• by Joyce Mulama (nairobi)
• Friday, December 12, 2008
• Inter Press Service

Rebels are being blamed for the slow progress of talks seeking to end fighting in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The negotiations between the government and rebels of the National Congress for the Defence of the People, known by its French acronym CNDP, opened Dec. 8 in Nairobi, but it is emerging that the rebels' demands that the talks concentrate on the situation in the whole country rather than the conflict in the east, is the reason why there has not been significant headway in the talks taking place in the Kenyan capital.

'First, the CNDP continues to demand discussions on what it sees as the challenges facing the country as a whole, not just the ongoing conflict and humanitarian emergency in the eastern DRC,' Olusegun Obasanjo, the United Nations Special Envoy and chair of the talks told journalists Dec 10. This presents a problem for Obasanjo, whose mandate limits him to only focusing on the conflict in the eastern part of the country.

The rebels are also said to be hampering talks due to their decision-making process. 'Second, progress has been slower than desired because the powers given to the CNDP delegation by its leadership appear to have severely limited its ability to make decisions on matters of concern without continuous recourse to its leadership in North Kivu,' noted Obasanjo.

A UN official who is close to the talks told IPS on condition of anonymity that the talks were crumbling, describing the rebels' action as 'unclear'.

However, Obasanjo said he was keen to engage the leadership of both sides -- rebels and government, as well as the African Union and UN to chart a way forward in the interest of durable peace in the DRC. He is expected to send a delegation to Goma, the regional capital to have dialogue with Laurent Nkunda, the CNDP boss.

Fresh fighting between the warring parties erupted in August, and has seen 250,000 people in Kivu province uprooted from their homes. About 1,000 people have been killed, according to the UN. A unilateral ceasefire declared on October 29 by the rebels has meant nothing in the rural areas where fighting persists and much of the population is at great risk, said a Dec. 11 report by Human Rights Watch, the global rights monitor.

'Nkunda's rebels and other armed groups must immediately cease all the attacks on civilians, the rape of women and girls, and the destruction of camps for displaced people. Those responsible for these brutal atrocities must be arrested and held to account,' reads the report.

Scared of being attacked, a number of people are running from camps and scattering into churches and school compounds, making it difficult for aid agencies to establish the exact figure of those displaced, says Michael Arunga, the World Vision's Emergency Communications Advisor for Africa.

There is urgent need for humanitarian assistance, particularly plastic sheeting and food. 'We went to Shasha (some 38 kilometres southwest of Goma) and were able to distribute plastic sheets. Previously banana fibres had been used to construct camps and this is not so useful now since there is rain and without proper camps, there is increased likelihood of diseases such as cold and flu which children are vulnerable to,' Arunga said.

With a fragile security situation, there are calls for the European Union to send forces to reinforce the current UN peacekeeping force of 17,000, which lacks the capacity to protect civilians at a risk of further attacks.

The negotiations come a month after a summit of Heads of State of the Great Lakes Region also held in Nairobi and the warring parties are being asked to cease any attacks while the latest talks are in progress.

© Inter Press Service (2008) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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