CONGO-DEM.REPUBLIC 3/6/2004 9:13 ëALL?OF BUKAVU: RECAPITULATION AND A FEW QUESTIONS/PART1 Politics/Economy, Standard ëukavu is under the control of Rwandan occupants. It's an aggression against our country by Rwandans who control the town of Bukavu," Joseph Kabila, President of the democratic Republic of Congo, said on state television last night. "We have decided to mobilize our resources and men and finances to defend ourselves. The army is mobilizing with the objective of retaking control of Bukavu to install our authority," he continued, confirming the news of the ëall?of Bukavu, the principal city in the southeastern province of South Kivu, which had been in circulation all day. Is this the symptom of a crisis that could deal a worrying blow to the peace accords of late 2002 ?and possibly also spread across the Congolese border to other countries in the Great Lakes region ?or of large-scale military insubordination, with ethnic overtones, which is destined to blow over within a reasonable length of time? Kabilaë statement seems to broaden the possible horizons of the situation, which began a week ago with three days of clashes between renegade soldiers and government forces which, according to United Nations and Red Cross sources, left at least 65 people dead and several dozen people injured. However, for now the question - which first and foremost concerns the lives of half a million people living in this key city in a mountainous and impervious region of eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda ?seems to be without a certain and definitive answer. It is hoped that the idea of a rapid solution to the conflict is the right one. The UN spokesman in Bukavu has told the international press that he is not in a position to confirm the presence of Rwandans in Bukavu. On the other hand, it is known that the renegade soldiers come from the ranks of RCD-Goma (Congolese Rally for Democracy), the former rebel faction backed by Rwanda during the five-year war. The question of the ethnic Banyamulenge (Tustis originally from Rwanda) population in Bukavu does not help to clarify the situation either: the insurgents have said that they are the main reason for the recent clashes. ë am here to save the Banyamulenge,?one of the renegade soldiers, General Laurent Nkunda, allegedly said yeasterday. He is in Bukavu with 1,000 troops in support of the followers of the first insurgent, the former Colonel Jules Mutebusi, who was ousted in an earlier act of rebellion. Nkunda and Mutebusi do not see themselves as rebels, officially saying that they respect Kabilaë authority; however, they are calling for the appointment of a new military commander for South Kivu for the protection of the very Banyamulenge. (Continues)[LC]
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