Congo govt, rebel on collision course

GOMA – Congolese President Joseph Kabila is determined to stamp out rebel violence in the east, his spokesman said on Sunday after a renegade general said he would ignore an October 15 deadline to disband his fighters.

Kabila, who has vowed to pacify all of war-scarred Democratic Republic of Congo since he won elections last year, flew to eastern North Kivu province at the weekend to evaluate security there after weeks of often heavy fighting. The clashes between fighters loyal to insurgent General Laurent Nkunda and government troops have sent thousands of civilians fleeing from their homes, worsening an already grave humanitarian emergency in the eastern border province.Nkunda, who has led a rebellion by Congolese Tutsi soldiers in ethnically mixed North Kivu since 2004, told Reuters and the BBC he would ignore an October 15 deadline set by the government for him to reintegrate his forces into the national army.The rebel general, who has previously said he was ready to send his men to rejoin the army, said more talks were needed with the government on the terms of a peace deal.But Kabila’s spokesman, Kudura Kasongo, told Reuters the government ‘is not going along with this negotiations story any more’ and that Nkunda would face the consequences of his refusal to respect yesterday’s deadline.”The head of state, with his government, has decided to end this situation of insecurity,” Kasongo said.He did not spell out what action the government intended to take if Nkunda failed to disband his soldiers.But Kabila has already said they will be forcibly disarmed and most foreign diplomatic and military observers are expecting a big offensive by the government against Nkunda.Kasongo said that while the rest of the vast, mineral-rich former Belgian colony in the heart of central Africa was at peace, violence as a result of Nkunda’s activities persisted in the Masisi and Rutshuru districts of North Kivu province.The 17 000-strong United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Congo (MONUC) appealed to all sides to avoid endangering the civilian population and to respect human rights in North Kivu.Nampa-ReutersThe clashes between fighters loyal to insurgent General Laurent Nkunda and government troops have sent thousands of civilians fleeing from their homes, worsening an already grave humanitarian emergency in the eastern border province.Nkunda, who has led a rebellion by Congolese Tutsi soldiers in ethnically mixed North Kivu since 2004, told Reuters and the BBC he would ignore an October 15 deadline set by the government for him to reintegrate his forces into the national army.The rebel general, who has previously said he was ready to send his men to rejoin the army, said more talks were needed with the government on the terms of a peace deal.But Kabila’s spokesman, Kudura Kasongo, told Reuters the government ‘is not going along with this negotiations story any more’ and that Nkunda would face the consequences of his refusal to respect yesterday’s deadline.”The head of state, with his government, has decided to end this situation of insecurity,” Kasongo said.He did not spell out what action the government intended to take if Nkunda failed to disband his soldiers.But Kabila has already said they will be forcibly disarmed and most foreign diplomatic and military observers are expecting a big offensive by the government against Nkunda.Kasongo said that while the rest of the vast, mineral-rich former Belgian colony in the heart of central Africa was at peace, violence as a result of Nkunda’s activities persisted in the Masisi and Rutshuru districts of North Kivu province.The 17 000-strong United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Congo (MONUC) appealed to all sides to avoid endangering the civilian population and to respect human rights in North Kivu.Nampa-Reuters