UN concerned over military advances

The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has expressed concern over recent advances made by rebel troops and the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) into territory recently vacated by the Ugandan army.

Addressing a news conference in the DRC capital Kinshasa on Wednesday, UN special envoy Amos Namanga Ngongi, said he had asked Roger Lumbala, leader of the rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-National (RCD-N) to order his troops to halt their advance towards Beni and Bunia. Both these northeastern cities were previously occupied by the Ugandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Kisangani-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-K-ML).

Uganda, which also supports the RCD-N, recently withdrew nearly 2,000 of its soldiers from locations in the DRC, including Beni. The withdrawal comes in the wake of an agreement reached between DRC and Uganda on 15 August in Luanda, Angola. However, two Ugandan battalions are to remain in Bunia to safeguard civilian security following violent clashes there last month.

According to the UN mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, advances by RCD-N have the objective of recovering territory lost to RCD-K-ML in March and April while the inter-Congolese dialogue was being held in Sun City, South Africa.

Lumbala was the head of the RCD-K-ML's department of internal affairs before forming his RCD-N breakaway faction.

"It is very disappointing to see people who have signed a peace agreement continue to wage war," said Ngongi.

Ngongi confirmed recent accusations made by DRC Defence Minister Irung Awan that about 1,000 Rwandan forces occupied the town of Kasuo, near the city of Lubero, 150 km north of Goma. "There have been RPA troop movements toward Lubero, an area under control of the Ugandan-backed RCD-K-ML," he said.

"I hope that the Rwandan troops will not continue towards other locations in Ituri," he added.

Rwanda has reportedly told MONUC that its army is in the throes of a counteroffensive against forces of the Interahamwe (Rwandan Hutu extremist militias) and the ex-FAR (Forces armees rwandaises, Rwanda's former army), both heavily implicated in the 1994 genocide.