DR Congo govt. approves amnesty for M23 rebels
Iran Press TV
Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:32PM GMT
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has approved a plan for giving amnesty to some former March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.
Under the plan, ex-rebels who are not found guilty of committing serious crimes will enjoy amnesty, AFP reported, citing the minutes of a cabinet meeting.
The plan, yet to pass through the Congolese parliament, comes in line with the peace documents signed by Kinshasa and the rebels in Nairobi on December 12.
The amnesty proposal covers acts of rebellion and war, and political violations for the period from May 8, 2009 to the date it would approved as law.
Kinshasa has previously granted amnesty to some of the armed groups in the country's volatile east and integrated the militias into the army.
But shortly after the December 12 peace deal, government spokesman Lambert Mende made it clear that there would be 'no blanket amnesty.'
'Those who are presumed to have committed criminal behavior in terms of international law, war crimes or crimes against humanity will not be reinserted into society,' he stressed.
The M23 rebels defected from the Congolese Army in April 2012 in protest over alleged mistreatment in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They had previously been integrated into the Congolese army under a peace deal signed in 2009.
The rebels seized Goma on November 20, 2012 after UN peacekeepers gave up the battle for the frontier city of one million people. M23 fighters withdrew from the city on December 1, 2012 under a ceasefire accord.
On November 5, 2013, the DRC claimed 'total victory' over the M23 after capturing the group's remaining hilltop positions north of Goma with the assistance of a UN-mandated African force.
Hours later, M23 declared an end to its revolt and announced it would disarm and pursue political talks.
Despite the demise of the M23, the DRC continues to host a multitude of rebel groups mostly operating in the country's mineral-rich east.
MRS/AB
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