Fellow Citizens: We were quiet well aware that the so called "Pretoria power sharing" deal would not hold.
For starters, there are so many marauding elements within DRC Congo, who have a misplaced ambitions to hold powerful political offices within DRC Congo by any means possible! The notion of negotiated settlement to resolve political problems does not even begin to enter the equation as far as this characters are concerned. While in office, this elements dream of nothing else , other then using their political "positions" to expolit DRC dry and enrich themselves at the expense of the people of Congo. These elements do not give a hood about ordinary congolese citizens. What the Musevenis and the NRM did was to povide such elements with military training and weapons which these marauding congolse elements of is it gureilla groups use to make wars. It is more like the genie is out of the bottle... you cannot re-bottle it!..or can you. Now the UN security council is "shouting" hoping that this Congolese will listen... well good lack to UN Security council.!!... It is a jungle out there!!! Matek n a message dated 12/25/02 1:54:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << Wednesday, 25 December, 2002, 14:20 GMT DR Congo refugee crisis worsens Thousands more civilians face misery Renewed fighting between rebel factions in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes, aid workers say. Up to 70,000 people have fled Beni as rebels of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) advance towards the town, the UK-based charity Medical Emergency Relief International says. A further advance could trigger an even bigger exodus from the town, which is currently home to about 300,000 people, the aid agency warns. The MLC and two rival factions of the rebel Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) are battling for control of mineral-rich Ituri province near the border with Uganda. The rebel groups are reported to be using child soldiers in the province, which is rich in diamonds, gold and timber. On Tuesday the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the latest upsurge in fighting. The Council members voiced their "deep concerns over the serious violations of human rights that took place and the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians". The statement said the fighting violated the letter and spirit of the Pretoria power-sharing deal signed on 17 December by the Kinshasa government, the main rebel groups and DR Congo's political opposition. The statement called on all Congolese parties to immediately cease all hostilities and implement the Pretoria accord "expeditiously". UN mission struggling The African Union also condemned the latest fighting. The MLC controls a swathe of north-east DR Congo It deplored "atrocities against civilians" and the displacement of non-combatants. Despite recent support for an expansion of the UN force in Congo, peacekeepers on the ground are severely overstretched. The conflict has also evolved from one that was originally driven mainly by political objectives to one that is fuelled increasingly by battles for control over scarce resources. Diplomats say this message from the Council was crafted with the intention of reminding the combatants inside Congo that their actions are being followed closely at the UN and they may yet be called to account. Key storiesQ&A: Will peace stick?The long road to peaceRwandan troops leaveShifting rebel alliancesHumanitarian crisisThe cost of war BackgroundColonial connectionTimelineCountry profile TALKING POINTWill peace deal work?See also: >>
