- Title: DRC: MAIN REBEL GROUP AGREES TO SIGN LUSAKA PEACE AGREEMENT.
- Date: 26th August 1999
- Summary: GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (AUGUST 23-24, 1999) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV: GENERAL VIEW OF TOWN 0.05 2. GV: AIRPORT 0.10 3. GV: SOUTH AFRICAN FOREIGN MINISTER NKOSAZANA ZUMA ARRIVING 0.20 4. GV/MV: ZUMA BEING GREATED BY DRC VICE PRESIDENT MOISE NYARUGABO (6 SHOTS) 0.49 5. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) ZUMA: "The position of our governement is to support the national dialogue. "We support democracy in the Congo and want to see Congo come to peace and be a democratic country and to see development in the Congo. That's our position." 1.06 7. MV: PRESIDENT OF THE CONGOLESE RALLY FOR DEMOCRACY, EMILE ILUNGA ARRIVING 1.15 8. SV: JOURNALISTS 1.26 9. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (FRENCH) ILUNGA: "I want to underline the very important part played by South Africa, with the precious help of Rwanda to get us out of this dead end. "This is a good news for the Rally for Democracy, but also for all the Congolese people." 2.03 10. GV: JOURNALISTS LISTENING 2.10 11. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (French) ILUNGA: "It is because of very precise facts that we do not rely and have serious doubts about Wamba dia Wamba. We blame and accuse him for serious matters, especially for high treason." 2.03 12. GV: JOURNALIST 2.11 13. CU: (SOUNDBITE)(FRENCH) ILUNGA: "We know that the UN plans to send 90 military observers to Kinshasa. This is ridiculous, considering the huge problems the RDCongo is facing. "To send 90 military observers to be deployed in Kinshasa once everybody will have signed the ceasefire. "That's what the Secretary general (of the UN) said. This is the UN contribution to the Congolese crisis! 90 observers in Kinshasa to solve the whole Congolese crisis." 2.31 14. GV: SOLDIERS WALKING (2 SHOTS) 2.39 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 10th September 1999 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
- City:
- Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of
- Reuters ID: LVA5RKD69HWSB3OWX0D8NSS8R8SA
- Story Text: The main rebel group in the Democratic republic of the
Congo (DRC) has finally agreed to sign the Lusaka peace
agreement.But there are no real signs of reconcilation
between the rebel factions, and Goma-based rebel leader Emile
Ilunga has already undermined the United Nations' possible
role in the DRC.
After weeks of intensive diplomatic activities, the
main rebel group agreed on Tuesday (August 24) to sign a peace
deal aimed at ending the year- old civil war that has
threatened to destabilise the entire region.
South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Zuma finally
broke the deadock in the peace process in Goma, the
headquarters of the Congolese main rebel movement, the
Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie (RCD).
The breakthrough proposed that all the founding members of
the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) - including leaders of
both the warring factions - be allowed to sign the Lusaka
deal.The largest rebel faction led by Emile Ilunga disliked
the proposal but finally accepted it after talks with Zuma
late on Monday.
Ilunga praised the South African Minister for her efforts:
"I want to underline the very important part played by South
Africa, with the precious backing of Rwanda, to get us out of
this dead end", he told journalists.
Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, who heads the rival RCD faction
backed by Uganda, said he had agreed to the proposal last
weekend, and was also ready to go to Lusaka.
But efforts to end the chaotic war have appeared close to
success several times before - only for one side or another to
raise new objections at the last minute and carry on fighting.
The RCD spilt into two factions earlier this year - one
backed by Uganda, the other by Rwanda - and the power struggle
last week exploded into three days of violence in the
rebel-held city of Kisangani.
At least 200 people were killed as Ugandan and Rwandan
forces battled for control of the city, before the two sides
agreed a truce and pledged to rebuild their military alliance.
Despite a common involvment in the agreement, the two RCD
factions are still far from reconciliation."It is because of
very precise facts that we do not rely on Wamba dia Wamba,"
Ilunga told reporters."And we still accuse him of high
treason", he added.
Under the Lusaka deal, all sides would halt their attacks
and UN peacekeeping forces would be deployed to keep them
apart and disarm several militia armies operating in the
former Zaire.
But the UN involvment in the resolution of the crisis is
already undermined by the Goma based rebel leader Ilunga: "The
UN plans to send 90 military observers to Kinshasa " he said
on Tuesday."This is ridiculous, considering the huge problems
the Congo is facing".
Backed by Uganda and Rwanda, the rebels took up arms
against Congolese President Laurent Kabila last August and
have since seized large swathes of territory in the north and
east of the vast central African nation.
Rwanda and Uganda both say they are committed to the Congo
peace process, and on Tuesday welcomed the breakthrough in
persuading the factions they support to sign the Lusaka deal.
The Congo war has forced hundreds of thousands of people
to flee their homes, and pitted half a dozen African nations
against each other with Uganda and Rwanda on one side and
Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia sending troops to support Kabila.
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