HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK
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NEWS ON CONGO 042: 2/2 Negotiations and war
[Posted: 15.04.02]
[Continued from "NEWS ON CONGO 041"]
C. AFP: *"Hundreds of dead" in South Kivu, according to
a Congolese Tutsi party*
KIGALI, 14 April 2002 (AFP)
Hundreds of people have been killed in the province of South
Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), since
the beginning of the military operations by the Rwandan army
against a leader of Congolese Tutsi, according to a communique
from an organization representing this community which was
transmitted on Sunday to the AFP at Kigali.
The movement of the Forces R�publicaines F�d�ralistes (FRF),
which represents the interests of the local community of the
Banyamulenge, states that "between 4,000 and 6,000 military
of the Rwandan army (...) have encircled" the High Plateaus
in the province of South Kivu (east) in order to attack the
commandant Patrick Masunzu.
This former officer of the rebellion [" " - RM] of the Ras-
semblement congolais pour la d�mocratie (RCD) since almost
two months back is opposing militarily this rebel movement,
which controls all of eastern DRC with the help of Rwanda,
and which today considers him "a deserter".
The Rwandan Patriotic Army (ARP) has taken direct part in the
combats at the end of March, sending several thousands of men
into the Banyamulenge areas of the High Plateaus, vast stret-
ches of pasture land at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres.
"Hundreds of deaths have occurred at Minembwe and in its sur-
roundings. Terrorized and humiliated, the Banyamulenge popu-
lations also are victims of the pillaging and the arbitrary
arrests by the occupation troops", the communique of the FRF
charges.
"In its military campaign against the occupation, the comman-
dant Masunzu is holding his positions well. He enjoys the to-
tal support of his whole community and of thousands of resis-
tance fighters of the Mai-Mai (militias of native tribes,
traditionally, however, hostile to the Congolese Tutsi - AFP)
who have joined him", according to the FRF, whose leadership
lives in exile in Europe.
The FRF has "always held that the return of peace to the Congo
cannot take place by means of the inter-Congolese dialogue
which is being held at Sun City (South Africa)", underlines
the communique. They are calling on "other Congolese patriots,
in particular those in the occupied territories, to unite with
them to concertedly combat the occupation", the text ends.
Another Banyamulenge organization, Shikama, has stated in a
communique that "these confrontations have already caused the
deaths of nearly 500 people, among whom in particular women,
old people and children have been targeted in helicopter bom-
bardments, and more than 200 deaths on the side of the Rwandan
army".
There at the moment is no summing-up on these combats by an
independent and reliable source.
Shikama also accuses the Kigali government of lying in order
to justify its military intervention in this region "so as to
pursue armed groups and militias guilty of genocide". No trace
of such a presence is reported in this area, under the control
of the Commandant Masunzu since 1999, underlines Shikama.
This justification "is only one of the pretexts for pillaging
all the better the mineral and forest resources of the DRC,
installing a rear base at these plateaus of Minembwe and
creating a countryside colony there", charges Shikama.
Shikama demands the demilitarisation of the Kivu and its
being brought under the mandate of the Mission of Observation
of the United Nations in the Congo (MONUC). It also calls for
"the creation of an international and independent commission
of inquiry (...) for investigating the violations of human
rights and the war crimes committed by the APR and its Congo-
lese ally the RCD", its communique ends.
D. SOME MORE INFORMATION, AND AN
ATTEMPT AT ANALYSIS
The so-called inter-Congolese Dialogue is taking place under
the auspices of the Lusaka agreement of 1999, which imposed
harsh conditions on the DR Congo:
In that country, the one subjected to the aggression, with
one-half of it under foreign occupation, a dialogue was to be
held between the government, on the one hand, and various mup-
pet forces of the aggressors', on the other, for a so-called
peaceful settlement of the conflict and a so-called democratic
development. Nothing similar was envisaged for those states
which were perpetrating the aggression, instigated by the im-
perialists, and which were and are the ones really ruled un-
democratically.
