DENIS BARNETT, Gabarone | Sunday 7.30pm.
TALKS to convince Democratic Republic of Congo rebels to adopt a ceasefire plan ended in Botswana’s capital Gabarone on Saturday, with rebels and officials from a four-nation contact group saying progress has been made towards peace.
Southern African Development Community official said the rebels had behaved “like a group of bandits.” The rebels delegation, led by Congolese Rally for Democracy president Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, arrived at the talks on Saturday armed with a revised list of amendments after day-long talks on Friday ended in deadlock and frustration.
The rebel amendments include a demand that there can be no ceasefire in the 16-week-old conflict without prior direct negotiations with Kabila. Kabila has refused to meet the rebels, insisting they are merely a front for Uganda and Rwanda, whose armies are backing the rebellion, ostensibly to further their own security concerns in the volatile region.
The rebels are further demanding that they be included as an official delegation at all future meetings, including a planned regional summit in Pretoria on December 8 — when diplomats hope a ceasefire can be ratified. Up to now the rebels have been held at arm’s length, allowed only to participate in proximity talks, like those in Gaborone. The amendments were thrashed out in proximity talks involving an African contact group set up by the SADC — Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania and Mozambique — and the rebel team, as well as Organisation of African Unity and United Nations envoys.
SADC executive secretary, Kaire Mbuende conceded, however, that the submission will have no binding authority. “There are proposed amendments that have been submitted to the relevant authority to look at them and discuss and take a final position on those amendments,” he said. — AFP