U.N. official: Uganda shelters Congo's rebels
KINSHASA, Congo (Reuters) -- A U.N. official in Congo accused neighboring Uganda on Thursday of violating the "letter and spirit" of a U.N. Security Council resolution by sheltering Congolese rebels wanted for crimes against humanity.
Uganda denied reports the Congolese guerrillas were using its territory to launch a new rebel movement aimed at seizing power and insisted the gunmen only wanted Kampala's help to join Congo's transitional government.
But a document obtained by the United Nations and seen by Reuters announces the formation of a new rebel "political military" force, which is known as the Congolese Revolutionary Movement and combines fighters from Congo's North Kivu province and lawless Ituri district.
"We are being told [by Ugandan authorities] that these people are coming on personal business, but the fact remains that to accept their presence on the territory and not hand them over to justice is contrary to the letter and spirit of the U.N. resolutions," said U.N. spokesman Kemal Saiki in Kinshasa.
Under Security Council resolutions passed during the last two years, Uganda is obliged to stop its territory being used by groups fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, prevent Uganda from being used as a route for trafficking arms into the country and hand over its suspected war criminals.
"They [the rebels] are known armed groups that have a proven track record of murder, pillage and the killing of U.N. peacekeepers, which is a crime against humanity," Saiki said.
The declaration bore a legend saying it was signed in Kampala on June 15 and the signatures of 15 rebel commanders, including members of Ituri's Hema and Lendu ethnic militias.
In it, the Congolese Revolutionary Movement says it has 20,000 trained soldiers and draws its men from several armed groups in mineral-rich eastern Congo.
Ugandan army official denies reports
Uganda was one of six neighboring countries that sent their armies into Congo during a five-year war that killed nearly 4 million people, mostly from hunger and disease.
The last of the foreign armies officially left in 2002 and thousands of fighters have disarmed, but two years after Congo's war was declared over, fighting continues in much of the east.
A spokesman for the Ugandan army rejected reports that Uganda was protecting Congolese rebels and said Kampala had merely helped the men communicate their position to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and U.S. officials in the region.
"It is not accurate that this is a new rebel group, and certainly, if these fellows had those intentions or plans we would not entertain them at all," said Lt. Col. Shaban Bantariza in Kampala.
"Those are Congolese fellows who are here, who have wanted to join parliament, but they think the army is harassing them, that [the U.N. peacekeeping force] MONUC is attacking them, and that the transitional government has not been treating them fairly," he added.
Last month, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni slammed Congo's government and U.N peacekeepers for "preserving" Ugandan rebels who were planning cross-border raids.
However, Bantariza said Kampala was "100 percent supportive" of Kinshasa and the two governments communicated regularly, particularly as Uganda needed help in tackling Ugandan rebels based in eastern Congo.
The problem with telling lies, is that there comes a time( soon or later) when the people to whom you have been telling lies will pretty much dismiss you !!!On the other hands Museveni's opponents can allways captitalize on Museveni and NRM propensity to tell lies!!!!
Matek
Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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