CONGO (Kinshasa)

Rapports sur les relations éthniques / Reports on Ethnic Relations

The following section is consisted of part, full or summaries of articles from diverses sources (newspapers, newsletters, etc...).
La section suivante est constituée d'exraits, de la totalité ou de résumés d'articles provenant d'origines diverses (journaux,bulletins, etc..).

06 / 30 / 2003 

IRIN

L'article: "Accord entre le gouvernement et les rebelles sur les postes militaires"

Les rebelles et le gouvernement de la République démocratique du Congo se sont entendus dimanche, sur le partage des postes dans une nouvelle armée unifiée, une décision qui a permis de sortir de l'impasse sur la formation d'un gouvernement transitoire national de deux ans. Aux termes de l'accord signé dans la capitale, Kinshasa, le président congolais Joseph Kabila choisira le chef d'état-major des forces armées et l'amiral pour la force navale du pays. Le principal mouvement rebelle, le Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie-Goma (RCD-Goma), désignera le général des forces terrestres tandis que le Mouvement pour la libération du Congo (MLC) - faction plus petite - dirigera l'armée de l'air. C'est Mustapha Niasse, représentant spécial du Secrétaire général de l'ONU, Kofi Annan, qui a négocié cet accord. M. Niasse est arrivé jeudi à Kinshasa pour aider à donner un nouvel élan aux pourparlers tombés dans l'impasse, une situation qui menaçait d'empêcher la formation du gouvernement d'unité nationale prévue lundi 30 juin, journée d'anniversaire de l'indépendance du pays. "C'est un pas en avant vers l'établissement du gouvernement de transition," a déclaré devant la presse à Kinshasa Vital Kamerhe, commissaire général du gouvernement pour le processus de paix dans les Grands Lacs. "Nous attendons à présent la prochaine étape qui doit être la formation du gouvernement de transition," a, à son tour, fait savoir Moïse Nyarugabu, représentant du RCD/Goma au Comité national de suivi du dialogue intercongolais. La formation du gouvernement transitoire figure dans le pacte signé en décembre à Pretoria en Afrique du Sud par l'ensemble des parties congolaises en vue de mettre fin à un plus de quatre années de guerre. "Espérons que l'accord signé va être mis en application," a-t-il dit. Il y a deux semaines, M. Annan a nommé l'ancien chef d'état-major des forces armées canadiennes, Maruis Barill et Mustapha Niasse envoyés spéciaux à Kinshasa. Les deux hommes ont pour mission d'aider les factions rivales à résoudre la question militaire. "Il appartient maintenant aux Congolais de revenir à l'essentiel, de revenir à la paix," a déclaré M. Niasse.

06 / 27 / 2003 

IRIN

The Article: "UN extends mandate of peacekeeping mission"

"Deeply concerned" at the fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Security Council announced on Thursday a month s extension of the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in the country, known as MONUC.

UN News reported that the decision to extend the mandate until 30 July was taken unanimously by the 15 nations on the council, which also took note of Secretary-General Kofi Annan s recent report on the situation in the Congo.

In his report, UN News said, Annan recommended that the mission s mandate be extended for a full year until June 2004 and its military strength be increased to nearly 11,000 from its present 8,700.

"He also recommended that the possibility of imposing an arms embargo be considered in war-ravaged Ituri District as well as the Kivus," UN News reported.

It said he also suggested the possibility of an arms embargo on Ituri and North Kivu, where in the latter locating fighting is between rival rebel groups, the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Kisangani-Mouvement de liberation and the RCD-Goma.

The Security Council authorised on 30 May the deployment of a 1,500-strong multinational emergency force to Bunia, the main town in Ituri. The French-led mission is to secure Bunia; and to protect its tiny airport, UN staff, humanitarian workers and internally displaced people in camps in the town.

When its mandate ends 1 September a UN Banglasdeshi contingent is due to reinforce the small MONUC force in the town, which has been the scene of fighting since 7 May between the Lendu and Hema militias.

06 / 26 / 2003 

IRIN

L'article: "Former prime minister charged in Brussels court"

A former Congolese prime minister, Leon Kengo wa Dondo, has been charged by a Brussels court with money laundering during the reign of late President Mobutu Sese Seko, Belga news agency reported on Wednesday.

The case against Kengo wa Dondo dates back to 9 July 1997, when Belgian justice officials opened an inquiry into money laundering allegations leveled against senior officials of the Mobutu administration by the government of Laurent-Desire Kabila, a former rebel leader who toppled Mobutu.

