Rebel general commits to Congo peace
Peace talks in Democratic Republic of Congo boosted by rebel general Laurent Nkunda committing to ceasefire
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Sunday, 16, Nov 2008 09:07
Peace talks in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been boosted by the leading rebel general committing to an existing ceasefire.
Laurent Nkunda told the United Nations envoy that he would respect the truce and ensure aid corridors could be set up in eastern DR Congo.
Fighting broke out in September between General Nkunda's National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) and the Congolese army, which later fled.
This in turn led to an estimated quarter of a million people abandoning Goma – the provincial capital of North Kivu, which borders Rwanda – and the surrounding areas.
On Sunday Gen Nkunda, wearing a grey suit instead of his usual army uniform, met UN diplomat Olusegun Obasanjo at the rebel-controlled town of Jomba.
"Today is a great day for us because we were losing many men and now we have a message of peace. We should work with this mission," the Tutsi general was quoted as saying.
"We agreed to open humanitarian corridors to support the process."
Gen Nkunda says he is fighting to protect the Tutsi community from hardline Rwandan Hutu militias that fled to DR Congo, home to the world's largest UN peacekeeping contingent, after instigating the 1994 genocide.
He as also accused Congolese president Joseph Kabila of supporting the militias. The president has so far refused to hold talks with Gen Nkunda.
Mr Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, said he was pleased with the outcome of today's meeting but that many future challenges remained.
"I know now what he wants. I know that a ceasefire is like dancing tango, it cannot be done by one only."