Kinshasa would rather split country than share power - MLC

The Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC), a former rebel movement which reached a power-sharing agreement with the Congolese government, has threatened a return to armed opposition in reaction to a recent declaration that Kinshasa would no longer recognise that accord.

"Joseph Kabila would rather divide the country than share power," MLC leader Jean-Pierre Bemba told IRIN from his office in Gemena, northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The MLC, which sees the Kinshasa declaration as a move to "weaken the adversary and put obstacles in its way", has now threatened to take up arms again. "We're not lacking in military capacity, and experts can verify this," said Bemba.

The MLC leader said he regretted that Kinshasa had "prevented" the unification of government and rebel armies, as well as the implementation of the accord reached on conclusion of the inter-Congolese dialogue in Sun City in April.

Last week, DRC Information Minister Kikaya Bin Karubi told IRIN that the Sun City accord would be superseded by a comprehensive power-sharing transitional government agreement.

"The signatories and non-signatories recognise that the agreement reached in Sun City created a situation that led to the signature of the Pretoria accord [between the governments of the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda], which in turn has opened the way to an all-inclusive accord," he said.

Kinshasa has called for a new round of negotiations aimed at reaching an all-inclusive agreement with the Rwandan-backed rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma), the Union pour la democratie et le progres social (UDPS) opposition party, and other non-signatories to the Sun City accord.

"The Sun City accord will no longer be applied as stipulated," Kikaya Bin Karubi told IRIN. "Jean-Pierre Bemba will therefore not be prime minister unless he is chosen by the new negotiations."

The MLC regards the new position taken up by the DRC government as "a betrayal and non-respect" of the Sun City accord, which would have maintained Kabila as president and installed Bemba as prime minister of a transitional government leading to a new constitution and democratic national elections.

"We signed an agreement among Congolese, but if Joseph Kabila thinks the future of the country is to be decided by Rwanda, we will take action," said MLC Secretary-General Olivier Kamitatu from Brussels.

Bemba cancelled a planned visit to Kinshasa on 26 August to discuss implementation of the Sun City accord. It was to have been his first visit to Kinshasa since taking up arms against former President Laurent-Desire Kabila in late 1998. The postponement was reportedly due to Kabila's busy schedule.

"Kabila prefers to inaugurate health centres than to receive me," said Bemba, referring to one of the activities on Kabila's itinerary that allegedly interfered with his intended visit.

Despite this latest setback, however, the MLC and the Kinshasa government, as well as the political opposition parties and civil society organisations which signed the Sun City accord, are in agreement about opening talks to all parties.

All the Sun City signatories also agree that the work already begun on a new constitution should serve as a basis for holding future all-inclusive negotiations.