Kabila also changed the name of the country from Zaire to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Kengo wa Dondo served three terms as prime minister under Mobutu, his final tenure ending on 2 April 1997 when he was replaced by Etienne Tshisekedi as the Ugandan and Rwandan-backed rebellion led by Kabila rapidly approached the capital, Kinshasa.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, the Brussels court of appeals postponed a decision on the admissibility of a case against DRC former Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi on charges of inciting hatred against Rwandan Tutsis.

When war erupted against the government of Kabila in August 1998, Yerodia called on the public "to crush" Rwandan Tutsis whom he described as "vermin". Rwanda, who had helped bring Kabila to power, entered the DRC in support of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) rebel movement.

Yerodia was a longtime colleague of Kabila, who was assassinated on 16 January 2001.

In April, the government of Kabila's son, Joseph, named Yerodia as one of four vice-presidents for the national transitional government, currently due to be installed on 30 June.

06 / 25 / 2003 

IRIN

L'article: "La FORMIUB établit des limites pour la ville de Bunia"

La force multinationale intérimaire d'urgence (FORMIUB), déployée pour restaurer la sécurité dans la ville de Bunia, au nord-est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), a fixé des limites au delà desquelles l' ensemble des milices armées doivent se retirer, a déclaré mercredi à IRIN le porte-parole de la mission d'imposition de la paix. Le porte-parole de la FORMIUB, le colonel Gérard Dubois, a expliqué que les limites de la ville ont été établies de la façon suivante : le pont du fleuve Shari au nord, le village Dele au sud, le quartier de Similabo à l'est et à 2 km de l'aéroport à l'ouest. L'ultimatum lancé par la force internationale pour le retrait de tous les éléments armés de la ville - qui devait expirer mardi à 11 heures -a été prolongé jusqu'à mercredi midi. Ce délai permettait de finaliser certains aspects techniques tels que la définition des limites autour de la ville et de résoudre la question du maintien dans Bunia du QG de l'Union des patriotes congolais (UPC), la milice Hema qui avait contrôlé la ville. A ce propos, il a été convenu qu'une trentaine d'hommes armés de l'UPC resteraient à Bunia pour protéger le siège de l'UPC, a indiqué le colonel Dubois. Néanmoins, ils ne pourront pas quitter l'enceinte du QG de l'UPC en armes. A la question de savoir si la décision de maintenir des troupes de l'UPC à l'intérieur de Bunia pouvait poser un risque en matière de sécurité, M. Dubois a répondu : " Je pense que le principal objectif est de retirer toutes les armes visibles des rues, ce qui aidera à restaurer le calme au sein de la population. " Il a ajouté que Bunia " n'était plus la même ville " que quelques jours auparavant. Avec le retour du calme, on voyait des gens dans les rues et les magasins ont rouvert. Le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU a autorisé, le 30 mai, le déploiement de la force multinationale, avec un mandat pour protéger, jusqu'au 1er septembre, la ville et ses habitants ainsi que l'aéroport. A partir de cette date, une force de maintien de la paix de l'ONU sera mise en place. La force multinationale de maintien de la paix est autorisée à utiliser des armes pour atteindre ses objectifs. Le déploiement de cette force d'intervention a déjà commencé et s'achèvera mi-juillet. Au total 1 800 troupes seront déployées sur Bunia et sur une base arrière située à l'aéroport d'Entebbe en Ouganda, pays voisin.

06 / 24 / 2003 

IRIN

L'article: "L'UPC se retire de Bunia sans incident"

L'Union des patriotes congolais (UPC), une milice qui contrôlait la ville de Bunia dans le nord-est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), a procédé mardi au cantonnement de ses forces à l'extérieur de la ville, conformément aux exigences de la force multinationale, a déclaré à IRIN le porte-parole de la mission d'imposition de la paix. S'exprimant au téléphone depuis Bunia, le colonel Gérard Dubois a indiqué que la milice Hema avait entamé le retrait de ses forces de la ville dès lundi. Mardi 11 heures était la date-butoir de l'ultimatum adressé par la force multinationale. "Je suis certain que l'UPC se pliera à nos exigences. Ainsi tous les Congolais bénéficieront de la liberté de mouvement et aucune arme ne circulera dans la ville," selon M. Dubois. Il a indiqué que le retrait se déroulait sans "véritable incident" et que les pourparlers entre la force multinationale, l'UPC et la Mission de l'ONU en RDC, la MONUC, se poursuivaient pour définir les zones où pourrait se cantonner l'UPC après son retrait. A la suite de l'ultimatum de retrait annoncé samedi, l'UPC a fait savoir qu'il maintiendrait son siège à Bunia, mais qu'il informerait la force multinationale des lieux et des effectifs assignés à chaque endroit. Il sera possible mercredi, d'effectuer une vérification finale du retrait de l'UPC, a déclaré M. Dubois à IRIN. Parallèlement, le retrait d'environ 400 officiers de police envoyés depuis la capitale, Kinshasa, s'est poursuivi mardi, à l'issue d'un ordre publié samedi par Vital Kamerhe, le commissaire général congolais responsable du processus de paix dans la région des Grands Lacs.

