Congo's M23 rebels declare ceasefire but shelling continues
By Kenny Katombe 2 minutes ago
Congolese leaders of the M23 rebels are escorted in Bunagana, in eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo,
By Kenny Katombe
RUNYONI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Congo's M23 rebels
declared a ceasefire on Sunday after a string of defeats by government
forces, but clashes with the Congolese army continued in the steep, forested
hills to where the rebels have withdrawn.
The army has in recent weeks driven rebels from towns they had occupied
across eastern Congo, making mediators optimistic for a deal to end the
conflict, the most serious since a major Congolese war ended a decade ago.
Uganda, which has led attempts to end the rebellion, has called for both
sides to stop fighting. A spokesman for Congo's government called the rebel
statement "a step in the right direction" but said it was waiting to see if
the ceasefire was implemented on the ground.
"We call on the facilitator of the Kampala peace talks to immediately put in
place a mechanism to monitor the ceasefire," the rebels said in statement.
However, a Reuters journalist near the frontline at Runyoni, in North Kivu
province, said the two sides were shelling each other's positions on Sunday
afternoon.
"With this kind of thing there is always a delay between the order being
given and the reality on the ground," said government spokesman Lambert
Mende. "In any case the army will continue to pursue the demobilization and
disarmament of the rebels."
M23 was launched last year by fighters complaining that the terms of a 2009
peace deal ending a previous rebellion in the mineral-rich east had not been
honored.
Last November, the rebels seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu,
overrunning government troops and marching past U.N. peacekeepers.
That prompted an overhaul of the army and a strengthening of the U.N.
mission's force and mandate. Intense pressure was applied to neighboring
Rwanda not to back the rebels, something it denied doing.
SWIFT GAINS BY ARMY
Congo's U.N.-backed army made swift gains after it went on the offensive
when peace talks broke down 10 days ago.
Rebel fighters this week abandoned Bunagana, their last stronghold in the
eastern province, and have withdrawn into the hills and forests around
Congo's border with Uganda and Rwanda where the rebellion was launched last
year.
Heavy fighting has eased as the rebels pulled back but the army said it
shelled rebel positions on Saturday to encourage remaining fighters to
surrender.
Colonel Olivier Hamuli, a spokesman for Congo's army, said late on Saturday
that the army was slowly advancing and had captured three hilltop positions
from the rebels, who were now confined to the hills of Runyoni, Mbuzi and
Tshanzu.
Congo's government has dispatched senior negotiators to talks in Uganda but
the army is keen to finish off the rebellion, the last in a series of
uprisings led by Congolese Tutsis and linked to Rwanda.
In a sign of optimism for an end to violence that has killed millions
through conflict and related disease, Russ Feingold, U.S. special envoy for
the Great Lakes region of Africa, had said a peace deal could be reached as
soon as this weekend.
But writing in South Africa's Sunday Independent newspaper, South African
military and defense analyst Helmoed Romer Heitman cautioned that it might
be "too early to celebrate" an end to the rebellion.
"Remember that M23 essentially pulled out of positions as (government)
forces approached; they were not driven out in combat. Therein may lie a
fatal over-optimism," he wrote.
"The key point is that M23 is a guerrilla force and a core tenet of
guerrilla war is to side-step a stronger enemy."
Even if a deal is done, deep-rooted issues ranging from ethnic rivalries and
conflicts over land and minerals to a weak national government and meddling
by more powerful neighbors must be tackled to break the cycles of violence
in Congo.
_____
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni and Dr. Kiiza Besigye Uganda is in anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni na Dk. Kiiza Besigye Uganda ni katika machafuko"
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