U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network for Central and Eastern Africa

Tel: +254 2 622147
Fax: +254 2 622129
e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org


CENTRAL AND EASTERN AFRICA
IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 82
14 -20 July 2001


CONTENTS:

RWANDA: Interahamwe chief-of-staff captured
RWANDA: Captured commander wants rebels in talks
RWANDA: Government expresses lack of confidence in Kabila
RWANDA: Italy refuses to hand over genocide suspect
RWANDA: ICTR sacks three defence investigators
BURUNDI: Minister explains transition agreement
BURUNDI: Security Council hails agreement on transition
BURUNDI: Opposition Tutsi parties to boycott summit
BURUNDI: Call for work stoppage fails
DRC: Border with CAR closed
DRC: Ceasefire holding but situation "fragile" 
DRC: RCD denies attacking health workers
CAR: UN Security Council concerned at "precarious situation"
CAR: Security Council condemns murder of UN official
ROC: Apparent assassination attempt on defence minister


RWANDA: Interahamwe chief-of-staff captured 

The Interahamwe militia's chief-of-staff, Pierre Claver Habimana, a member
of the former Rwandan army, has been captured by the Rwandan security
forces, the Rwanda News Agency (RNA) reported on Monday. It quoted
security sources as saying Habimana, known by his nom de guerre Colonel
Bemera, was captured in the northern Ruhengeri Prefecture on 15 July
together with three of his bodyguards. "I entered Rwanda at the beginning
of this month, I had come to see what happened to my force," Habimana told
reporters after his capture, according to RNA. Habimana is said to have
led one of two militia forces based in neighbouring DRC, and the Rwandan
army says his force has now been crushed. It says it is now ready to
attack the second force. The rebels' army is known as Armee de liberation
du Rwanda (ALIR).

The BBC quoted the Rwandan army deputy chief-of-staff, Brigadier General
James Kabarebe, as saying the security forces were tipped off by a
civilian who gave Bemera shelter in his house and then sent a child to
tell the soldiers he was there. Army spokesman Colonel Jean-Bosco Kazura
told IRIN that the capture was a "great success" for the Rwandan Patriotic
Army (RPA), and a "very heavy blow" for the rebels. He said the RPA had
known of Bemera's whereabouts and knew that "sooner or later he would be
captured". Capturing the rebellion's chief of staff was very significant,
he said, noting that the overall commander of ALIR was still hiding in
Congo. "One day he may be captured unless he decides to turn himself in,"
Kazura added.

RWANDA: Captured commander wants rebels in talks

Pierre Claver Habimana said on Wednesday that peace could not be restored
in the DRC until Rwandan Hutu rebels and their allies were included in the
Congolese peace talks, the Associated Press (AP) quoted him as telling
journalists in Ruhengeri. "To search for peace without our involvement is
more like kids playing and having fun. "The war [against the Rwandan
government] is not hopeless. Political changes seen today in the country
have occurred because of our presence... They wouldn't have happened if we
were not challenging the government militarily," he said in reference to
political reforms introduced in the country since the end of 1994
genocide. The rebels have been infiltrating Rwanda since May. "It was a
matter of survival, because the Rwandan army was also making life
impossible for us in Congo," Habimana added.

RWANDA: Government expresses lack of confidence in Kabila

The Rwandan government on Wednesday said that it would not trust DRC
President Joseph Kabila until he promised to stop backing the insurgents.  
"No confidence was built in Lusaka between the two presidents," Reuters
quoted Kagame's spokesman, Emmanuel Ndahiro, as saying in reaction to a
recent meeting between Kagame and Kabila on the fringes of the OAU summit
in Lusaka. The Lusaka encounter between the presidents was, according to
Ndahiro, the third meeting following previous ones in February and March.  
"If Joseph Kabila stops supporting the Interahamwe militia, and helps in
disarming them, then he can be trusted," he said. He welcomed the UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan's facilitation of the meeting, but added that
there was "no tangible result from it".

