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New Vision (Kampala)
October 29, 2003
Posted to the web October 29, 2003
Alfred Wasike
Kampala
UGANDA has challenged the United Nations panel probing alleged plunder of the DRC to produce evidence in a controversial report still classified top secret, that Uganda is involved in fuelling instability in the DRC as a cover up for alleged economic pillage.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday will examine the embargoed final report examining illegal exploitation of natural resources in the DRC and also implicating Uganda in arms trafficking to fuel the mayhem.
The panel, established by the UNSC in June 2000, whose term was extended several times and expires on Thursday, is led by Mahmoud Kassem, a former Egyptian ambassador to several African nations.
A riled second deputy premier and foreign affairs minister, James Wapakhabulo, yesterday said, "Uganda is not in the DRC.
Uganda is not involved in the alleged illegal exploitation of our neighbour. We went there for a mission that we accomplished.
Uganda has wealth like gold, timber and others that they (panel) love to dazzle the world about. We have excellent relations with the government in Kinshasa."
UN officials said parts of the report may be kept secret for fear that it would wreck the peace process by its allegations against Uganda, Rwanda and parts of the DRC government cited as heavily involved in the pillaging.
The panel said the war in the DRC was estimated to have caused the deaths of more than three million people, the highest death toll in terms of civilian lives since World War II. It also said the drive to control natural resources was a major motive for the war.
"The panel are just alarmists who want to dramatise the situation in the DRC to get another extension. They merely want to create mass hysteria to extend themselves again," Wapakhabulo said.
