AFRICA/DR CONGO - Summit in Nairobi opens in search of a solution to the North Kivu crisis, as conflict continues

Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – Today in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, the Summit of the Great Lakes Countries will begin. The participants will discuss the war taking place in North Kivu, in northeastern Congo. The Summit is being presided by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and organized by the African Union. Participants include Congo's President Joseph Kabila, President Paul Kigame of Rwanda, and the leaders of Burundi, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. Also present will be the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel.
Prior to the Summit talks, Kudura Kasongo, spokesman for the President of Congo, accused the rebels of having committed atrocities against the civilian population, accusations that the international organizations extend to include the troops of Congo's army, as well. The spokesman for the Congolese government lamented the fact that while “the population is massacred, the Blue Helmets do nothing.”
The UN Secretary General suggested increasing the MONUC peacekeeping forces, sending in another 3,000 men. The MONUC is currently made up of 17,000 soldiers in Congo, 8,000 in North Kivu, who seem to be incapable of standing ground against Nkunda's offensive.
In the meantime, the face-offs between Laurent Nkunda's rebels and the forces of the Congo continue near Kibati, about 7 kilometers to the north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, near a refugee camp filled with thousands of people. Hundreds of civilians are fleeing the camp and going to Goma. The conflict has forced the UNICEF to suspend its distribution of supplies.
According to unconfirmed reports, among the ranks of the Congolese troops are Angolan soldiers, a fact that could lead to complications in this conflict. In the war that raged from 1998-2003, Angola sent in a military contingent in support of the central government in Kinshasa. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 7/11/2008)