Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Fides Service) - Diplomatic initiatives to restore peace in the Great Lakes region of Africa, the scene of years of civil war in Democratic Congo and Burundi continue. Following an agreement between Rwanda and Democratic Congo to create a border control mechanism (see Fides 23 September 2004), yesterday 23 September, representatives of Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Congo reached a pact to use negotiations to solve divergences.
The agreement was signed by the foreign ministers of Rwanda and Democratic Congo and the Ugandan defence minister in the presence of US secretary of state Colin Powell, who said the United States offered to help to promote regional collaboration.
Officially civil war in Congo ended in 2003, but there is tension again in eastern Congo with a rebellion of former guerrillas of RCD-Goma (Congolese Union for Democracy) which attempted to take control of south Kivu (see Fides 23 September 2004). In the war in Congo, Ugandan and Rwandan troops sided with the Congolese rebels. Both countries say they have stopped supporting the Congolese guerrillas. However Rwanda says there are still Interhamwe troops in Congolese territory. The Interhamwe are a Rwandan Hutu group connected with the old regime in Kigali, and they were responsible for the genocide in 1994, in which more than 1 million people were killed. The Rwandan government also says that in east Congo genocide is being committed against the Banyamulenge, Tutsi of Rwandan origin who settled in Congo and who form the greater part of the RCD rebel group. The United Nations and some international humanitarian organisations say what is happening in that area is not genocide.
At least 3 million people were killed in the civil war in Democratic Congo, which lasted five years 1998 to 2003.
In Congo there are also groups of armed Burundians who fought in the civil war in 1993. For example the National Liberation Front FNL, a Hutu extremist front which continues to spread death and destruction despite an agreement between the government and the main rebel group, FDD Forces for the Defence of Democracy. The agreement signed in 2003, gave FDD vice presidency, four ministries, 40% army officers posts and 35% police officer posts.
The Civil war in Burundi, which is not over, has left 300,000 people dead and between 2 to 3 million refugees, some of whom are now returning home. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 24/9/2004 righe 44 parole 474)
