RCD-Goma sets conditions for Kisangani withdrawal

The Rwandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) armed opposition movement has set conditions for the withdrawal of its forces from the city of Kisangani in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an RCD official told the BBC on Wednesday.

The conditions were outlined by RCD-Goma Secretary-General Azarias Ruberwa following a meeting on Wednesday with an international diplomatic delegation visiting the eastern town of Goma.

"There are a million people in that town," Ruberwa said, referring to Kisangani. "Therefore we cannot just withdraw our troops and leave the town unprotected. That is why we asked that they [the UN peacekeeping mission] train about 4,000 armed policemen to protect the citizens. They accepted the proposal. However, we shall not withdraw our troops before that is implemented."

Ruberwa also took issue with DRC President Joseph Kabila having recently appointed a new governor of rebel-controlled Kisangani. "This means that he contradicted the statement which had been previously made by his minister when he told the Security Council that they would no longer go to Kisangani," Ruberwa said. "We asked them to tell Kabila to annul that decision."

He added that an agreement was reached for the RCD-Goma to keep a few soldiers to protect Kisangani airport and roads leading to the facility.

RCD-Goma also called for the demilitarisation of Kinshasa. "At the end of the talks we shall not go to Kinshasa where there are Angolan, Zimbabwean and even Kinshasa troops," Ruberwa said. "As you know, they distributed weapons to citizens."

The international delegation included the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to the DRC, Amos Namanga Ngongi; the commander of UN peacekeeping forces in the DRC, Gen. Mountaga Diallo; and the ambassadors of China, France, the UK and the US, all Permanent Security Council members.