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CENTRAL AND EASTERN AFRICA
IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 88
25 - 31 August 2001


CONTENTS:

DRC: Dialogue to open in Ethiopia on 15 October
DRC: Sides believe "war is over" - almost
DRC: "We are not united" - RCD-ML official
DRC: Annan welcomes Gaborone agreement
BURUNDI: Security Council reiterates support for regional initiative
BURUNDI: Soldiers dismissed for coup attempt, others for trial
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Defence minister sacked
UGANDA: Museveni rival Besigye in the US

DRC: Dialogue to open in Ethiopia on 15 October

The inter-Congolese national reconciliation dialogue will open in the
Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on 15 October, the South African news
agency SAPA reported 24 August. "It has been a week of hard work and an
event filled with symbolism. The road to successful dialogue has now been
opened. Return home and do what you can to communicate that spirit to all
of your compatriots," talks facilitator Ketumile Masire was quoted by SAPA
as telling delegates at the close of preparatory talks held last week in
Gaborone, Botswana. Masire noted that all parties to the conflict had
called for an immediate withdrawal of foreign troops from the DRC, and the
release of political prisoners. Masire also announced that the DRC
government had given US $1 million to fund the dialogue, and that the
armed opposition parties had pledged unspecified sums.

DRC: Sides believe "war is over" - almost

Following last week's preparatory talks in Gaborone, DRC Foreign Minister
Leonard She Okitundu told Radio France Internationale (RFI) on 24 August
he believed the war was over. "Bearing in mind the demands of the
international community and also of the reality on the ground, and today's
pre-dialogue accord here in Gaborone, we can say that the war is over," he
said. "I think that any party taking the initiative of a return to war
would really find itself hauled over the coals by the entire international
community," he added. "I absolutely refuse to believe that any of the
parties here would take the risk of a warlike initiative."

In the opposite camp, the secretary-general of the Rwandan-backed
Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) rebel group, Azarias
Ruberwa, expressed a similar, if qualified, view. "The guns have fallen
silent, relatively speaking... and I cannot see any one of those parties -
any of the serious ones anyway - taking up arms again." However, he warned
of "lingering concerns" over the issue of disarming of so-called "negative
forces," namely military groups which are not signatories of the 1999
Lusaka peace agreement, and stated RCD-Goma would go as far as disarming
such forces themselves, if need be. "Knowing these are by and large
disorganised forces with a negative attitude, we cannot guarantee that, in
Kivu for example, no more gunfire will be heard," he said. "It depends on
what will happen regarding the agreement to disarm the government-backed
negative forces. If the government continues to support them, then
obviously they will continue attacking the population, and we cannot allow
that to happen. In such an eventuality we will certainly intervene to
impose peace by disarming them forcibly in our own military way."

DRC: "We are not united" - RCD-ML official

While describing the preparatory talks held in Gaborone as "a good thing,
because the Congolese demonstrated they can easily agree with one another
when their country is in danger," Major James Matabishi, the deputy
national secretary for defence of the Ugandan-backed Rassemblement
congolais pour la democratie-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML) rebel
movement admitted that the RCD-ML remained divided. Speaking on Congolese
rebel-controlled Radio Candip in Bunia on Wednesday, Matabishi said, "We
looked very stupid in Gaborone. We were stupid: we were the only movement
which turned up with several chairmen. The final documents [in Gaborone]
were signed on behalf of the RCD-ML by three people: Ernest Wamba dia
Wamba, Jean-Baptiste Tibasima Mbogemu Atenyi and Honore Kadima [all top
RCD-ML officials]. This shows that we are not united. As we remain
divided, we may even fail to attend the inter-Congolese dialogue."

DRC: Annan welcomes Gaborone agreement

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday said he was pleased to learn
that last week's preparatory meeting in Gaborone had resulted in an
agreement to start the official inter-Congolese dialogue on 15 October. A
spokesman for the secretary-general said Annan had noted the readiness of
the parties to sit at the same negotiating table for the first time since
the start of the conflict, and to discuss how to achieve enduring peace
and national reconciliation in their country. "He encourages them to build
on the spirit of Gaborone and wishes them success in their endeavour," the
spokesman said. Annan also commended the dialogue's facilitator, Ketumile
Masire, and his team for their hard work, and reiterated the continued
readiness of the UN to support their efforts. Annan is due to start a
visit to the DRC on 3 September.

BURUNDI: Security Council reiterates support for regional initiative

Members of the UN Security Council on 24 August reiterated their support
for the decisions adopted on 23 July by the summit of the regional
initiative on Burundi and for the efforts of the Arusha facilitator,
Nelson Mandela, and of South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, a
statement to the press by the president of the Council said. They took
note of the positive relationships which had developed between the
political parties, and encouraged them to continue working together to
install the transitional government on 1 November.

