Interahamwe disarmament key to settlement - Ajello

The search for a negotiated settlement to the DRC conflict is "still a long process", although some progress has been achieved, EU special envoy for the Great Lakes region Aldo Ajello told IRIN on Monday. Ajello said one of the "most sensitive" issues was the disarmament of ex-FAR and
Interahamwe forces remaining in the DRC.

"The point has been accepted, but there are serious differences over who should do it and when - before or after the withdrawal of foreign troops," Ajello said. One possible solution would be for the DRC government to take charge of their disarmament before the deployment of a full international force, which would then have more of a non-combat observer role, he said.

A "temporary solution" would then have to be found for those disarmed militia implicated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Ajello said, adding that Rwanda was in the process of speeding up its justice system to deal with genocide cases. Ajello said, however, that not all the estimated 15,000-20,000 ex-FAR/Interahamwe combatants in the DRC were involved in the Rwandan genocide. Many were part of a "new generation", recruited from the former refugee camps in eastern DRC, and this group could be resettled. Rwanda had indicated that these militia "would not face justice for what they have done as combatants in the Kivus", he added.

Regarding a DRC ceasefire, Ajello said the parties had largely agreed on the elements of a plan, but "big differences" remained regarding the implementation, sequence and timing.