MONUC facilitated dissidents' withdrawal from Bukavu, official says

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUC, was largely involved in the successful withdrawal of dissident troops from the eastern town of Bukavu, a MONUC official said on Wednesday.

"The withdrawal took place because of pressure from MONUC," Maj Abou Thiam, the MONUC military spokesman, told a news conference in the capital, Kinshasa.

He said MONUC force commander Gen Iliya Sumaïla spent a lot of time obtaining the withdrawal of Gen Laurent Nkunda's and Col Jules Mutebutsi's troops.

"The presence of MONUC commanders from Bukavu [in South Kivu Province] and Goma had a direct impact on the outcome of the situation. They met with Gen Nkunda to deliver a strongly worded message," Thiam said.

They reminded the dissident soldiers that MONUC's mandate carried a number of obligations to the Congolese people, Thiam added.

Iliya told Mutebutsi that the withdrawal of his soldiers needed to be completed under official MONUC supervision and insisted that soldiers who wished to return to the government forces should be allowed to do so freely, Thiam said.

MONUC is currently patrolling Bukavu to support government troops, and to ensure the protection of the local population, MONUC spokesman Hamadoun Touré said. In addition to the patrols a commission has been set up to investigate allegations of human rights violations perpetrated in Bukavu since dissident forces took control of the town.

In light of the improved security situation, the government in Kinshasa has scheduled an official swearing in ceremony for a previously appointed governor and two vice-governors of South Kivu later on Thursday.

Nkunda and Mutebutsi's troops seized Bukavu on 2 May following days of fighting loyalist troops. Nkunda had said he invaded the town to protect Congolese Tutsis, known as Banyamulenge, after he received reports that they were being persecuted by Gen Mbuza Mabe, the commander of the 10th Military Region, who was assigned to the area by the transitional government in Kinshasa.

Nkunda said on Tuesday when his troops withdrew from Bukavu that the reports of the persecution of the Banyamulenge had been exaggerated.