Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides)- There is a very precarious calm in the east of Democratic del Congo after a unilateral cease fire declaration was made by rebel leader Laurent Nkunda. Although clashes between the army and Nkunda's men are reported at Kitchanga, about 70 km from the main town in north Kivu Goma, at Mushake (another of Nkunda's strongholds 30 km from Goma), the cease fire seems to hold.
In the evening of 10 October Nkunda called for a cease-fire. “We call on MONUC (UN Mission in Congo) to install a new cease-fire agreement, I will respect it” the rebel leader said. Nkunda also offered to send 500 of his men to an army recruitment centre to be integrated in regular army units not operating in north Kivu. This is the first time Nkunda accepts this process which foresees the deployment all over the country of mixed units formed with the integration of rebels in the army.
Nkunda's request came the day after the Kinshasa government launched an ultimatum to the rebels to surrender by 15 October.
While the situation remains uncertain, the local press is wondering why Nkunda called for a cessation of hostilities. Some say that, faced with a large scale army offensive the rebel general decided to call for a cease fire to avoid being defeated in battle. Other say that pressure from abroad, the US especially where Congolese president Kabila will visit at the end of October, played a decisive role in convincing Nkunda's foreign sponsors to stop him.
Fighting in recent months created another humanitarian emergency. The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs had warned of a “possible humanitarian catastrophe” expressing “profound concern for the plight of hundreds of thousands of displaced persons in urgent need of assistance and protection ”.
The UN office said that already 370,000 people have been displaced from Masisi and Rutshuru, two of the localities in north Kivu affected by the fighting. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 12/10/2007 righe 28 parole 369)
