Wamba says new assembly violates Lusaka accord

The leader of the Bunia-based rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML), Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, described Kabila’s announcement as a “blatant violation” of the Lusaka peace accord. “It is not by accident that Kabila announces the formation of the so-called national assembly after closing the offices of the [inter-Congolese dialogue] facilitator, president [Ketumile] Masire,” Wamba told IRIN on Friday. He called for international condemnation of the move. Wamba also hailed Belgium’s decision to issue an arrest warrant against DRC Foreign Minister Yerodia Ndombasi on charges of inciting ethnic hatred against the Tutsi. “We salute the Belgian justice system for leading the way in sending a massage that people in positions of leadership should not call for genocide,” Wamba said. On the situation in his area, Wamba said the Hema-Lendu ethnic conflict in Ituri district “is behind us”. “Confrontations have stopped and the situation is calm,” he said. “What we are doing is consolidating the achievements by introducing good politics and addressing economic inequalities. There are many other ethnic groups in this area and they also have major concerns which need to be addressed. We need to look at society as a whole.” Wamba claimed the divisions in his movement had been caused by over-ambitious people who were given positions of authority. “We are trying to put order in the movement by clearly spelling out the rules and promoting accountability, and we call on our allies not to take sides within the movement.”