Congo meeting divided over foreign troops

After three days of discussions, the preparatory meeting for the inter-Congolese dialogue had on Wednesday failed to reach agreement over the withdrawal of foreign forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“Some delegates want all foreign troops out of Congo before the dialogue proper begins, others don’t want the withdrawal date linked to the talks,” Abbe Muholongu Malumalu, a delegate from Kivu-Nord province told IRIN.

Until this issue is resolved, discussions over the time and place for the long-awaited dialogue cannot go ahead. Although rebel groups appeared committed to a complete foreign troop withdrawal, the Congolese government wants the process to begin with Rwandese and Ugandan troops leaving.

“All foreign troops should withdraw according to the Lusaka (peace) Agreement,” Bizima Karaha, a representative of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD), the main rebel group, told IRIN. “But we want all the negative forces identified, disarmed and repatriated at the same time,” he added.

Civil society representatives at the week-long talks told IRIN that they wanted a bigger say in the discussions, because they said they are the victims of the three-year old war that has left more a than a million dead and an unfolding humanitarian crisis. “The facilitator should intervene more and help the discussions to move on,” one delegate said.

For the first time since the war in the DRC began, representatives of the government, the rebels, opposition parties and civil society have gathered to find a lasting resolution to the conflict. The Gaborone meeting follows the deployment recently of UN peacekeepers who are trying to monitor a ceasefire between the warring groups.

Government allies Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia have been excluded from these talks, along with Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi who support the rebels. The countries will be allowed to send representatives to the talks proper, expected to begin within six months at a venue that still needs to be decided upon.

Congolese exile groups have also not been allowed to participate. “It’s a strictly Congolese affair, but we should have had a voice here,” Raphael Amici, head of a Brussels-based Congolese political platform told IRIN from the fringes of the conference.

Women’s groups are also unhappy that of more than 70 delegates only five are women. “Women have borne the brunt of this conflict and we will be putting pressure to get adequate representation when the real dialogue begins,” Mayuma Kala, a Kinshasa-based gender activist told IRIN.