Rwanda, DRC to spare Nkunda from hangman

Apparently, other leaders in the Great Lakes have started drumming support for Rwanda’s position to lift the indictment against Gen. Nkunda, a Congolese ethnic Tutsi who fought alongside the Rwandan Patriotic Front during the Rwandan civil war that ended after the genocide in 1994. He later joined the Congolese army that overthrew Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997.

“Uganda wants a sustainable solution for both Nkunda and the DRC. We hope whatever is the outcome from those talks addresses the objective of all parties,” said Isaac Musumba, Uganda’s minister for Regional Cooperation, adding that the negotiations would produce better results with former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria) and Thabo Mbeki (South Africa) involved.

Stephen Singo, a programme officer in charge of peace and security at the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region said they would endorse a consensual position reached between Rwanda and DRC in disregard of the pressure from the international community.

He said: “Rwanda and DRC said they would handle this (Nkunda issue) at bilateral level. We are waiting to hear from them. We want a peaceful and sustainable solution that will bring stability to the region. Our objective is to promote co-operation between Rwanda, DRC and their neighbours.

Gen. Nkunda’s CNDP demands that there should be an inclusive Congolese National Army without any ethnic discrimination; integrate senior CNDP cadres within the Congolese administration; complete disarmament of the FDLR-RUD/Interahamwe — (militia group accused of masterminding the 1994 Rwanda genocide) and enforce the right of Congolese Tutsis to live and move anywhere in the DRC.