Plan for withdrawal of foreign forces

A “detailed plan” was being worked out between the protagonists in the Congo conflict that would lead to the withdrawal of all foreign forces, Zimbabwe’s military spokesman told IRIN on Monday. “Ultimately all troops have to get out of the Congo,” commented Colonel Mbonisi Gatsheni, “but as to the timing, I can’t say.” According to news reports, a draft plan for the disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration and resettlement of armed groups in the Congo was approved on Friday at a Joint Military Commission meeting in Lusaka between defence and foreign ministers from the six countries involved in the conflict, as well as rebel representatives. A statement at the end of the meeting said the commission, charged with overseeing the peace process, had “approved the orderly withdrawal of all foreign forces” from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and called on the UN Security Council to ensure the country’s stability. Specific details of the disarmament plan are to be reviewed at a meeting in Kinshasa by all parties to the conflict on 17 April and presented to the Security Council for review and approval on 15 May, Reuters reported. The Lusaka gathering agreed a calendar for the withdrawal - believed to be based on last year’s Kampala disengagement accord - but the commission’s statement did not announce time frames. Meanwhile, Gatsheni said a decision by Zimbabwe to cut close to half of its estimated 12,000 troops in the DRC was being implemented. He told IRIN last week that instead of the widely reported figure of 2,000 soldiers, Zimbabwe aimed to pull out 5,000 troops in “the immediate future” and from “across the board”. “Due to the obvious peaceful conditions, it’s only natural that some people choose to scale down,” he said - a reference to similar moves by Uganda and Rwanda. “All things being equal, and with no further disturbances and logistical problems, it should be accomplished in a reasonable time.” Gatsheni said that given the strong relationship between Harare and Kinshasa, he could foresee military training teams remaining in the DRC, but that would not affect a general withdrawal of Zimbabwean troops that have been in the Congo since 1998. They, along with forces from Angola and Namibia, have been propping up the government against Rwandan and Ugandan units backing rebels operating in the east and northwest.