They called on the government and the parties to ensure that the
conditions necessary, including security protection, were put in place as
soon as possible in order to facilitate the return of exiled political
leaders. Members urged rebels of the Forces nationales pour la liberation
(FNL) and of the Force pour la defense de la democratie (FDD) to enter
into negotiations for a cessation of hostilities without further delay.
"Members of the Council remained deeply concerned at the humanitarian
situation in Burundi and urged all parties to respect human rights and
international humanitarian law as well as to facilitate access by
humanitarian personnel to populations in need," the statement said. They
called on the countries of the region to use their collective and
individual influence to help the parties advance positively in the peace
process.

BURUNDI: Soldiers dismissed for coup attempt, others for trial

More than 200 Burundi soldiers have been dismissed for attempting to
destabilise the government of Burundi on the night of 22-23 July 2001,
Burundi radio quoted the army spokesman, Colonel Augustin Nzabampema, as
saying on Tuesday. He said the measure was part of a series of
administrative, disciplinary and judicial measures being taken by the
government in dealing with the attempted coup. He explained that the
administrative measures were a way of rewarding the soldiers who were
informed about the destabilisation attempt and who immediately distanced
themselves from it and informed their commanders. Nzabampema said there
were some disciplinary measures, of some degree of gravity, for soldiers
who were informed about the destabilisation attempt, then distanced
themselves from it immediately they realised the attempt was doomed, but
did not inform the commanders. "There are more severe disciplinary
measures which have been taken against soldiers who were informed about
the destabilisation attempt and went along with it," he said. "In this
category, there are two sub-categories. That of those who went along but
were content with simply going along. These have been dismissed from the
armed forces. They number well over 200 soldiers," he explained.

He said that another category of soldiers who did not only go along, but
were involved in more serious acts like participating in meetings to plan
the destabilisation attempt. "Some were involved in the shooting as two
soldiers were killed and an officer wounded. Another officer was shot at,
but was fortunately unharmed. These soldiers have already been imprisoned,
and others are being interrogated," he said. "What I would like to say is
that apart from the announced measures, the defence minister will have the
opportunity to clarify further and give more explanations on the full
extent of the destabilisation attempt in terms of its consequences,
essentially," Nzabampema added. He said the number of soldiers facing
trial were as high as 100, adding that there was a confirmed link between
the 18 April abortive coup and the 22-23 July one, since there were
soldiers implicated in both incidents.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Defence minister sacked

The Central African Republic's defence minister, Jean-Jacques Demafouth,
was sacked at the at the end of last week after being accused of
involvement in the foiled coup against President Ange-Felix Patasse in
May, AFP quoted a presidential spokesman as saying. He is accused of
"having played a role in recent events". The dismissal was announced on
state radio and he was reportedly "put at the disposal of the law". The
country's prime minister, Martin Ziguele, has been named as acting head of
the defence ministry.

Demafouth, who is a member of the ruling Movement for the Liberation of
Central African People, had given testimony at a panel of inquiry set up
to investigate the coup. Three other government members - Interior and
Public Security Minister Theodore Biko, Ministry of Interior Secretary of
State Robert Zana, and the secretary of state for disarmament and a close
associate of Patasse, Michel Doyene - made statements before the panel.
The panel's membership comprised of gendarmes, officers and investigative
police, was set up on 8 June and has three months to carry out the
investigation. Since its creation, more than 100 civilians and military
personnel have been placed in detention, AFP added.

UGANDA: Museveni rival Besigye in the US

Former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye, currently in the United
States, has said that he fled Uganda last week because he feared for his
life after hearing that Ugandan security agents were planning to arrest
him, and harm him thereafter. In an interview with IRIN in the United
States on Wednesday, he said he hoped to challenge donors' belief in
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's commitment to democracy. Besigye said
he planned to return to Uganda to build a broad coalition of organisations
committed to a democratic transformation. While insisting he was loath to
use violence to achieve his political goals, he said the possibility of
his doing so would arise "if the government leaves no option open for
peaceful and democratic means of changing or addressing leadership
issues".

The Ugandan presidential spokeswoman, Hope Kivengere, told IRIN on
Thursday that those who committed crimes in Uganda went to court, and that
those who had not committed any crime should have no fear of arrest. "Many
people leave Uganda for many reasons, so this business of Besigye leaving
the country is neither here nor there," she said. "Many other presidential
candidates stood against President Museveni and they are still here;
nobody was forced to flee... And if we [the government] had wanted to
arrest him, why would we not have done so before?" she added. [For full
report see IRIN Separate of 30 August - UGANDA: Besigye says he feared
arrest, physical danger]

Nairobi, 31 August 2001


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