Congo rivals agree ceasefire
Kofi Annan (front far right): Urged peace in Africa
African heads of state supporting both sides in the
conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo have
agreed to an immediate cessation of hostilities.
United Nations officials said the leaders of Congo,
Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Uganda had agreed to sign a
ceasefire before the middle of December if that were
possible.
The breakthrough came after UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan chaired a head-to-head meeting between the
leaders - the first since the rebellion began in Congo last
August.
The Congolese rebels - whom Uganda and Rwanda have
been supporting - did not take part in the Paris talks.
The talks came at the end of the
two-day Franco-African summit which
was dominated by continuing fears
that the fighting which already involves
more than half a dozen countries
could turn into a catastrophic regional
war.
Congo's President Laurent
Kabila had earlier been
involved in verbal clashes
with some leaders during the
50-nation summit.
Zimbabwe's President Robert
Mugabe has provided military
support to President Kabila's
government.
Rwanda's President
Bizimungu and Uganda's
Yoweri Museveni have
backed rebels who seized control of part of eastern
Congo after fighting started in August.
Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore, currently
chairman of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), is
reported to have joined Mr Annan at the round-table
between the leaders.
France's President and summit host Jacques Chirac is
due to meet Mr Kabila later on Saturday.
Rebels in Paris
Earlier, a delegation representing the rebel forces in
Congo arrived in Paris. They were distanced from the
summit as the key sides in the conflict traded insults
during Friday.
Reports say the atmosphere grew so tense and the
language so abusive that the Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak intervened, appealing for calm.
Mr Chirac's spokeswoman Catherine Colonna said he
had urged the Central African states involved in the
conflict to "make a gesture to end the impasse".
Annan appeal
During Friday's meetings, Mr Annan made an
impassioned plea to fellow Africans to end wars, saying
a minority of irresponsible leaders were discrediting the
entire continent.
"Conflict in Africa is caused by human action and it can
be ended by human action," Mr Annan told the summit.
"Too many leaders, still convinced that might is right, are
seeking to resolve differences not by the force of reason
but by the power of the gun."
"In this war, we may well face our greatest challenge.
"In the Congo as everywhere, what is needed is for all
parties irrevocably to choose peace and compromise,
turning their backs on violence and conflicts," he said. |
