Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides)- “United Nations assistance is crucial for the disarmament of foreign armed groups, using force if necessary, and for their repatriation and integration” Joseph Kabila president of Democratic Congo said yesterday 27 September in his address to the General Assembly of the United Nations Organisation. The President underlined that disarmament of combatants is a priority for his government.
Despite peace agreements reached in 2003, instability persists in the east of Democratic Congo due to the presence of numerous local and foreign armed groups. Among them rebels led by Joseph Nkunda, leader of the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP who continue to cause chaos and destruction in north Kivu (see Fides 14 and 25 September 2007). In the past few days some of Nkunda soldiers surrendered to government troops. The soldiers and some members of the Mayi Mayi militia were transferred to a military base in the south of the country to be integrated into the regular army. In fact the peace agreements included also integration in the Congo army of former guerrillas, after a training course. Despite aid from the international community, Congolese soldiers are often involved in violent episodes against civilians, as the local Catholic Church has often denounced (see Fides 6 March 2006 and 10 March 2007). The Congolese government with the help of the EU has started distributing bio-metric identity cards to army troops to identify individual soldiers, establish their precise number and then pay their wages. Soldiers are poorly paid and often late. Some independent observers doubt the effectiveness of the measure and say a real reform would be to reform the army mentality: instead of a pretext for extorting money from the people a uniform should represent an obligation to serve the people.
In recent weeks the governments of the Great Lakes region appealed to the United Nations mission in Congo MONUC to help local authorities stop incursions by armed groups (see Fides 18 September 2007). An appeal which hides tensions and diffidence among the countries in the area. Congo fears its neighbours are interested in taking some of its territory, rich in minerals and timber. The neighbours reply that armed groups which threaten their security hide Congo's forests.
In addition to this, there is the question of new exploitation of oil under Lake Albert, on the Uganda RCD border, which led to clashes between the armies of the two countries (see Fides 25 September 2007). According to the local media in the most recent incident 8 Congolese and 2 Ugandans were killed. Despite President Kabila's meeting with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni on 8 September in Tanzania, tension between these countries remains high.
Ugandan government sources said however that in October more high level meetings will be held between the countries leaders and that the present tension is due to the activity of some local army chiefs. The Ugandan government has said it is willing to share with Congo the exploitation of the oil present in the border area. However the international community and the UN especially will have to be present to help the countries of the Great Lakes region smooth our their divergences. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 28/9/2007 righe 41 parole 570)
