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Defections not a threat, rebels say

    NAIROBI

    The rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) has played down the recent defection of a senior official, Roger Lumbala. "Some people joined the revolution thinking it would take weeks and they got positions," RCD Vice-President Moise Nyarugabo told IRIN on Monday. "But now that the struggle is taking a long time, people like Roger Lumbala, who was a cadre, have fallen out." He claimed Lumbala was being investigated for "gross misconduct" and was soon going to be arrested.
    Lumbala fled to Kampala, Uganda, on 14 February accusing the RCD of corruption, according to AFP.

    The 'EastAfrican' newspaper on Monday reported that RCD-Goma is facing a leadership crisis following various attempts to topple its leader Emile Ilunga, and that its officials are defecting to rival rebel movements like the RCD-ML of Ernest Wamba dia Wamba and the MLC of Jean-Pierre Bemba. Regional analysts say the division within the RCD will affect the implementation of the Lusaka peace accord, due to a lack of centralised leadership. Rwanda backs the RCD-Goma while Uganda backs both RCD-ML and
    the MLC.

    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

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