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UN confirms start of Rwanda troop withdrawal

    NAIROBI

    About 800 troops of the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) began their withdrawal from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday from the eastern city of Kindu, according to the United Nations peacekeeping mission there.

    Meanwhile, another Rwandan battalion left the eastern town of Kalima for Kindu, from where they would be flown to the Rwandan capital Kigali, the UN mission (MONUC) reported.

    The withdrawal follows the signing of an accord by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Joseph Kabila in Pretoria, South Africa, on 30 July. The agreement commits Rwanda to withdrawing its troops from the DRC in exchange for Kinshasa taking measures to address Rwanda's security concerns in the DRC.

    Regional analysts have estimated the number of Rwandan forces in the DRC as being between 30,000 to 40,000.

    Addressing the RPA troops in Kindu before their departure, Maj Gen James Kabarebe, acting Army Chief of Staff of Rwanda, told his forces that their withdrawal did not mean the hunt for the Interahamwe militia - which is largely held responsible for the 1994 genocide - was over.

    "Having dealt with them outside our borders, Rwanda will now do this from within its borders," he said. "If Kabila and the United Nations do not keep their promise and allow the negative forces to penetrate Rwanda, we will not remain passive and will respond."

    Speaking to UN Radio Okapi on Tuesday, Rwandan Foreign Minister Andre Bumaya said the withdrawal was "motivated by our desire to conform to the letter and spirit of the Pretoria accord". He added that the pullout could be speeded up by the DRC's disarmament of the ex-FAR (former Rwandan army) and Interahamwe, as agreed in the Pretoria accord.

    In a statement issued on Tuesday, the South African government - which brokered the withdrawal agreement and is acting with MONUC as a third-party verifier of the pullout - welcomed the move "as a step in the right direction that should give impetus to efforts aimed at bringing about peace and stability to the DRC".

    The UN has estimated the current number of ex-FAR and Interahamwe in DRC as being between 10,000 to 20,000.

    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

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