IRIN Web Special on Ituri in Eastern DRC

PEACE TALKS: THE CONGOLESE PEACE TALKS

The Lusaka ceasefire agreement called for the establishment of "inter-Congolese political negotiations involving les forces vives [which] shall lead to a new political dispensation and national reconciliation in the DRC. The inter-Congolese political negotiations shall be under the aegis of a neutral facilitator to be agreed upon by the Congolese parties."

More than three years later, the ICD and follow-up talks mediated by the UN and South Africa have produced a peace agreement billed as "all-inclusive". However, the transitional government set up in the 17 December agreement signed in Pretoria will have to deal with ongoing conflicts which are unresolved, the most serious of which is Ituri. The UPC, which holds Bunia and some surrounding towns, was not among the rebel groups which signed the Pretoria agreement. Lubanga's earlier requests for a seat at the table were declined, a diplomat familiar with the process told IRIN. "It will be up to the Congolese to sort out the mess," the diplomat said.

The ICD process (after a false start in Addis Ababa in October 2001) completed a preliminary phase in Sun City, South Africa, in April 2002. Contentious political and power-sharing issues were deferred to a final round of talks, preparations for which began in October under the chairmanship of UN Special Envoy Moustapha Niasse, appointed in June. The accord determines the make-up of the transitional government and preparations for elections.

Ituri, while a "sideshow", the diplomat said, "has the capacity to undermine everything". The Kinshasa newspaper La Temp�te des Tropiques alleged on 18 December that fighting between the rebel Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC) and the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Kisangani-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-K-ML) continued in Ituri until the last minute. Both factions are signatories to the Pretoria agreement. Lubanga remains in control of territory in Ituri and, as such, is a wild card as signatories move to implement the agreement. The diplomatic source admitted the "possibility" that increased fighting in Ituri in the course of 2002 could be linked to jockeying for position in preparation for a new transitional dispensation.

The UN Security Council enlarged the force strength of MONUC to 8,700 on 4 December 2002. Resolution 1445 specifically requests the UN secretary-general to place more MONUC resources in the Ituri region, security permitting. Of over 440 MONUC military observers in the DRC so far, a maximum of eight have ever been posted to Bunia, let alone the outlying areas. These resources are "woefully inadequate", according to a senior NGO official.

MONUC's original mandate (see Web Links) mainly concerns the implementation of the Lusaka ceasefire agreement, but does include powers under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to protect civilians "in the areas of its infantry battalions, and as it deems it within its capabilities". A special report from the UN secretary-general to the UN Security Council on 10 September outlined a twofold approach to Ituri: "promoting accountability from the de facto authorities and launching measures to build confidence between the communities", while "security responsibilities should continue to be discharged by the UPDF, in an impartial manner".

Recent comments from the head of MONUC, also the special representative of the UN secretary-general, Namanga Ngongi, in a press briefing on 11 December, underline MONUC's unwillingness to get sucked into the Ituri conflict.

Asked why new MONUC troops would be deployed to Kindu and Kisangani instead of Ituri, Ngongi said new resources were in support of the DDRRR (Disarmament, Demobilisation, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration) programme. "The Security Council approved the increase of our forces to support the DDRRR programme, which is mainly intended for the foreign armed groups. These groups are not in Ituri, but in South Kivu, in Maniema and in Katanga," he said. Ngongi, the MONUC transcript states, went on to say that in Ituri, "Congolese are fighting among themselves". MONUC nonetheless has an Ituri task force, and is actively trying to reactivate the IPC in consultation with Kampala, most recently in the second week of December.

It is unclear what new actions from MONUC may be expected in Ituri. Several humanitarian sources commended the personal bravery of MONUC observers during intense fighting in Bunia in August 2002. UN observers wielding cameras during the conflict, it is said, were a restraining factor, but at present cannot "protect the civilian population after nightfall", according to one observer. Other roles MONUC could play in Ituri, human rights organisations say, should include investigating human rights abuses to facilitate future prosecutions and accelerate the establishment of Radio Okapi, a radio service jointly managed with the NGO, Fondation Hirondelle, to start broadcasting from Bunia. Also, MONUC indicated in August 2002 it was studying the possibility of training a police force for Bunia as it has in Kisangani.

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