Global Policy Forum

By Edith M. Lederer

The U.N. Security Council demanded an end to all fighting in Congo just as the Congolese government pulled out of crucial talks on the future of the central African nation to protest fresh attacks.

Vital Kamerhe, a Congo government representative at the talks in the South African resort of Sun City, accused Rwanda and the Rwandan-backed Congolese Rally for Democracy rebel movement of launching "serious" attacks Thursday.

The Security Council voiced deep concern Thursday about the reported attacks on the government-held town of Moliro in eastern Congo's Katanga province and called on the parties to settle their differences through negotiations. It wasn't clear whether the government walkout spelled the end to the talks that have brought together representatives of the government, rebel movements, unarmed opposition groups, and various nongovernment groups.

The Security Council called on the participants in the talks "to pursue their work in a spirit of consensus."

The walkout was just the latest snag in internationally brokered efforts to bring peace to the sprawling nation after 3 1/2 years of war that has dragged in combatants from five nearby nations.

Congo's civil war broke out in August 1998 when Rwanda and Uganda backed Congolese rebels seeking to oust then-President Laurent Kabila. Troops from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola backed the government.

The 1999 Lusaka peace accord, which was repeatedly violated, gained momentum after Joseph Kabila became president of Congo in January 2001 when his father was assassinated.

The U.N.-monitored cease-fire has largely held, except in eastern Congo, but the inter-Congolese dialogue meant to plot Congo's path toward reconciliation and democracy has had a rocky start. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also reported difficulties in implementing the next phase in the peace process, which calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces in Congo and the disarmament, demobilization and repatriation of armed groups.

Norway's U.N. Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby, the current council president, said members have decided to send a mission to the region in early May "to give new impetus to the peace process" in Congo and in neighboring Burundi, where rebels are also fighting. The mission will be led by France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-David Levitte who led a similar mission last year.

The Security Council was briefed Thursday morning by Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno, who stressed the need for the international community to push for national reconciliation and reconciliation at the regional level.

He said a framework is needed for security and cooperation in the region "because there will not be a stable peace so long as there is no trust between the key players in the region."

The Security Council reiterated its demand for the demilitarization of Kisangani, the Congo River port which is the country's second largest city. It is now controlled by rebels from the Congolese Rally for Democracy.

Council members called for the full reopening of the Congo River to commercial traffic. Guehenno said U.N. peacekeepers were working actively to reopen the river system that "will send the right message to all Congolese that Congo is one, and that people and goods can move around without hindrance."

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