Rwanda appeals for disarming of fleeing troops

Rwanda on Wednesday made a request to the UN Security Council to “timely lend its support” to the government and people of Zambia with regard to the disarming and repatriation of the Rwandan ex-forces armees Rwandaise (Ex-FAR) and the Interahamwe forces currently on the Zambian territory. In a letter to the Council, Rwanda’s permanent representative to UN, Joseph Mutaboba, said the group was part of the “armed mixed groups” from DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila’s forces and his allies that fled the DRC after heavy fighting “they themselves” had earlier provoked in Pweto. He said the ex-FAR and the Interahamwe forces were not “bona fide refugees” to be dealt with by the office of the UNHCR.

“They are armed forces now out in the open and in their thousands, and clearly described by the Lusaka agreement.” “We strongly wish to see our nationals disarmed, demobilised an repatriated to Rwanda,” the letter said. Mutabuba said that Rwanda’s main concern was that if they were allowed to go back to the DRC they would fuel more war in the region, and particularly in Congo. “It is our collective responsibility to avoid this happening and we believe that this is the time for the Security Council to decisively take action on the case of the DRC and get the Lusaka agreement fully implemented,” Mutabuba added. “Rwanda continues to support Lusaka and will treat the Rwandan negative forces as anybody else who surrenders,” he added.