Captured commander wants rebels in talks

A recently captured Rwandan Hutu rebel commander, Pierre Claver Habimana, said on Wednesday that peace could not be restored in the DRC until Rwandan Hutu rebels and their allies were included in the Congolese peace talks, the Associated Press (AP) quoted him as telling journalists in Ruhengeri, northwest Rwanda. “To search for peace without our involvement is more like kids playing and having fun. It is not serious,” Habimana, whose code name was “Colonel Bemera” said. He is reportedly responsible for directing recent rebel incursions into Rwanda. He had crossed from the DRC into Rwanda to investigate the fate of hundreds of rebels he had sent to destabilise Rwanda and terrorise civilians in preparation for seizing control of the government.

“The war [against the Rwandan government] is not hopeless. Political changes seen today in the country have occurred because of our presence... they wouldn’t have happened if we were not challenging the government militarily,” he said in reference to political reforms introduced in the country since the end of 1994 genocide. The rebels have been infiltrating Rwanda since May. “It was a matter of survival because the Rwandan army was also making life impossible for us in Congo,” Habimana added.