AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - Eastern Congo hope mixed with fear that war may resume

Thursday, 2 December 2004

Kinshasa (Fides Service)- “We welcome international pressure on Rwanda not to invade eastern Congo” local sources in Bukavu, main town in South Kivu, where tension has risen since the Rwandan government said it intended to intervene on Congolese territory to disarm Hutu militia operating there.
“However we are still worried because reliable sources, including the UN mission here MONUC, say that the number of Rwandan soldiers in Congo is increasing. MONUC said it sighted at least 100 Kigali’s soldiers north of” the sources told Fides. “The figure does not reflect the actual involvement of Rwandan army in Congo, but we must take into account that the United Nations are trying to solve the crisis by diplomatic paths and they therefore avoid spreading panic among the local people”.
“It is not easy to give a complete picture of the situation because the border with Rwanda is controlled by RCD-Goma (Congolese Union for Democracy), the main rebel group backed by Rwanda” the sources told Fides. “What is more there is no communication with areas north of Goma, or in Ituri in the north east on the border with Uganda”. Bukavu is quiet but there are growing fears that the city may be cut off: “Shop keepers are taking stock in view of a possible road block” sources told Fides.
The crisis in Congo is the main topic at a UN Security Council meeting today 2 December in New York. Both the United States and Great Britain have voiced ‘concern’ for the situation on the Rwanda/Democratic Congo border.
In the meantime Uganda said it has deployed a number of troops on the Congo border to prevent infiltration of “negative elements” from that country. According to Kampala a new group Peoples Redemption Army (PRA) mostly former Ugandan army officers is preparing to attack eastern Congo. Last week the Ugandan army exhibited presumed PRA members arrested in the north of the country. Later Kampala expelled a Rwandan diplomat accused of helping the PRA. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 2/12/2004 righe 34 parole 402)


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