The two presidents had discussed disarmament and the proposed
demilitarisation of Kisangani town, northeastern DRC. Ndahiro said Kagame
continued to oppose Kisangani's demilitarisation, because the withdrawal
of the rebels of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma)  
would serve to hand the town to Kabila. Disarmament was intended to make
the town a neutral place that could serve as a base for the UN mission in
the DRC (MONUC) and for negotiations on a final political settlement,
Reuters said. Kabila has previously said that only his government can
assure security after the withdrawal of foreign forces from Congo.

RWANDA: Italy refuses to hand over genocide suspect

Italy has refused to hand over a Roman Catholic priest to the
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), wanted on genocide
charges, Britain's 'Sunday Times' newspaper reported. Italian judicial
authorities claim that an ad hoc decree is required for them to cooperate
with the Tribunal. Carla Del Ponte, the tribunal's chief prosecutor, says
that, as a UN member state, Italy is in breach of its international
obligations. "It's a scandal. Belgrade has handed over [former Serbian
President Slobodan] Milosevic, but Rome won't grant me this arrest," the
newspaper quoted her as saying. Del Ponte did not identify her target in
Italy, who was the subject of a secret indictment, it added.

RWANDA: ICTR sacks three defence investigators

The ICTR has terminated the contracts of four defence investigators
suspected of involvement in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. In a press
release issued on Monday, the ICTR registrar, Adama Dieng, said the
measures had been taken in line with an earlier statement in June aimed at
"preventing abuses of the legal aid system and protecting the integrity of
the Tribunal's judicial process". The investigators whose contracts were
terminated are Augustin Basebya, who was working for the team of former
Rwandan mayor Juvénal Kajelijeli; Augustin Karera, who was working on the
case of former minister Jean de Dieu Kamuhanda; and Aloys Ngandahimana, an
investigator for former Radio-Television libre des mille collines Director
Ferdinand Nahimana. A fourth investigator, Thadée Kwitonda, who was on the
team of former Interahamwe militia leader Arsène Shalom Ntahobali, has had
his current contract suspended. All are genocide suspects.

"It is of the utmost importance to stress that, in making these decisions,
the Registry of the International Tribunal makes no presumption of the
guilt of these individuals for the crimes for which they are suspected or
accused," Deng said. "Thus the Tribunal stands ready to reconsider them
for clearance for employment by any defence counsel in the Tribunal should
they be cleared of the charges and suspicions against them in the Rwandan
judicial system or in the International Tribunal."

BURUNDI: Minister explains transition agreement

Burundi's Peace Process Minister Ambroise Niyonsaba on Tuesday told
journalists that the government had found itself in a situation where it
was "in a minority, that it was alone and had to accept the setting up of
the transitional institutions, because alone it could not hold [on] for
long". "We did everything," Burundi radio quoted him as saying. "To begin
with, at the time of the signing of the agreement, we expressed some
reservations, the most important of which was the lack of the ceasefire.
However, we were reduced to a minority by the signatories themselves.
Apart from one party or two... everybody else demanded the immediate
setting up of the transitional institutions," he said. "Everybody accused
the government of being the obstacle."

He also said that foreign troops to be deployed in the country to observe
an eventual ceasefire would be a "very small force which should not scare
anybody". "To give an illustration, I would like to tell you that only a
3,500-strong force was sent to the DRC, which is 80 times larger than
Burundi. One would imagine that in Burundi we should have very small
force, and this should not scare anybody since its mission would not be to
fight but to help," Niyonsaba added.

BURUNDI: Security Council hails agreement on transition

The UN Security Council has expressed support for Nelson Mandela's
announcement on Burundi's transitional period, and urged all regional
states to support the proposal. In a statement read by Council President
Wang Yingfan of China, members said the move represented a "crucial step
forwards in the peace process". They urged the signatories of the Arusha
agreement and the Implementation Monitoring Committee to contribute
positively to the functioning of the transitional institution. Under the
agreement, President Pierre Buyoya will lead the three-year transition for
the first 18 months as a Tutsi leader. The next 18 months will be led by a
Hutu president. Council members again called on the armed groups to
suspend hostilities and urged regional states to stop any military support
to these movements. They stressed the need for economic and humanitarian
assistance from the international community once the transitional
government was in place.