06 / 20 / 2003 

IRIN

L'article: "L'ONU dépêche un envoyé spécial à Kinshasa pour soutenir la formation d'une armée nationale unifiée"

Le général Maurice Baril, l'un des envoyés spéciaux du Secrétaire général Kofi Annan, chargé de soutenir la formation d'une armée nationale unifiée en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), est arrivé jeudi dans la capitale, Kinshasa, a informé le porte-parole de la Mission de l'ONU en RDC (MONUC). " Il est arrivé hier soir et va passer quelques jours avec la MONUC pour être informé sur les derniers développements de la situation en RDC, " a indiqué vendredi à IRIN le porte-parole Hamadoun Toure. Après plus de quatre années de guerre, les parties congolaises ont conclu en avril un accord de partage du pouvoir qui prévoit la formation d'une armée nationale unifiée. Cependant, un désaccord sur la répartition des postes dans l'armée a retardé l'inauguration d'un gouvernement national de transition, dont la mise en place était prévue le 30 juin. Le 22 mai, le Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie (RCD-Goma), mouvement rebelle soutenu par le Rwanda, a retiré sa participation dans le comité de suivi du dialogue intercongolais, accusant le gouvernement de Kinshasa de chercher à monopoliser le contrôle d'une armée régulière unifiée. Cette faction a finalement rejoint les négociations le 30 mai dernier. M. Baril sera assisté d'un autre envoyé spécial, également désigné par Kofi Annan. Il s'agit de Moustapha Niasse, qui fut l'envoyé spécial de Kofi Annan pour le processus de paix en RDC. Son arrivée est prévue dans les prochains jours. M. Baril, ancien chef d'état-major des forces armées canadiennes, a également été conseiller militaire auprès du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU.

The Article: "Follow-up committee urges RCD-Goma to withdraw from Lubero"

A team of international observers of the transitional process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has condemned Thursday's capture of the eastern town of Lubero by the Rwandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) rebel movement.

"The International Committee to Accompany the Transition calls on RCD-Goma to order an immediate halt to its offensive and to begin the withdrawal of its forces from Lubero," the team of international observers said in a statement issued in the DRC capital, Kinshasa.

Humanitarian sources and the UN Mission in the DRC, MONUC, reported that Lubero had been deserted of its 180,000 residents.

The fate of Butembo, a town of some 500,000 people 52 km north of Lubero, as well as 110,000 displaced persons from Ituri currently seeking refuge in the Beni region, 100 km north of Lubero, was increasingly uncertain with the latest advance of RCD-Goma, humanitarian sources reported.

The Lubero takeover occurred as ceasefire negotiations for the North Kivu region were taking place in Bujumbura, Burundi. Despite the fighting, RCD-Goma and its rival RCD-Kisangani/Mouvement de liberation (RCD-K/ML) signed a ceasefire agreement, after a day of negotiations presided over by MONUC.

The committee comprises foreign ambassadors accredited to the DRC, meeting under the presidency of MONUC head Amos Namanga Ngongi.

The committee said that the magnitude of displacement of civilian populations and the particularly worrying humanitarian situation underlined the urgency of RCD-Goma's retreat and its political willingness to reach a "negotiated and definitive solution" to hostilities.