The Lusaka agreement did contain the provision too that the
foreign troops in the DR Congo were to withdraw - something
which has not taken place. Under the circumstances at hand,
it probably was correct for the government of the DR Congo
to accept this agreement, I've argued in earlier items of
the present series.
But of course this was an *unequal* treaty, quite similar to
those which were imposed on then militarily weak China by
several "Western" powers in the 19th century, as has been
pointed out by many writers to the Congo discussion lists,
who have justly argued the need for re-negotiation of it. The
Lusaka agreement in a certain way *rewards the aggression*.
Even so, the government of the DR Congo has accepted engaging
in the present dialogue, a negotiation process with five par-
ticipating parties: The government, the armed "rebel" move-
ments the "MLC" and the "RCD", the "unarmed opposition" (i.a.
the "UDPS" led by E. Tshisekedi) and the "civil society" (a
number of persons not affiliated to any of the beforemen-
tioned). The government stood firm on its demand that the
country's lawful president, Joseph Kabila, who represents the
resistance against the aggression, be the president of any
governing body of transition.
Last Friday, 12.04, a demonstration took place in Kinshasa
in support of President Kabila and in favour of a just peace
process. That was the day that the talks at Sun City were
originally scheduled to end - they at the same time were ex-
tended to 18.04. According to the French news agency AFP,
hundreds of thousands of people took part in that Kinshasa
demonstration. The "unarmed opposition party" the "UDPS",
long infamous for its support of the interests of the impe-
rialists, said that "only 4,000" participated.
It has not been possible for me, writing in far-away Sweden,
to ascertain precisely what is the truth on this, but since
today, 15.04, the "UDPS" has also come out with an obviously
frightened "argument against" such manifestations by the
people, saying that they "extend the troubles"(!), it probably
was the AFP that was telling the truth, of a very massive sup-
port indeed of President Kabila, and rejection of the imperia-
lists' machinations, by the people in the capital, whose li-
ving conditions have deteriorated enormously because of the
ongoing dirty war of aggression.
At Sun City, South African president Mbeki first put forward
one proposal for a power-sharing rule of transition, before
envisaged elections, on 10.04. According to this, Joseph
Kabila would remain as president, and certain other positions
would go to the other participating parties. This proposal
appeared to be acceptable to the government and to the "MLC";
the "RCD" alone rejected it, and thus was placed in a very
isolated position.
But on the next day, 11.04, Mbeki advanced another proposal,
saying that "this was only a summary of" his first one, though
it now let the "RCD" and its direct backer, Rwanda, and the
more "hidden" behind-the-scene manipulator behind this aggres-
sor state again, US imperialism, off the hook. It contained
new provisions which would give "RCD" and "MLC" vice-presi-
dents direct control of military respectively financial af-
fairs, while transforming the post of president into that of
a mere figurehead. It would make for, as several writers have
pointed out, an *ungovernable* DR Congo, one in which *the
war would continue*, within its very ruling body.
The effect was to block the negoitiations once more, in such
a way as suited the "RCD" - whose very intent, the newspaper
l'Avenir analysed in its article reproduced above, precisely
is to block them.
The situation in these negotiations now are, that the respec-
tive delegations will return with various proposed modifica-
tions to Mbeki's plan 2.
In the (earlier) "unarmed" "opposition party" the "UDPS" led
by Tshisekedi, who to his chagrin was not proposed for any
leading post in either of Mbeki's proposals, 46 members sug-
gested that this party "create an armed branch"(!), for open
support of the aggressors, then. One of those persons trai-
torously but ridiculously boasted that "there were certain
blocks in Kinshasa were Kabila dared not venture" - he clearly
got a solid reply to this by the people in that city on 12.04.
After a warning by the government, on 13.04, against such a
plan of open treason, the leadership of the "UDPS" has recent-
ly said in a public message that "this was not their inten-
tion", after all. Some weeks ago, Tshisekedi on his part
stated, in well-known foreign-power stooge style, that "the
people of the DR Congo was not yet ready for democracy"(!).
