Kinshasa allies to stay in DRC

Zimbabwe is prepared to stay in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in support of the Kinshasa government “for as long as it takes” to achieve a credible peace settlement, a senior government official told IRIN on Tuesday. “We will never allow the DRC to fall to Rwanda and Uganda, yet at the same time we are prepared to negotiate peace,” the official said. Clarifying news reports on the outcome of Monday’s summit of DRC allies in Harare, he added that the presidents of Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe declared Rwanda’s announcement last week of a unilateral ceasefire “null and void” as Kigali had intensified its military campaign in eastern DRC in support of the rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD). However, the official said that it was noted at the Harare meeting that Kigali’s ceasefire was a step forward, and “if that continues, the prevailing climate should be seized upon and the allies are prepared to talk peace.” But he reiterated that in any peace agreement, Rwandan and Ugandan forces would be expected to withdraw first, with Zimbabwean troops remaining in the DRC as a security guarantee for the government of President Laurent-Desire Kabila.