U.S. Wants Uganda To Quit Congo
October 9, 1998
Kampala - The US wants Ugandan troops to pull out of Congo to pave way for a negotiated resolution of the conflict there, officials have said.
The New Vision learnt from a senior embassy official yesterday that high level negotiations have started to convince countries which have troops in Congo to pull out.
"The conflict should be resolved through dialogue. Uganda is key to this process because of security concerns. But we want her to pull out her troops so that other countries can as well leave the country," the official said.
Western governments have not yet taken an official position on the alleged involvement of Uganda in the war. But several African countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Nigeria, have intimated to Uganda and Rwanda to pull their troops out.
Uganda and Rwanda allegedly support rebels fighting Laurent Kabila. President Yoweri Museveni has said the UPDF control territory in Congo to ensure Uganda's security. He said this was agreed on by the two governments.
Senior Ugandan officials have also said the UPDF will stay in Congo until the security situation is satisfactory.
Copyright © 1998 New Vision.
Congo parties forward peace plan to UN
October 8, 1998
By Dustin Chick
Johannesburg - Opposition parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have forwarded a peace plan proposal to United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan, Union for Democracy and Social Progress announced in Midrand yesterday.
The party is part of the broader political alliance referred to as the "democratic opposition forces".
Union for Democracy and Social Progress spokesman Mutombo Kabundji said the plan was forwarded to the UN as part of a "quest for peace" and follows a recent call by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi for a meeting with Congo president Laurent Kabila. Kabundji said the proposed plan rested on the principle that there should be "no defensible reason to send to their deaths our most valuable resources, our youths".
There was no reason, too, to "squander" the country's "meagre financial resources" on armed conflict, he said.
Kabundji said the opposition had thrown its weight behind efforts to mobilise the international community in support of a negotiated solution.
He said the proposed peace plan would operate at a national, regional and international level.
The national level would include a process of national reconciliation, while regionally, there would be a process of national reassessment and self-determination, including regional dialogue and consultation.
The international stage would involve a process whereby the country would regain its place on the continent through the responsible management of national assets as well as international aid and investment.
Meanwhile, the Congo government announced yesterday that it had launched an offensive against the rebel-held town of Kalima. The government said the Tutsi-led rebels were using Kalima as a base for their attack on the army's eastern headquarters of Kindu. |
