IRIN Web Special on Ituri in Eastern DRC

PULL-OUT: THE LUANDA AGREEMENT

In September, the DRC and Uganda entered into a wide-ranging agreement under the auspices of the Angolan government [L'accord DE Luanda]. Among various undertakings, Uganda was to withdraw its troops completely from the DRC by the end of the year, except for some border patrols. The volatile situation in Ituri was recognised as needing special attention before Uganda pulled out. The establishment of the IPC was expected to pave the way for the Ugandan pull-out. An annex to the accord stipulated that the Kinshasa government was expected to take control of Ituri, at least in part, before 50 days had elapsed from the signing of the agreement on 6 September. Uganda's pull-out was expected after 100 days. All these deadlines have been missed. MONUC and the governments of the DRC and Uganda had put together a six-person preparatory team for the IPC, but had been confronted in early October by objections from Lubanga.

A regional analyst suggests that the withdrawal of Ugandan forces could lead to a power vacuum which would result in an upsurge in conflict, with militia and rebel factions (some of whom may not be included in the Pretoria agreement) scrambling for territory in the hope of securing concessions at future negotiations. Furthermore, it is feared that extremists may embark on a programme of "large-scale" ethnic cleansing in Ituri, according to Human Rights Watch.

Uganda has been condemned by human rights organisations and UN human rights reports for fuelling the conflict in Ituri by arming and training almost all the militia and rebel factions. The pursuit of financial gain on the part of senior commanders has been the subject of detailed reports from two UN investigative panels (see Web Links). Nonetheless the UN Security Council on 31 October 2002 asked Uganda, "as long as it maintains forces on the spot, to watch out for the security of the civilian population in and around Bunia". Even Kinshasa is urging Uganda to avoid a premature departure (see Perspectives - Ituri: Views from Kinshasa). Meanwhile, the UPDF has a real rebellion on its hands at home, pursuing rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

Doubts are raised by some observers of the sincerity of the Uganda's professed desire to pull out. The UN panel on the exploitation of resources in the DRC (see Web Links) reported in October 2002 [Final report] that elite networks manipulating the war economy had adapted new strategies to continue their activities after the official pull-out of foreign troops. The report claims that "high-ranking UPDF officers have taken steps to train local militia to serve as a paramilitary force, directly and discreetly under UPDF command, which will be capable of performing the same functions of the UPDF".

In an interview with IRIN (see under Perspectives), a Uganda foreign affairs official, Busho Ndinyenka, emphatically denied these claims: "There is no way the Uganda government would be pulling out its forces and doing everything it can to restore peace in Congo, [and] then it allows its officers to fuel the crisis. The UPDF would not fuel such a crisis in Ituri, because it is not a rich part of Congo," he said.

THE ITURI PACIFICATION COMMITTEE

The IPC, proposed in the DRC-Uganda Luanda agreement [L'accord DE Luanda], provides for representatives of parties, political, military economic and social forces and local communities to get together to make peace in the region, with support from MONUC. Three months later, its structure, composition, programme of work and leadership are still unresolved. Kinshasa blames Lubanga for demanding as a precondition to cooperating with the IPC that Ituri be treated as a province (not a district of the larger Orientale Province), which is unacceptable to them (see Perspectives - Ituri: Views from Kinshasa).

Ndinyenko (see Perspectives - IRIN Interview with Busho Ndinyenka), agrees that Lubanga has delayed the launching of the IPC, saying Lubanga felt that Uganda and DRC had "sold him [out]". It is widely accepted that the IPC must proceed in some form for any progress to be made in resolving the conflict in Ituri. A hint of what might be Uganda's view of the way forward was given by a UPDF source, who told IRIN that Uganda had proposed a local assembly. "If it [the assembly] is not elected, then it must have broad representatives - local chiefs, notables, religious leaders, the different rebel leaders etc," he said. Previous peace talks and agreements between community leaders held in Bunia, Kampala and Kinshasa have "helped defuse tensions. However, the lack of follow-up or the non-implementation of agreed measures has impeded the furtherance of reconciliation efforts", according to a September report by the UN secretary-general.

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