Kabila says not officially informed of ceasefire agreement

DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila, who met separately in the Angolan capital Luanda yesterday with his Angolan and Congo-Brazzaville counterparts, said he had not been officially informed of the ceasefire agreement. Reporting Kabila’s return to Kinshasa, DRC state television commented that the military option “is necessary on the ground because the Congolese people want their territory to be cleared of invaders”.

A statement issued after the Luanda summit noted that the three countries exchanged information about the various conflicts on their territories. They agreed to hold regular meetings “because they realise that armed conflicts in their countries are intertwined”. The statement further said that such conflicts were “instigated and backed from abroad”.