRC's
    reconstruction.

    Kabila also said the Italian Catholic Sant' Egidio community would mediate the national debate in DRC, news organisations reported. He said the group was first waiting for the rebels to sign the Lusaka ceasefire accord.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join