Rebel leader sets conditions for disarmament

Rebel leader Frederic Bitsangou, alias Pasteur Ntumi, said on Friday he would only disarm militia allied to him when the government opened up space within the nation's body politic. He demanded the formation of a government of national unity in which his Conseil national de la resistance would take part. Otherwise, he said, he would impede the peace process. He also rejected a government set quota of 250 for his militiamen into the national armed forces. "We have close to 50,000 young men. The government quota is only a drop in the ocean," he said. "There must be an accord with government on the recruitment of our young fighters in the security forces and on my status in particular," he said in Loukouo, his fiefdom some 200 km west of Brazzaville, the nation's capital. He was speaking at the symbolic start of the disarmament of his Ninja militia, when he presented a government delegation with a rusty 14.5 mm cannon. He said although a political deal had been struck on this and on the demoblisation and reintegration of militiamen into society in the Pool area, no date had been fixed for its start. Another militia, the Nsiloulous, which form part of a larger Forces autodefense de la resistance (FADR), is also due to undergo disarmament. The FADR is the armed wing of Ntumi's Conseil national de la resistance, the political movement. The Ninjas and the Nsiloulous fought government troops in the Pool from 1998-1999 and in 2002. A peace accord ending the war was signed between the government and Bitsangou on 17 March 2003. Speaking at the ceremony, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) country representative, Jacques Balandier, said that a date for disarmament would be announced as soon as his agency determined the timetable with the government. The cost of the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme is to be borne by the EU and executed by the UNDP and the International Organization for Migration.