BURUNDI: Opposition Tutsi parties to boycott summit

Six opposition pro-Tutsi parties say they will boycott a regional summit
on Burundi scheduled for 23 July in the Tanzanian town of Arusha, the
Hirondelle news agency reported. Five of them back Epitace Bayaganakandi,
an alternative candidate for the Tutsi presidency of the transition, and
are unhappy with the decision to appoint President Pierre Buyoya to lead
the first 18 months of the transition. The sixth party, PARENA, backs its
own leader, Jean-Baptiste Bagaza. The 19 sides which signed the Arusha
peace accord are due to meet in Arusha on Friday, ahead of the summit, to
focus on the composition of the transitional government and a timetable
for implementing the peace agreement.

BURUNDI: Call for work stoppage fails

Alphonse Rugambarara, spokesman for the pro-Bayaganakandi parties, said
they would organise a "national protest movement", claiming the country
was now "back to square one". According to the private Burundi Net Press
news agency, the stoppages are planned for Thursday, Friday and Monday.  
The parties say they are protesting against "amnesty for genocide and
other crimes against humanity, the destruction of the national army, and
the arrival of foreign troops to protect the 'genocidaires'". However,
sources in Bujumbura told IRIN that Thursday's work stoppages failed to
materialise. There was an increased presence of gendarmes on the streets,
but public transport operated as normal and offices were also working
normally. "People are hungry, and tired of such calls [for a stayaway]," a
local resident said. A local journalist added that "last time people lost
their jobs".

DRC: Border with CAR closed

The Central African Republic (CAR) closed its border crossings with the
DRC on Tuesday in an effort to stop the cross-border flow of arms and
dissidents, AP reported. Home Affairs Minister Theodore Bicko announced on
state television that the border would be closed until further notice.
Although Bicko gave no reason, AP noted that the border zone has been
tense since a failed coup in the CAR in late May. An estimated 25,000 CAR
citizens fled across the Ubangui River to the DRC town of Zongo to escape
hostilities following the military uprising, which was led by former
military ruler General Andre Kolingba. Security forces allege many of the
weapons used in the uprising were smuggled in from the DRC, and the CAR
government has repeatedly accused the DRC of sheltering fleeing
dissidents.

AP further noted that it was unclear what impact the border closure would
have on Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, whose Mouvement pour la
liberation du Congo (MLC) forces control northern DRC and who sent
fighters to support CAR President Ange Felix-Patasse in the recent coup
attempt. Cut off from the rest of the DRC by a three-year war, the MLC
rebel zone gets much of its goods from CAR.

DRC: Ceasefire holding but situation "fragile"

Despite a ceasefire in the DRC that has held for the last six months, the
situation remains "fragile", Kamel Morjane, the Special Representative of
the UN Secretary-General in the DRC, told the press at UN headquarters in
New York on Wednesday. "We went [forward] a great deal compared with the
situation last year. Certainly our relations with the parties are much
better today." However, he noted that there were still difficulties. "We
have to continue efforts, in particular in the east, where there is still
fighting between the Rwandan forces and the RCD [Rassemblement congolais
pour la democratie] on the one side, and the armed forces on the other." 
Morjane spoke to reporters after briefing the Security Council on
political and military developments, including disarmament and
demobilisation of armed groups, and on the humanitarian and social
situation in the DRC. He also updated Council members on efforts to resume
navigation on the Congo river. 

DRC: RCD denies attacking health workers

The RCD-Goma has denied allegations that it was involved in arresting and
beating up health workers who are vaccinating children against polio.
Speaking over Goma radio on Friday, RCD spokesman Kin Kiey Mulumba blamed
the attack on "extremists... [who are trying] to destroy the Lusaka peace
process".  "We are not hostage takers," he said. "We do not hold anyone to
ransom."