06 / 19 / 2003 

IRIN

L'article: "Le RCD-Goma s'empare de Lubero tandis que les pourparlers de trêve se poursuivent"

Le Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie (RCD-Goma), soutenu par le Rwanda, a pris ce jeudi la ville de Lubero, dans la province du Nord-Kivu, dans le nord-est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), tandis que les pourparlers pour aboutir à un cessez-le-feu dans la région se poursuivaient dans la capitale burundaise, Bujumbura. "Nous confirmons que la ville est tombée aux mains du RCD-Goma ce matin à l'issue d'affrontements acharnés," a indiqué à IRIN, Hamadoun Touré, porte-parole de la Mission de l'ONU en RDC (MONUC). M. Touré a indiqué que cette question était évoquée à Bujumbura où se tenaient les pourparlers de cessez-le-feu présidés par le chef de la MONUC, Amos Namanga Ngongi, regroupant toutes les parties au conflit : le RCD-Goma, le gouvernement de Kinshasa et un de ses alliés, le RCD-Kisangani/Mouvement de libération (RCD-K/ML). " Des tirs d'armes lourdes continuent d'être signalés et les civils fuient l'armée rwandaise qui massacre la population sous le couvert de leur allié, le RCD-Goma, " a déclaré à IRIN Jean-Louis Ernest Kyaviro, représentant du RCD-K/ML, depuis Beni, à une centaine de km au nord de Lubero. Le Rwanda a nié, à maintes reprises, la présence de ses troupes en RDC. Par ailleurs, les allégations du RCD-K/ML ne sont soutenues par aucune source indépendante. La MONUC et le RCD-K/ML ont fait savoir qu'ils n'étaient pas encore en mesure de fournir des informations relatives au nombre de personnes déplacées par les affrontements. M. Kyaviro a indiqué que son mouvement abandonnerait le processus de paix national si le RCD-Goma ne se retirait pas de ses nouvelles positions comme l'avait demandé une délégation du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU lors d'une récente visite dans la région. Il a également prévenu que son mouvement pourrait rompre son alliance avec Kinshasa, qu'il accuse de ne rien faire pour repousser le RCD-Goma. " Nous ne comptons plus sur lui [le président de la RDC Joseph Kabila] et nous trouverons nos propres moyens de nous défendre, " a-t-il lancé. Le RCD-Goma a ajouté que le retrait de ses forces des territoires nouvellement occupés dans le Nord-Kivu dépend du retrait de l'armée congolaise de la ville de Beni, dans le nord-est où siège son allié, le RCD-K/ML. Le RCD-Goma a précisé que son retrait dépendrait aussi du désarmement des " forces négatives " telles que les milices hutues de l'Interahamwe et les anciennes forces armées rwandaises, ex-FAR, principaux auteurs du génocide de 1994 au Rwanda. Kinshasa dément avoir des troupes dans la région. Néanmoins, le RCD-K/ML a informé que Kinshasa a envoyé au moins 200 instructeurs militaires pour entraîner ses forces rebelles. Le RCD-Goma accuse le gouvernement de Kinshasa et le RCD-K/ML d'utiliser les milices Interahamwe et reconnaît avoir pris Kanyabayonga et Alimbongo dans le Nord-Kivu. Les pourparlers de cessez-le-feu devaient s'achever jeudi.

L'article: "Reprise à Bujumbura des pourparlers du cessez-le-feu dans le Nord-Kivu"

Les pourparlers pour tenter de parvenir à un cessez-le-feu entre divers mouvements armés de la province du Nord-Kivu, dans l'est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) ont repris mercredi, après avoir été interrompus la semaine dernière par le gouvernement burundais qui affirmait ne pas avoir été informé de la tenue de ces discussions. Les représentants des parties aux hostilités - le gouvernement de Kinshasa, le Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie (RCD-Goma), mouvement rebelle soutenu par le Rwanda et le RCD-Kisangani/Mouvement de libération (RCD-K/ML), autre groupe rebelle - ont tous participé aux pourparlers qui se sont tenus à Bujumbura, capitale du Burundi. " Ce nouveau débat avec le gouvernement de Kinshasa sera centré sur la situation dans la partie orientale de la RDC. Les parties doivent s'engager à arrêter la guerre, " a déclaré devant la presse, Joseph Mudumbi, chef de la délégation du RCD-Goma, dès son arrivée à Bujumbura. Celui-ci a indiqué que le retrait des forces du RCD-Goma des territoires récemment occupés dans le Nord-Kivu dépendra du retrait de l'armée congolaise de Beni, au nord-est du pays, ville où siège son allié, le RCD-K/ML. Leur retrait dépendra aussi du désarmement des " forces négatives " telles que les miliciens hutus Interahamwe et les anciennes forces armées rwandaises qui sont en grande partie responsables du génocide de 1994 au Rwanda, a-t-il expliqué. Le RCD-Goma accuse le gouvernement à Kinshasa et le RCD-K/ML d'utiliser les milices Interahamwe et reconnaît avoir pris Kanyabayonga et Alimbongo dans le Nord-Kivu. Les négociations de Bujumbura, présidées par le chef de la Mission de l'ONU en RDC, Amos Namanga Ngongi, doivent s'achever jeudi.

