Details of disengagement plan

The Rwandan government on Wednesday released a statement giving details of the proposed disengagement plan for DRC. In the statement, it expressed concern over “unnecessary delays” in the implementation of the Lusaka ceasefire agreement. “It is a year since the agreement was signed, yet the work that has been done by the Joint Military Commission (JMC) and the Political Committee has been consistently thwarted by the Kinshasa government through numerous ceasefire violations,” the statement said. It cited violations particularly in Equateur province but noted that Rwanda was willing to contribute “whatever it can” to facilitate the implementation of the accord.

“Rwanda proposes to have a zone that is not less than 200 km wide in a line running from Dekese in the central zone to Moba on the eastern zone,” the statement said. “This will be done in phases, but it will also be on condition that the UN fully undertakes responsibility over the disengagement zone,” it added. It expressed hope that the UN will live up to its responsibility as stipulated by the Lusaka accord and its own resolutions, and to encourage other signatories to emulate Rwanda’s proposal.