DRC - interview

Nkunda wants to “give peace a chance”

Article published on the 2008-11-19 Latest update 2008-11-19 10:57 TU

Government soldiers outside the looted town of Kanya.
(Photo: Reuters)

Rebel forces under the command of General Laurent Nkunda have withdrawn from frontline fighting positions in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday as a first step toward negotiating a ceasefire, Nkunda told RFI. Meanwhile, in The Hague, prosecutors announced that former warlord Thomas Lubanga will face trial at the International Criminal Court for use of child soldiers.

Two days after meeting with UN peace envoy Olusegun Obasanjo, Nkunda ordered his National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) to withdraw on two fronts in the vicinity of Goma, the regional capital of North Kivu province.

Yet violent incidents continued, as Congolese army forces attacked the village of Kanya and Kirumba, after their Mai-Mai allies accidentally opened fire on them.

Contacted by satellite phone, Nkunda explained the withdrawal. “The situation is not so easy to control … it was given like we weren’t respecting the ceasefire. We said we have to withdraw, so we can give a space to support the mission of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,” he said.

The rebels will withdraw 40 km along two fronts, and want the UN peacekeepers to take position in this buffer zone to facilitate the ceasefire, the CNDP announced in a statement.

A government soldier walks through the looted town of Kanya.
(Photo: Reuters)

Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Paul Dietrich, spokesperson for the UN mission in DRC, said that they had not been formally contacted about the arrangement, but added that the announcement is “a step in the right direction”.

DRC President Joseph Kabila replaced his military chief on Monday after a series of defeats at the hands of the rebels and accusations of looting and abuse.

The humanitarian situation in the eastern DRC is deteriorating, with an estimated 250,000 people forced from their homes since fighting began anew in August.

Nkunda insisted that his latest moves would improve the situation on the ground for civilians.

“There is a [humanitarian] corridor in our area, and we agreed to it and we’re doing it,” he told RFI.

“We are giving peace a chance, and the peace is coming,” Nkunda said.

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court announced that their first trial would go ahead against Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga.

Originally slated for June, the case was delayed after the judges accused the prosecution of withholding evidence that could help Lubanga’s defense.

Many of the documents have now been made available to Lubanga’s lawyers, under strict conditions of secrecy, and the trial – the ICC’s first – will start on 26 January.