Progress on peace process

The Congolese peace process received a boost on Tuesday with a commitment from the rebel Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) to pull back troops from frontline positions, paving the way for the deployment of UN observers.

The MLC had refused to join a general disengagement of armed forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), arguing that it feared for the safety of civilians left behind. But in an agreement brokered by a UN Security Council delegation in Lusaka, MLC secretary-general Olivier Kamitatu said his group would abide by the stalled peace plan and withdraw its troops by 1 June. “The UN have assured us they will provide humanitarian assistance to our people by Monday,” he added.

“MLC have confirmed loudly and clearly that they would commence disengagement by Friday June 1,” Jean-David Levitte, the French ambassador to the UN heading the delegation said after six hours of talks between representatives of countries and rebel forces involved in the conflict. “We are confident these words would be followed by action.”

In response to a call by DRC President Joseph Kabila’s on Monday for the United Nation’s to beef up its planned deployment of 3,500 observers and peacekeepers to a total of 20,000, Levitte said: “There is enough of a contingent to monitor the disengagement of forces, and we hope that what has been signed will be implemented. A deal is a deal.”

The UN team, touring the region to assess the prospects of the UN mission in the DRC (MONUC), confirmed that progress was also made on launching negotiations among Congolese political parties. The talks mediator, former Botswana president Ketumile Masire, told the delegation that a preparatory meeting ahead of launching a national dialogue was set for 16 July.

However, a key issue in the peace process that remained to be addressed was how the planned disengagement, demobilisation, resettlement and repatriation (DDRR) of so-called “negative forces” was to be accomplished. The ethnic militias fighting in the DRC, such as the Mai-Mai, Rwandan Interahamwe and Burundi rebels have not been party to the agreements that call for their eventual disbandment.

“The Security Council would first need all the details relating to the DDRR,” Levite said. “We need to know the groups operating in the DRC, their numbers and indeed their locations before we can make a decision on what is expected from us in terms of logistics and money.”