DRC

PM goes to Goma amid reports of new fighting

Article published on the 2008-11-04 Latest update 2008-11-12 16:25 TU

A UN aid convoy heads for Rutshuru
(Photo: Reuters)

The Democratic Republic of Congo's new Prime Minister, Adolphe Muzito, is heading for Goma, the capital of the violence-torn North Kivu province, amid reports that the ceasefire in the area has been broken. The UN believes that a million people have now been driven from their homes by the fighting.

Fighting is reported to have broken out this afternoon between rebels led by dissident general Laurent N'kunda and local militiamen of the Mai Mai and the Congolese Patriotic Resistants.

Rebel Tutsi leader Laurent Nkunda told RFI that the government does not want peace and threatened to drive it out of office if it does not accept his unilateral ceasefire.

"The fact that they do not want to negociate directly shows that they don't want a ceasefire," he said. "That proves it. So do the roadblocks around the province and the hate messages that are aired on local and national radio stations."

Muzito, who was appointed last week with the task of leading a govenrment of "combat and reconstruction", said that he aimed to "comfort" the population of Goma, which was deserted by government troops as Nkunda's forces advanced on it last week.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who has named former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as his special envoy in the region, is also set to visit. He says he will meet DRC President Joseph Kabila and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

The DRC has accused Rwanda of supporting Nkunda's offensive.

UN workers distributed water and biscuits to refugees in the Kibati camp on the outskirts of Goma, after Monday's report that the Rutshuru camp is deserted and razed to the ground.

The UN said Monday that "up to 100,000 people", including 60,000 children, have fled the fighting in the past week It estimates the total number of people displaced by years of fighting in the region as over one million.