Obviously, these "unarmed opposition" clowns have now exposed
their true character to everybody, and have made themselves
impossible as a political force.
*Can* the negotiations now lead to a result acceptable to,
and favouring, the Congolese people?
Perhaps. This at least seems not to be completely out of the
question, since obviously, the political pressure on the ag-
gressors and their muppets, both nationally and internatio-
nally, is quite considerable.
But it's by no means certain. It may be that some "negotia-
tion participants" *are* intent at blocking any half-way
acceptable solution at all costs.
Under all circumstances the fact remains that in all such
conflicts, as experience all over the world has shown, it's
impossible to gain at the table of negotiations such advances
as has not been basically gained at the battlefield. As poin-
ted out, in the quotes above, by l'Avenir in Kinshasa and the
FRF in occupied eastern DR Congo, the Congolese people, in
their present very difficult situation too, need to be pre-
pared for further armed combat. Their friends in other coun-
tries must support both their political and also their armed
struggle. This is a fight for freedom, not only for the people
in Africa.
_______________________________________________________________
"NEWS ON CONGO" postings bring statements by the Congo National
Association in Sweden and the DR Congo Committee in Sweden and
also reproduce information and analysis from other sources.
Postings are sent to:
- some 30 Usenet newsgroups, on politics and/or on Africa
- some 5 international discussion mailing lists
- some 400 private, media or governmental e-mail addresses
[This endnote is being updated continually, in order to show
readers where at the time they can best get information. Last
update of this note: 15.04.2002.]
Some websites with information in English and/or in French on
the DR Congo:
Official site of the DR Congo:
http://www.rd-congo.com/
Site of the DR Congo's Permanent Mission at the UN:
http://www.un.int/drcongo/
(With much information, i.a. continually updated news in
French and English; NB new address this year)
Kinshasa newspaper l'Avenir:
http://www.groupelavenir.com
The Mai-Mai movement, fighting the aggressors in the east:
http://www.congo-mai-mai.net
Great Lakes Press: http://pages.infinit.net/glp/index.htm
Congo 2000: www.congo2000.com
Digitalcongo.net: http://www.digitalcongo.net
Two Belgium-based sites support the struggle of the DR Congo:
www.lai-aib.org/index_fr.htm and www.ptb.be/Solidaire.htm
Two other Belgium-based sites: ATMA: www.atma.net and Congon-
line: www.congonline.com (the last only for subscribers).
An English-language website managed by Richard Alcorn, USA,
with i.a. much material from August 1998 on from us supporters
of the DR Congo in Sweden: www.crocker.com/~acacia/congo.html
(This site has no more recent material; last updated Nov 1998)
AllAfrica.com: http://allafrica.com/congo_kinshasa/
(Replaces an earlier site, Africanews)
Marekinc: http://www.marekinc.com
(Managed by Ed Marek, formerly of the US Air Force. Often ap-
parently well-informed and, of late, containing considerable
criticism of the official US position on the aggression. Its
informations should be treated with great caution anyway, ex-
perience shows.)
"Rebel" aggressor puppets, a site based in South Africa:
www.congo.co.za
Three discussions sites of interest:
www.egroups.com/list/congokin_opinions
(Belgium-based. E-group discussions are in French and English.
For participation, contact <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or <congokin_
[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.)
www.egroups.com/list/cdf
(Congo Defence Fund)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CONGOTRIBUNE/
(Founded 09.11.2001)
Some contact addresses:
Congo National Association
Box 5343 SE - 102 45
Stockholm
Sweden
Tel: +46 - 8 - 471 96 26 (chairman)
+46 - 8 - 84 57 18 (facility)
Fax: +46 - 8 - 751 26 06
DR Congo Committee (Chairman: Bony Ndjov-a-Shamalo)
c/o Rolf Martens
Nobelvaegen 38U4
SE - 214 33 Malmoe
Sweden
Tel: +46 - 40 - 12 48 32
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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