Rebels reiterate they will not leave Kisangani

The RCD-Goma has said it forces will not leave Kisangani until the UN mission in DRC, MONUC, can adequately defend the city. “Kisangani is a strategic town with two airports and a port, we cannot risk leaving it to people who cannot defend it,” RCD foreign affairs chief Adolphe Onusumba told IRIN. “Suppose Kabila comes in and takes over the place. That means fighting again. Moreover the Lusaka agreement allows us to maintain a logistical centre in Kisangani.” He said his group had advised the UN to deploy a company at each airport and the port “but they are insisting that we get our forces out and leave the town to the police and the local administration”. The leader of the rival Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC), which is supported by Uganda, Jean-Pierre Bemba, on Wednesday accused the RCD of “beating up” his supporters in Kisangani and warned that he would deploy troops “if the harassment continues”. However, Onusumba denied the allegations. “Bemba is using it as an excuse to start trouble in Kisangani,” he said. Uganda meanwhile has denied media reports that it has abandoned its Congolese allies by withdrawing five battalions from DRC. “We are not abandoning the Congolese,” army spokesman Major Pheneas Katirima said. “We still have the capacity to defend them if necessary. Our complete withdrawal will be in accordance with the Lusaka agreement.”