UN to begin disarming militias in the east

The United Nations is to send the first 400 of an expected 2,000 extra troops to the rebel-held eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to begin disarming forces fighting on the side of the Kinshasa government, a spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (known by its French acronym, MONUC) told IRIN on Wednesday.

The first contingent of troops, from Uruguay, is due to arrive in the eastern town of Kindu on 20 February to facilitate the voluntary disarmament, repatriation and reintegration of militia fighters in the region from Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, in conformity with the Lusaka peace accord signed in 1999.

Among the most active groups fighting in the region are the Armee de Liberation du Rwanda (ALiR) - comprising the Hutu extremist Interahamwe, members of the former Rwandan Armed Forces (ex-FAR) and more recent recruits – and the Congolese tribal militia, the Mayi-Mayi, who did not sign the Lusaka accord.

To effect the disarmament process, MONUC will use a radio station, Radio Okapi, which will begin transmitting on 25 February, and will also conduct direct talks with militia leaders to try to encourage the groups to voluntarily disarm. "We have to convince them... The only thing they know is to kill people, to use weapons. The first thing we need to do is to convince the leaders of these groups that there is an alternative to fighting, that they can join civilian life," Hamadoun Toure, the MONUC spokesman, told IRIN.

He confirmed that each individual who agreed to disarm would receive a small amount of money, sufficient for setting up a small business.

Commenting on the move by MONUC, a regional analyst from the International Crisis Group, Francois Grignon, told IRIN on Wednesday that while he welcomed the move, it was unrealistic to expect the forces to turn into "good guys" overnight and agree to disarm.

He added, however, that in the case of the Rwandan militias, 2,000 of them had already gone home in July. "There have been signs from Kigali that members of ALiR can return safely, but this message may not have reached the Kivus, in eastern DRC, and the members of ALiR there. MONUC can send out the message, inform them of the credible possibility of going back to Rwanda safely, and let them know what kind of package awaits them." Grignon went on to say that it was now up to the government in the DRC to stop fuelling the war with ammunition and weaponry.

Grignon noted that MONUC had a limited mandate, but that the disarmament move was nevertheless a good one. "I’m not saying it’s enough, but it is positive."

It remained unclear where the remaining 1,600 of the 2,000 troops would come from or when they would arrive, MONUC confirmed.