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Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have agreed to appoint a joint commission to review their mutual demands for the demilitarisation of eastern Congo, DRC spokesman Kikaya bin Karubi told Radio France Internationale on Thursday.
DRC wants Rwandan troops withdrawn form the east of the country while Kigali is demanding that Kinshasa disarm and demobilise Rwandan Hutu rebel forces operating in that region.
Rwanda has always insisted that its forces were in eastern DRC because of the threat posed by the Interahamwe and ex-Rwandan soldiers [ex-FAR] who had taken refuge in the area. "The refugees are indeed there and, as a gesture of goodwill, we have encamped 3,000 of them, and they were presented to the international community," Karubi said. "We are now asking Rwanda to withdraw its troops, or at least, make a gesture of goodwill to prove that they are determined to see peace prevail in the Great Lakes region."
The decision to create the joint commission was reportedly reached between DRC President Joseph Kabila and Rwandan President Paul Kagame during a meeting chaired by Malawian President Bakili Muluzi on Wednesday in Blantyre.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
