• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

DRC: UN dismisses claims of Rwandan troops in DRC

KINSHASA, 31 March 2003 (IRIN) - The UN secretary-general's representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Amos Namanga Ngongi, dismissed on Friday claims that Rwandan troops had re-entered the DRC.

Speaking to reporters at the Kinshasa headquarters of the UN Mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, Ngongi said the Ituri District was tense, despite the presence of Ugandan troops mandated to ensure security under an agreement reached in September 2002 between presidents Joseph Kabila of the DRC and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.

The Roman Catholic bishop of Beni-Butembo, Melechisedec Sikuli, and a group of Brussels-based NGOs had reported the alleged movement in March of large numbers of Rwandan and Burundian troops into eastern DRC.

Ngongi said the Ugandan troops, who were in a position to do so, had not complained of the alleged presence of Rwandan troops. He backed up his dismissal of the claims by saying that MONUC observers had not confirmed the presence of any Rwandan troops.

Last week, Ngongi visited the Ugandan and Rwandan capitals for discussions with officials, and held talks with President Kabila in Kinshasa. Ngongi said he had received assurances from the heads of state of the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda that it was not in their interests to resume fighting in the Congo.

Ugandan troops are due to withdraw from DRC on 24 April, under the ceasefire agreement the parties to the conflict signed on 13 March, in Bunia, the Ituri District of Orientale Province.

Meanwhile, the Third Party Verification Mechanism set up for the July 2002 peace agreement between Rwanda and the DRC issued a statement Friday, following a fact-finding mission to Rwanda, Uganda and eastern DRC, undertaken at the instruction of the chairman of the African Union.

The verification body said its main task was to check the allegations and counter-allegations made by Rwanda and Uganda over security in eastern DRC, and to investigate reports of an imminent deployment of troops by the DRC government in response to these threats.

The verification body's preliminary report has been submitted to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and South African President Thabo Mbeki, as third party principals to the Pretoria Peace Accord.

In its statement, the verification body said there was "a lot of aggressive military activity posing a direct threat to the peace process" taking place in areas of DRC including Minembwe, Lulimba, the Virunga National Park, Rutsuru, Bunyakiri, Walikale, Beni/Butembo/Lubero, and Kanyabayonga/Bunyatenge. It called for Uganda to adhere to the withdrawal date for its troops, and for the DRC not to be provoked into deploying its troops in the eastern part of DRC.

Themes: (IRIN) Conflict

[ENDS]

The material contained on this Web site comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post any item on this site, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All graphics and Images on this site may not be re-produced without the express permission of the original owner. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2003