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Rebels agree to Kisangani demilitarisation

    NAIROBI

    Rebels of the Goma-based Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD) said on Tuesday that they would withdraw their troops from Kisangani, paving the way for the full demilitarisation of the city. “On Monday, we signed an agreement with the UN and the JMC [Joint Military Commission created under the Lusaka ceasefire agreement] to pull the bulk of our forces out of Kisangani,” RCD official Bizima Karaha told IRIN. He said, however, that the RCD would remain in charge of the city’s administration and that it reserved the right to intervene “if we feel the city is threatened.” Karaha said the RCD’s withdrawal agreement was separate from the demilitarisation plan agreed upon by Rwandan and Ugandan army commanders last Sunday, under which Rwandan and Ugandan soldiers are to begin withdrawing from Kisangani on Thursday.

    “They will follow their arrangement and we shall follow ours,” he stated. The demilitarisation efforts follow recent clashes between Rwandan and Ugandan soldiers in Kisangani, in which at least 27 Congolese civilians were killed and over 150 others wounded. The demilitarisation of Kisangani is seen as crucial to avert a wider conflict between Uganda and Rwanda, regional analysts have said.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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