Military

DATE=04/17/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-288822

TITLE=CONGO-WAR (L/O)

BYLINE=LUIS RAMIREZ

DATELINE=KINSHASA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Anticipation is growing among people in the Democratic Republic of Congo as leaders of the country, rebel groups and political opponents prepare to conclude talks on ending the country's civil war. The so-called inter-Congolese dialogue, which has been going on since late February in Sun City, South Africa, is scheduled to end on Thursday. As Luis Ramirez reports from the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, many Congolese weary after nearly four years of war are hoping there will be an accord.

TEXT: Throughout Kinshasa, residents listen to radios and read newspapers to hear of whether any progress is being made in Sun City, in what are supposed to be the final hours of the talks.

Public pressure has been growing on the Congolese government to reach an agreement and put an end to the conflict, which has drained the economy of this nation that is otherwise rich in diamonds and other minerals.

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Despite its vast resources, the per capita income in Congo remains at only 600 dollars a year.

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Thirty-two-year-old Rhmazani Bin Kithima, a Kinshasa businessman who trades in coffee and metals, says the war forced him to abandon his property in the eastern city of Bukavu, on the Rwandan border. Since then, he has been struggling to rebuild his business in Kinshasa. He says mineral resources largely under the control of foreigners have continued to flow despite the war.

/// FIRST BIN KITHIMA ACT ///

The people dealing in such commodities, I would say they have not been very much affected because the people involved in diamonds are still doing diamonds. The ones who were doing diamonds in the East like in Kisangani, they are still doing it. But I am talking in terms of internal business, region between region: Kisangani-Kinshasa, Kinshasa-Bukavu. The internal business has just disappeared, and it has affected the life of the people. So many people went bankrupt because of the situation.

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The war has resulted in widespread malnutrition across the country about 50 percent of which is under the control of rebels backed by Rwanda and Uganda.

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While most people here in Kinshasa say they hope an accord will be reached in Sun City, many are skeptical of what the outcome will be. The talks have been locked on key issues including the make-up of the country's army, and on the question of whether President Joseph Kabila should remain as head of state until elections are held. Joseph Kabila succeeded his father, Laurent Kabila, who was assassinated last year.

Even as talks carry on in Sun City, the United Nations on Wednesday warned that fighting has intensified in some of the rebel-held areas of eastern Congo. Hamadoun Toure, a spokesman for the United Nations mission in Congo, says the latest outbreak shows that not all of the factions are inclined toward peace.

/// TOURE ACT ///

That is the paradoxical situation that D-R-C is going through. While people are in Sun City talking, you have the impression that other people have chosen the other way to find a solution to the conflict. While some people are talking, others are fighting.

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Like many other Congolese, businessman Rhmazani Bin Kithima says he is tired of the war. He says he hopes those taking part in the dialogue in Sun City will make the right decisions.

/// SECOND KITHIMA ACT ///

I would like them to look at the country. Today, it is a shame to say we are Congolese because people [in the international community] do not understand the 'why' of the situation. Even ourselves, we cannot justify how such a great country has gone so down. I believe people [at the Sun City talks] should put their own personal interests aside and look at the country. Obviously the Congolese have suffered, but what of Congo? That is the major question, because the Congolese will always survive through what Congo will be.

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The inter-Congolese dialogue took place as part of the framework of a peace agreement that was signed in Zambia by the Congolese government and most of the armed factions in 1999.

The talks in Sun City extended already by one week - are scheduled to end on Thursday.

NEB/LR/SAB