What failed the DRC peace deal?

Kashishi · 2013-11-14T08:31:29+00:00

What failed the DRC peace deal? Journalists wait for the DR Congo and M23 rebels delegations at State House Entebbe on Monday. Photo by Stephen Wandera. By Risdel Kasasira Posted Wednesday, November 13 2013 at 00:00 The last minute failure to sign the much-awaited peace deal between President Joseph Kabilas government and the M23 rebels on Monday reflects a difficulty in the ongoing efforts to bring peace in the eastern part of DR Congo. The Congolese delegation, led by the Foreign Affairs minister, Mr Raymond Tshibanda, showed up six hours late for the meeting and declined to sit in the same room with the M23 delegation. And when President Museveni walked out of the meeting, it was evident that one year of negotiations could go to waste. The failure to sign the deal that is seen by many as a step towards a return to peace in DR Congo disappointed many. The African Union, UN and EU voiced regret and urged the parties to resolve their differences and remain committed to a peaceful settlement of the conflict. What went wrong? Sources say the turnaround by the Kinshasa delegation is as a result of Congolese government seeing M23 as a defeated force and therefore, they see no need to sign an agreement with the losers. But the M23 rebels, who were convinced by President Museveni to withdraw from Goma in November 2012 and resume negotiations, are seeing this as betrayal. Kinshasa, which has for long accused Rwanda and Uganda of supporting M23, re-echoed the same accusations, saying Uganda was behaving as if it was part of the conflict, an accusation the government dismissed. President Kabila and the international community are already pushing for the handover of the M23 military leader, Gen Sultani Makenga, to Kinshasa for trial, which puts President Museveni in a tricky situation. If the agreement is not signed, Mr Museveni will have to choose between handing over Gen Makenga to Kinshasa or keep him in Uganda, which the International community is totally against. However, Kampala has said it will not hand over the rebels. As of now, we have received no (arrest) request and even if we had, we would not have proceeded until the agreement is signed, government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo told AFP. Declaration Vs Agreement Another position pushed by Kinshasa which jeopardised the process is that the Congolese government wants to sign a declaration, to mark the end of the war, not a comprehensive peace agreement with the rebels. Signing an agreement would mean the rebels would be integrated into the Congolese army and also get amnesty, which Kinshasa is strongly against. The leader of the M23 delegation, Mr Rene Abandi, told the Daily Monitor yesterday that they were shocked to see Kinshasa turnaround at the last minute when they had agreed on all contents of the document, including amnesty. We have agreed on everything in the documents, including Amnesty. What I dont understand, is why they changed their mind at the last minute, he said. The Congolese government said on Monday night that it needed time to study the agreement. We have been engaged in this process for several months now... We have encountered some difficulties over issues important to us, and we think that these difficulties can be removed before finalising the process, Mr Tshibanda told AFP news agency. Influence of international community While Kampala and Kigali, who have been accused by the UN of supporting the M23 want the peace deal signed, effectively granting amnesty to rebels, the United States and UN supports Kinshasas stand that the M23 commanders, who allegedly committed atrocities should stand trial. Museveni criticises DR Congo At the Pretoria Summit on DR Congo organised by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and SADC in South Africa, President Museveni criticised the Kinshasa government for pushing a Eurocentric policy and disregarding regional and continental mechanisms to end the war. This was after Kinshasa and the UN mission in Congo - MONUSCO - ignored calls by the ICGRL, chaired by President Museveni and African Union, to stop attacking M23 position in order to give negotiations a chance. This indicated a lack of trust because President Kabila seems to trust and listen to the International Community more than his neighbours, regional and continental mechanisms that started the process to end the war in the eastern part of the country. Clash of egos According to military sources, the beginning of the disagreements between Rwanda and Uganda with the UN was who should have command and control of the Intervention Brigade, which has been bombing M23. President Museveni, who was the brain behind this intervention force, wanted the command and control of the brigade that is composed of Tanzanians, South Africans and Malawians be under African Union but the UN refused. In the end, the UN has been giving orders to the brigade to bomb M23 position despite President Museveni calling for ceasefire and pushing for negotiations. It is not clear when the talks will resume but Defence minister Crispus Kiyonga, who has been chairing the Kampala negotiations, said he was making efforts to meet delegates from both sides to agree on the new date for the signing ceremony. However, pacifying DR Congo will not be an easy task as several militia groups remain active, including Rwandas arch foe, the FDRL. rkasasira@ug.nationmedia.com Source: The Monitor Newspaper

Thread starter Kashishi
Start date Nov 14, 2013

Kashishi

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Nov 14, 2013

East African Eagle

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What failed the DRC peace deal?

Kashishi

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