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Armed opposition groups issue joint statement

    NAIROBI

    The three armed opposition movements in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said on Thursday that they were mutually committed to supporting a "new political order" expected to emerge from peace talks, due to begin Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    Following a two-day meeting held in the eastern DRC town of Goma, the Rwandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) reported on Friday that all three parties would support adoption of a new constitution and a democratically-elected government and president. The parties denounced Kinshasa's support for armed elements in the east, and called for their disarmament. They expressed support for a Congolese military inclusive of soldiers from their movements, and reminded all parties of their commitment to the withdrawal of foreign armies from the DRC, as called for in the 1999 Lusaka peace agreement.

    The statement was signed by representatives of RCD-Goma, Jean-Pierre Bemba's Gbadolite-based Mouvement pour la liberation du Congo (MLC), and the factionalised, Ugandan-backed RCD-ML (Mouvement de liberation) based in Bunia. Secretary-General of the Rwandan Patriotic Front Charles Murigande and Ugandan Foreign Minister James Wapakabhulo attended the meeting as facilitators.

    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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