Kinshasa (Fides Service)- “We Congolese will be able to settle our disputes peacefully on the condition that foreign interference stops” said Enoch Ruberangabo Sebineza, member of Democratic Congo’s National Assembly and leading personality among the Banyamulege Tutsi of Rwandan origin who have lived for decades in the region of Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “In Congo we have problems of governability and instability in some of the regions, I refer to Ituri in the north, Kivu in the east and Katanga in the south” Mr Sebineza told Fides. “In these areas three different ethnic groups find it hard to agree. This is a problem dating to the time of Mobutu, a former President who died in 1997. He who often encouraged ethnic clashes in order to stay in power. Now unfortunately we have foreign powers, coniving with Congolese elements, which exploit local ethnic tension to take part of the national territory ”.
“As the people of Congo we must defend the integrity of our land and end the civil war” Mr Sebineza told Fides.
One critical region in Congo is south Kivu where groups of Banyamulenge rebels took the main city Bukavu for a few days in early June. Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda said the aim was to prevent a genocide against the Banyamulenge. “The word genocide refers to a precise crime, recognised by the United Nations. Therefore it should be used with care. I must admit in recent weeks there have been massacres of Banyamulenge in Kivu. But these acts cannot be qualified as genocide” Mr Sebineza told Fides
The UN has denied that a genocide is being waged on Banyamulenge in Kivu (see Fides 16 June 2004)
“In Kivu there is a conflict involving different ethnic groups but the situation is being exploited by foreign elements, backed by local elements, which have no qalms about throwing the country into chaos and war in order to reach their own aims. I think that if foreign interference stops, then the people of Congo will be able to find the way to restore peace”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 23/6/2004 righe 31 parole 364)