06 / 18 / 2003 

IRIN

The Article: "Children suffer torture, rape and cruelty, NGOs report"

Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have suffered systematic torture and cruelty during the country's five-year war, according to a new report by a consortium of NGOs.

Foreign and domestic governments as well as armed groups have committed gross violations against children, including assault, rape, abduction, sexual torture, forced displacement, underage recruitment into armed forces and forced participation in the illegal exploitation of natural resources.

"The Impact of Conflict on Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo", a 36-page report released on Monday by the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict to coincide with the end of a UN Security Council mission to the country and the Day of the African Child, documents the grim reality of the DRC.

Among the most striking statistics: over 12 percent of children do not reach their first birthday; three million children are without access to education; malnutrition rates exceed 40 percent in some areas; 400,000 children have been displaced from their homes; tens of thousands of children have been recruited as child soldiers; and gender-based violence, including rape of girls, is widespread.

The ongoing conflict in the country has claimed an estimated 3.3 million lives since 1998, mostly women, children and elderly, according to a report by the International Rescue Committee, titled "Mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Results from a Nationwide Survey, Conducted September to November 2002, reported April 2003".

In Ituri District in the northeast, according to the Watchlist report, children had been forced to witness parents and grandparents being hacked to death; young girls raped in front of their families; children forced to kill their close relatives; children and other hospital patients dragged from their beds and killed; children, including infants, dying after being locked up without food or water; and children killed, some shot in the back, in massacres along with hundreds of other civilians.

Speaking to the media for the launch of the report, Anne Edgerton of Refugees International said that the situation in the DRC was "the largest humanitarian crisis on the planet right now with the smallest amount of response".

She added: "If somehow the response can be much more appropriate to the actual crisis, it could be ended. It's not so large that it could not be done."

The report recommends that all parties to the conflict, the UN Security Council, and to the UN Mission in the DRC take "urgent action" to address the situation in eastern DRC.

The Watchlist is a network of local, regional and international NGOs working to protect the security and rights of children in armed conflicts.

>>>>> The Complete Report

06 / 16 / 2003 

IRIN

The Article: "UN confirms 70 killed in Ituri village"

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) confirmed on Monday that Lendu militiamen had killed 70 people in the eastern Congolese village of Nkora, near Mahagi town, Ituri District, close to the Ugandan border.

"I have reliable reports of the massacre from an independent source," Col Pieter Harmse, MONUC's spokesperson in Uganda, told IRIN in Kampala. "Basically, the Lendu fighters attacked the village itself, chopping up and killing pretty much all civilians - I don't know if they were all Hema or what ethnic group they were."

He said the information had come from a Congolese farmer in the village, not from any member of armed belligerents in Ituri's war.

The attack was the second by Lendu militiamen reported in less than three weeks. At the end of May, the Hema-dominated Parti pour l'unite et la sauvegarde de l'integrite du Congo (PUSIC), led by chief Kawa Panga Mandro, distributed photographs of some 250-300 dead unarmed civilians in the predominantly Hema town of Tchomia, on the shores of Lake Albert, which divides southern Ituri from neighbouring Uganda.

Meanwhile, Bunia town was reported to be calm after an armed Lendu gang attacked French troops of a multinational force who were moving in convoy about six kilometres from the town centre on Saturday.

"The situation is now under control again," Capt Frederick Solano, the French army spokesperson, told IRIN. "There was a fight between our troops and the Lendus. We opened fire, as we are mandated to do, to protect ourselves and repel the gunmen."

He said no injuries occurred on the French side and that he did not know of casualties among the attackers.

Solano said that the deployment of the multinational peace enforcement troops in Bunia was progressing as planned, despite of the skirmish. He said about 1,200 troops were mobilised between Entebbe and Bunia and that 600 of them were already in Bunia by early Monday.

"We also have two more French 'Gazelle' attack helicopters coming in today, to increase our firepower," he said.

At a news conference at Entebbe airport on Sunday, a UN Security Council team that had just ended its six-nation tour of Africa implored the countries in the Great Lakes region - particularly Uganda and Rwanda - to help restrain the various warring parties in eastern Congo's conflicts.

