OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cabinda | Monday 10.30PM
THE Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday accused South Africa of “behind-curtains manoeuvres”.
DRC justice minister Mwenze Kongolo, in SA to represent DRC President Laurent Kabila at the Southern African Development Community summit called by President Nelson Mandela at the weekend, told reporters in Pretoria that a signal from a South African Airways aircraft was intercepted as it was requesting permission to land at the rebel-held town of Goma on Sunday. “Congo believes that such behind-curtains manoeuvres are not likely to bring peace in this country,” Kongolo said.
Foreign Affairs spokesman Machiel van Niekerk said: “As far as we know, there is no such plane in Goma.”
The allied forces supporting Kabila meanwhile claim to have retaken the strategic port of Matadi, as well as the Inga dam which is Kinshasa’s primary power supply. At least 2,000 Angolan and 600 Zimbabwean troops are believed to be in the DRC.
The Namibian newspapers Die Republikein and The Namibian have reported that hundreds of troops and armored vehicles are being transported north within Namibia toward Angola. The armored attack vehicles, newly outfitted with light cannons, carry about 10 soldiers each and were travelling with a large diesel tanker, indicating they planned a long journey, the papers said. A helicopter was also being transported. The papers reported that two companies of Namibian soldiers – about 240 men – have already been flown to Luanda.
In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe’s government has declared that it is in command of the three-nation force in DRC and that Zimbabwe will pay for the entire foreign-led campaign. Reporters were told that the senior official supplying the information could not be named, and there was no other confirmation of Zimbabwe’s intentions.
According to an unconfirmed report, at least 500 Ugandan troops, two tanks and anti-aircraft guns were seen on Sunday by a British tourist about 170km inside Congolese territory in eastern DRC. Uganda has denied involvement in the conflict.