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Two teams of UN military officers were already in Kisangani and a third team was scheduled to join them to oversee and monitor the demilitarisation process, an official from the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) said on Tuesday. “We will continue to build our presence there and we envisage 6 to 8 teams in the longer term,” the official said. Each team comprises 3-4 officers. Implementation of the agreement would begin on Thursday with a “detailed planning phase”, lasting until Monday. The simultaneous withdrawal of Ugandan and Rwandan forces from the city would be completed within 16 days, he said. Under the demilitarisation plan, Rwanda and Uganda will each maintain two companies within Kisangani, while administration of the city would be undertaken by “local authorities”, he added.
Meanwhile, the army commanders of Rwanda and Uganda have agreed to set up a joint military commission to look into the presence of their forces along the Rwandan-Ugandan border and propose “a solution to the problem,” Radio Rwanda reported on Monday.
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