The delegation's leader, French Permanent Representative to the UN Secretary Council Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, told Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni that states in Africa's Great Lakes region needed to play their part in preventing further fighting in Ituri.

>>>>> Related Report

Uganda and Rwanda armed and trained both Lendu and Hema fighters in 1999 when they needed them to fight in their opposing proxy rebel factions, splintered from the rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie, which had tried to unseat Congo's late President Laurent-Desire Kabila.

06 / 16 / 2003 

IRIN

The Article: "UN's multinational force ''totally insufficient'', says crisis group"

The French-led multinational force being deployed to Bunia, the main town in the embattled Ituri District of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is "totally insufficient", the International Crisis Group, a global analysis and advocacy organisation, said in a report published on Friday.

In its report, titled "Congo Crisis: Military Intervention in Ituri", the crisis group calls for a larger UN intervention force that covers a greater geographic area and stays much longer than the 1 September deadline currently mandated. The existing UN Mission in the DRC, MONUC, is expected to take over when the multinational force leaves.

The multinational force is "conceived only as a stopgap, to hold the line until additional MONUC troops are deployed in September", Francois Grignon, the group s Central Africa project director, said in a statement issued with the report. He added that if the multinational force did not demilitarise Bunia, "it was likely to be caught in competing accusations from all the militias that almost certainly will lead to conflict".

Grignon said, "The militias must be cantoned at least 15 km out of Bunia to allow displaced populations to access the town freely and receive relief."

By mid-August, the crisis group added, MONUC must also have the physical capability, reinforced mandate and political backing to intervene in support of Ituri's pacification and be geared towards restoration of Congolese state sovereignty.

"There must also be sustained pressure on Rwanda, Uganda and Congo's leaders - and their proxy militias - to support the local pacification process in the area and finalise negotiations towards the establishment of a legitimate transitional Congo government," Grignon said.

The crisis group also said it was important that MONUC's reinforcement not be limited to Ituri, but to the provinces of North and South Kivu, to the south of Ituri, which have been at the heart of DRC's wars for the past decade and where the conflict's toll has been even higher.

"The pacification of Ituri should provide a formula for the wider, directly linked task of bringing stability and security to the entire eastern Congo," the crisis group stated.

>>>>> The Group's Complete Report

06 / 12 / 2003 

IRIN

The Article: "Rivals vow to form government by 30 June"

Rival opposition movements and the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have assured a visiting UN Security Council delegation that they would form a transitional government by 30 June.

Ambassador Jean-Marc De La Sabliere of France, the head of the 15-member delegation, said on Wednesday at a news conference in Kinshasa, the capital, that the parties had promised to solve the main problem delaying the formation of the government: the appointment to top army posts.

That undertaking, he said, was given in meetings with Congolese President Joseph Kabila, members of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue Follow-up Committee, as well as representatives of the rival Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie-Goma and the RCD-Mouvement pour la Liberation du Congo (MLC).

A decision to form a transitional national unity government was reached in December 2002 in Pretoria, South Africa. De La Sabliere said it was important to push ahead with the inauguration of governmental institutions, especially because of the continued ethnic fighting in the eastern district of Ituri and North Kivu province. The Security Council delegation left for Bunia, the main town in Ituri, on Thursday. De La Sabliere said a meeting of the Kivu belligerents was due to take place Thursday in Bujumbura on Thursday. The meeting is to be chaired by the UN Secretary-General s special representative in the DRC, Amos Namanga Ngongi.

L'article: "L'UE autorise le déploiement de troupes"

Le Conseil de l'UE a adopté mercredi une décision pour déployer des troupes en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), qui feront partie de la force multinationale de 1 500 hommes requise par le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU. Dans un communiqué émanant de Bruxelles, l'UE a déclaré avoir lancé l'opération militaire en RDC, portant le nom de code "Artemis", conformément au mandat décrit dans la résolution 1484 du Conseil de Sécurité de l'ONU. La résolution de l'ONU, adoptée le 30 mai, autorise le déploiement d'une force intérimaire d'urgence à Bunia, dans l'est de la RDC jusqu'au 1er septembre. La France a offert de diriger cette force multinationale et met à disposition 750 troupes. Le restant vient d'autres pays de l'UE. Pour l'heure, la Belgique, la Grande-Bretagne, le Portugal et la Suède ont indiqué qu'ils contribueraient à la mise en place de la force. La force a pour mandat de sécuriser la ville de Bunia, qui est le théâtre de combats depuis le 7 mai, date du retrait de l'armée ougandaise. La force multinationale a également pour mandat de protéger l'aéroport de Bunia, le personnel de l'ONU, les travailleurs humanitaires et les personnes déplacées à l'intérieur de leur pays dans les camps établis dans la ville. En adoptant l'Opération Artemis, l'UE a indiqué que le commandant de la force des troupes de l'UE devait "avec effet immédiat, donner l'ordre d' activation (ACTORD) afin d'effectuer le déploiement des forces, avant le transfert d'autorité suivant leur arrivée sur place, et entamer l'exécution de la mission".

