Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bukavu (Fides Service)-“People in Kivu fear a fresh outbreak of fighting; security and stability are still a long way off ”, a local source in Bukavu, southern Kivu (eastern region of Democratic Congo who asked not to be named, told Fides. “Threats and assassination attempts on General Prosper Nabyolwa, commander of the tenth military region Bukavu, the discovery of arsenals in Bukavu in homes belonging to prominent Congolese and Rwandan citizens; the attitude of the second in command of the tenth military region who appears to obey the orders of others instead of Kinshasa, are episodes which cause among the people of Kivu growing uncertainty and fear of a fresh outbreak of hostilities” the source told Fides. In the past few days the UN peace keeping force MONUC discovered no less than 40 illegal stocks of arms in Bukavu.
An agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa, in December 2002, between the government and different rebel groups operating in eastern Congo, sanctioned a cessation of hostilities, the formation of a national unity interim government and a new army with the integration of rebel troops. One of the main rebel groups RCD, Group for Democracy in Rwanda, backed by Rwanda, operates in Bukavu. “People fear that the second in command of the Bukavu tenth military region, a former RCD member, rather than working to unite the country is working to divide it” local sources told Fides. “A recent episode which upset the people of Bukavu was the lightening release of a former rebel leader Major Kosongo, arrested on charges of crimes against humanity; strong pressure from the RCD forced the government to release the man” the sources told Fides.
The task of the UN mission MONUC deployed in Congo is to monitor the peace agreement. However, local source told Fides, “people in Bukavu are not happy with how MONUC is operating. They accuse the peacekeepers of giving too little protection to General Prosper Nabyolwa, commander of the tenth military region Bukavu and failing to confiscate illegal weapons. ”.
‘Co-ordination for Peace in Democratic Congo’ a group of Italian Catholic and non humanitarian agencies’ launched an appeal to the international community through Fides. The groups urges the International community to exercise its influence to see that the signers of the Pretoria Agreement 2002 bring to conclusion the transition process in a reunited country which is not politically or economically dependent on any neighbouring countries; the International Committee to Accompany Transition CIAT to keep effective and close watch on the eastern part of Congo; MONUC to assume full responsibility for the task for which it was sent by the international community; Kinshasa should take swift action to protect the life and the dignity of the peoples in the east of the country and the integrity of the state ”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 12/3/2004, righe 42 parole 545)