"The incidents reported by the foreign media surprise us," he added. "Our
local military chiefs with whom we are, naturally, in constant contact,
say they are not aware of such an incident." He said that Ikela, in
northwestern Equateur Province, where the incident occurred, was under the
control of government soldiers. "We are not in Ikela," Mulumba stressed.
"We do not control the centre of Ikela. It is [President Joseph] Kabila
who controls this town. Our front-line positions are towards Opala. The
RCD suspects the nasty attack was perpetrated by Kabila's soldiers and his
allies, and they want to put the blame on us."

CAR: UN Security Council concerned at "precarious situation" 

"Recognising the importance of the Central African Republic (CAR) to
regional stability," the UN Security Council on Tuesday expressed "its
deep concern at the precarious situation in the country and urged the
government to take steps to end persisting acts of violence there."
Current Council President Ambassador Wang Yingfan of China told the
15-member body the present climate was not conducive to encouraging the
return home of thousands of Central Africans who were displaced or sought
refuge in neighbouring countries as a result of the attempted coup at the
end of May. The Council also reiterated its condemnation of the coup
attempt.

In its statement, the Council asked Secretary General Kofi Annan to
prepare by 30 September recommendations on how the UN could further
contribute to the recovery of the CAR. The Council asked that the
recommendations focus on strengthening the UN presence in the country,
particularly in human rights monitoring and assistance of the judicial
system. The Council also urged the UN to look into providing experts in
public administration and finances, as well as continued restructuring of
the country's armed forces and the implementation of an effective
arms-collection programme. "The Security Council stresses that an enhanced
international effort will be necessary to help in the recovery of the
Central African Republic," the statement said. 

CAR: Security Council condemns murder of UN official

The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the 5 July killing in
Bangui of UN security coordinator Jean-Pierre Lhommee, a French citizen
and former French army colonel. It urged the CAR authorities to bring
those responsible to justice. Lhommee was killed in a burst of automatic
weapons fire by unknown assailants in the middle of the night as he
arrived at the Bangui home of a UN employee who had telephoned him during
an armed robbery, a UN spokesman said.

ROC: Apparent assassination attempt on defence minister

An apparent assassination attempt involving a 10-minute frenzy of
grenades, rockets and gunfire against Itihi Ossetoumba Lekoundzo, defence
minister of the Republic of Congo (ROC) was reported to have taken place
on Wednesday in Brazzaville, according to AP. Lekoundzo escaped harm, and
there was no word of any injuries or deaths. Military officials linked the
attack to disgruntled senior officers. Attackers fled after the arrival of
police reinforcements.

The violence came a day after the compulsory retirement of several senior
army officers. Most of the retiring officers had "never agreed to quit and
give up their privileges", a senior intelligence officer told AP. The
attack also came just before the army's announcement of low-ranking
soldiers slated to be dismissed. Many of the soldiers were former
militiamen who joined the army following the civil war that brought ROC
President Denis Sassou Nguesso to power. 

This was the second attempt on a member of Sassou Nguesso's government.
The first, in 1999, was an equally unsuccessful attack on Justice Minister
Martin Bemba. A former French colony, the ROC has been wracked by
low-level violence since 1997, when Sassou Nguesso seized power from
Pascal Lissouba after a prolonged civil war. All sides signed ceasefire
agreements in November and December 1999. 


Nairobi, 20 July 2001


[IRIN-CEA: Tel: +254 2 622147 Fax: +254 2 622129 e-mail: 
irin-cea@ocha.unon.org ]


[This item is delivered in the "africa-english" service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2001
 

distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International Disaster Information
Volunteers in Technical Assistance
                                          web: www.cidi.org
                                     listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Central/East Africa             www.cidi.org/humanitarian/irin/ceafrica