L'article: "Kigali nie toute participation aux combats du Nord-Kivu"

L'armée rwandaise a démenti avoir participé aux affrontements survenus dans l'est de la République démocratique du Congo entre deux milices rivales locales, a rapporté mercredi l'Agence rwandaise d'information. Au cours des trois jours de combat qui ont éclaté vendredi dans la province du Nord-Kivu, le Rassemblement Congolais pour la démocratie (RCD-Goma) a pris trois localités aux mains de son rival, le RCD-Kisangani-Mouvement de libération, ou RCD-K-ML, dirigé par Mbusa Nyamwisi. Le porte-parole de l'armée rwandaise, le major Jill Rutaremara a déclaré que les forces de Nyamwisi avaient souvent accusé l'armée rwandaise de combattre aux côtés du RCD-Goma. "Le Rwanda n'a plus de troupes en République démocratique du Congo depuis l'année dernière," a affirmé Rutaremara. Cependant, l'un des gardes du corps de Nyamwisi, "Commandant" Jacques Hagi, a affirmé mercredi à IRIN que les Rwandais pilotaient des hélicoptères et des tanks pour aider sept bataillons du RCD-Goma à prendre les localités de Kanyabayonga, Mbingi et Alibongo. "Nous essayons de repousser les hélicoptères et les tanks," a-t-il dit. Les affrontements ont causé un nouvel exode de civils - dont on ignore encore le nombre - vers le sud en direction de Butembo, a déclaré à IRIN un responsable du Bureau de la coordination des affaires humanitaires (OCHA). Ils étaient déjà 140 000 déplacés par la guerre dans les localités de Lubero avant les derniers affrontements," a informé Megan Scott, chargé de l' information pour OCHA à Goma. OCHA Kinshasa a annoncé que les personnes déplacées ont besoin de nourriture, d'eau potable et d'aide médicale. Parallèlement, l'agence de presse de missionnaires basée en Italie (MISNA) a rapporté que des manifestations pacifiques ont eu lieu jeudi dans les villes du Nord-Kivu, dans le but d'attirer l'attention de la communauté internationale sur les combats. "La ville entière de Butembo a envahi les rues ce matin et une démonstration identique devrait avoir lieu à Beni," a déclaré à la MISNA, Melchisedec Paluku Sikuli, évêque de Butembo et de Beni.

06 / 11 / 2003 

IRIN

The Article: "UN Security council team arrives in Kinshasa"

Ambassadors of 15 Security Council member countries arrived in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Tuesday on a two-day visit to provide impetus toward a national unity government in the war-weary central African country, the UN mission in the country reported.

"The Security council has come to the Congo to encourage the transition," Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, the French ambassador to the UN who is leading the delegation, said on arrival.

Despite the progress in the peace process in the country, he said, the situation was still fragile. As such, he said it was important to adopt measures of good neighbourliness and end violence.

"It is essential to stop the fighting in the east of the country, especially in Kivu and Ituri, and also human rights violations," he said.

Similarly, he added, the illegal exploitation of Congo's natural resources must end.

He said that the Security Council wanted to help the Congo and had already given strong support to the UN Mission in the country, called MONUC, and authorised the deployment of a multinational force to Bunia, the main town in the trouble Ituri District.

However, he added, "Peace in Congo depends on the Congolese. It is their peace process."

But he also called on neighhbouring countries to exert a positive influence to these efforts.

The Security Council delegation arrived in Pretoria, the South African capital, on Sunday at the start of its African tour that has already taken it to Angola. The delegation is due to meet Congolese President Joseph Kabila before going to Bunia.

06 / 10 / 2003 

IRIN

The Article: "Scale up efforts to prevent use of child soldiers, NGO says"

A UK-based NGO, Save the Children, has urged the multinational force currently mobilising in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to take an active role in efforts to prevent use of children by armed groups in the region.

