President Kabila offers relocation to FDLR rebels

By RNA reporter
December 17, 2009

For Rwandan FDLR rebels who do not want to be repatriated,they will be relocated to other provinces far away from the borders of Rwanda, but on one condition, according to the DR Congo President, as the UN announces it is ending support this month.

President Joseph Kabila told provincial leaders in Bukavu – the capital of South Kivu, that the Rwandan rebels reluctant to return to their country will be moved away from North and South Kivu provinces – both of which neighbour Rwanda.

However, those relocated will have to commit to never disturb the social set up of the communities they will find in those places, Kabila said. There have been accusations from Congolese tribal leaders in FDLR occupied areas that the rebels undermine their traditional arrangements.

The local leaders also accuse the rebels of using force to exploit their natural resources, control trade, collect taxes and dominate the local population. After the government launched operations against them, rights campaign groups claim the rebels have reacted with ferocious reprisal killings on civilians – also using brutal rape as one of the weapons.

President Kabila gave the example of Katanga province where he said some FDLR members have lived peacefully in the communities there without disturbing their social establishments.

For the FDLR who will refuse to be demobilised and voluntarily repatriated, and also refuse to move, they will be dismantled by military force because government has the means, according to the President.

Mr. Kabila’s latest concession came after reports suggested he was tired of being put under immense pressure by the UN to do more to restore discipline in his army, stop civilian deaths – or the logistical support he gets is halted.

Hours later, Alan Doss, the UN mission chief in DRC surprisingly announced in New York that the military operations will stop at the end of this month.

Human Rights Watch on Monday alleged the "deliberate killing" of more than 1,400 civilians from January to September of this year, during two Congolese military operations against Rwandan rebels.

A separate report from an independent panel of experts on the DRC deemed the operation a failure because the FDLR has regrouped in several locations in the Kivus and continues to recruit new fighters. The U.N.'s Alan Doss appeared to counter that criticism in his remarks to the Security Council.

"I wish to emphasize, however, that these operations were not expected to completely dismantle the FLDR, which has been entrenched in the Kivus for more than a decade," he said. "The FDLR remains a potent threat and they will seek to return to their former strongholds and punish the population for collaboration with governmental forces if they are allowed to do so," he said.

The UN diplomat welcomed the approval of a new directive from the Congolese army to hold areas recovered from the FDLR and prevent attacks on civilians in vulnerable areas.

Doss said the U.N. mission, known as MONUC, would continue to provide rations and logistical support for about 16,000 of the 50,000 Congolese troops in the Kivus.

Some human rights groups have called for a blanket suspension of U.N. support to the army. But the United Nations says it will only suspend assistance to units suspected of violating human rights.

MONUC's mandate is up for renewal before the end of this month and the Security Council is reviewing the options for the mission. Diplomats say a five-month renewal is likely, to give the United Nations time to prepare a plan for reconfiguring the more than 17,000-strong peacekeeping force into more of a peace-building mission next year.

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