Wrangling continues over military withdrawals

Failure to comply with a UN Security Council call for withdrawals of government and rebel forces from various positions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remained a contentious issue on Thursday.

While reconfirming the withdrawal of the Rwandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) from Moliro, in eastern Katanga Province, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Amos Namanga Ngongi, said the UN mission in the DRC (known by its French acronym, MONUC) was still waiting for confirmation on the town of Pweto, some 200 km due west of Moliro. Speaking at a press conference after meeting with RCD-Goma leader Adolphe Onusumba Yemba in the eastern DRC town of Imbi (broadcast on rebel-controlled RTNC radio in Goma on Friday), Ngongi said "We are already late. All the positions should have been cleared. However, I am happy that there was at least a beginning. I hope that that will in the end lead to what the Security Council and the political committee asked for."

On 19 March, the Council issued resolution 1399, which demanded the withdrawal of RCD forces from Pweto, government forces from Kayaya and Yayama, and the demilitarisation of Kisangani. The Council "called on the parties to resolve the status of all outstanding New Defensive Positions in a conclusive manner", and appealed for calm in order to facilitate the withdrawals.

On 25 March, the Political Committee on the implementation of the Lusaka ceasefire agreement in DRC urged all parties to "strictly abide" by resolution 1399, "thereby withdrawing from the position they occupy in violation of the modalities of implementation of the disengagement plan".

"The government should withdraw from Kayaya and Yayama within five days and the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie should withdraw from Moliro and Pweto, also within five days," the Political Committee added. It urged the parties to "fully implement the disengagement plan and to accelerate the demilitarisation of Kisangani by, at the latest, 6 April 2002". It also requested that MONUC submit a comprehensive report to the Committee's chairman on the implementation of these decisions within the next 15 days.

For his part, Onusumba said that Moliro was a "very strategic" position to his group, and alleged that the government has been using the town to supply the Forces pour la defense de la democratie (one of two main ethnic Hutu rebel groups fighting Burundi's army and government) and the Interahamwe (exiled Rwandan Hutu militiamen) who have reportedly been operating in that region.

"The [Kinshasa] government continues to threaten to withdraw from the [inter-Congolese] dialogue claiming that we have not yet withdrawn from Pweto," he stated. "Yet two positions known to belong to the RCD are still occupied by government troops. We demand that the same international community, through the Security Council and the special representative, should, before asking us to withdraw from Pweto, tell the government to withdraw from those positions."

Nevertheless, Onusumba reiterated his commitment to the reopening of commercial traffic on the Congo River between Kisangani and Kinshasa. "We are certain that in the near future the traffic will restart and the population will have access to essential commodities," he said.