In a statement issued on Monday, the NGO said the situation in Ituri District was so catastrophic that efforts aimed at preventing the use of children by armed groups needed to be increased at national and international levels.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on 30 May, authorising the deployment of a multinational force to help secure Bunia. France offered to lead the 1,500-strong force and an advance team has already arrived in Bunia to prepare for the arrival of the remaining troops. They are expected to deploy fully within two weeks.

"Since Bunia plunged into violence and chaos about a month ago, it is difficult to escape the impression that the town has been taken over by children," the NGO said. "Groups of heavily armed children - some in their pre-teens - now dominate the town and terrorise its residents."

The NGO said atrocities of an enormous scale have been committed in Bunia, including random killings, rape, looting and arson. "Children have been the immediate authors of many of these crimes. But, the gun-toting children are themselves being controlled by adults," it said.

Fighting erupted in Bunia on 7 May after the Ugandan army that had been occupying the town withdrew. At least 300 people have died in the violence and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Save the Children, which has been focusing on child soldier issues in eastern DRC since 2002, said Bunia's armed children were victims of war. "So far, over 1,000 children have been successfully demobilised and most have gone back to their families," it said.

It added the events in Bunia had highlighted an appalling trend, that of increased use of children in armed conflict.

Explaining that warlords were increasingly aware that under international humanitarian law they may have to answer "tomorrow for crimes committed today", the NGO said the use of children conveniently distanced them from these acts.

The NGO efforts to prevent recruitment of child soldiers and to prepare local communities for the reintegration of such children included the training of military commanders of rebels groups on children protection issues and the UN Convention of the Rights of Children. This approach was used in the Kivu provinces, it said. It added that the approach was effective in obtaining the release of children.

"Unfortunately, little progress has been made in Ituri," the NGO said. "The disorganisation of armed groups and generalised anarchy has not permitted the establishment of such programmes."

The NGO said many of the militias continued to deny they use child soldiers, and "conditions make it impossible to guarantee the community reintegration of demobilised children with any degree of safety".

06 / 09 / 2003 

IRIN

The Article: "French troops due Bunia within two weeks"

French troops for the multinational emergency force for the town of Bunia, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, will deploy fully within the next two weeks, French officials said on Saturday.

The French officer in charge of logistics at Uganda's Entebbe airport, Col Dennis Koehl, said around 400 French troops would be in Bunia, Ituri District, by the middle of the week. He said another 350 would remain at the military sector of Entebbe International Airport.

French forces, equipment and supplies are being ferried first to Entebbe before being flown on smaller airplanes to Bunia's tiny airstrip.

"The state of the runway at the airport of Bunia makes it extremely complicated for such a large operation," he said. "The speed of troop deployment is hence conditioned by the low number of rotations that can be effected on Bunia runway."

France is due to provide half of some 1,400 to 1,500 multinational troops due to be deployed to Bunia. Koehl said a French reconnaissance team of 10-15 people was in Bunia and that 40-50 mostly air force support personnel were due in Entebbe on Monday. Kampala s Monitor newspaper reported that about 60 Canadian Air Force and intelligence officials arrived in Entebbe on Saturday, and were received by Uganda s chief of military intelligence, Col Noble Mayombo. The daily reported that the Canadians would provide technical support to the multinational force.

South Africa also announced on Sunday it would provide troops both to this force and to the UN Mission in the Congo, AFP reported quoting Minister for Provincial Affairs Sydney Mufamadi. UN News reported on Friday that at least five British military personnel arrived with the French as an advance unit in Bunia to assess the practical participation of British soldiers to the multinational force.

The French-led force will operate only in Bunia, and not in the rest of Ituri District. French Ambassador to Uganda Jean Bernard Thiant said critics of this restriction had misunderstood the purpose of the mission.

"The mandate of the troops is to secure Bunia and its airport to allow safe passage for humanitarian assistance to displaced persons staying in camps in Bunia," Bernard Thiant said. "We are not here to disarm the militias or to prevent fighting in the whole of Ituri. What happens outside Bunia is a big problem, we agree. But we need more than 1,500 soldiers to tackle it."

He also said that the multinational force would not side with any party if fighting broke out again in Bunia. "Our job is simply to keep the peace by our presence there," he said.

Meanwhile, news organisations reported that relative calm had returned to Bunia after Saturday's fierce gun battle between attacking Lendu militiamen and Hema fighters holding the town.

"Hundreds of people carrying mattresses and pots and pans nervously returned to their homes" on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.