POLITICS: Congo's Belligerents to Sign Power-Sharing Accord

by Anthony Stoppard

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 1 (IPS) - On paper, the chances of an end to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have never been so good.

The warring parties in the conflict, in which more than two million civilians are estimated to have died, mainly due to starvation and disease, are scheduled to sign an ‘'in principle'' peace-deal, in South Africa this week.

The latest deal was brokered by South African President Thabo Mbeki and United Nations special envoy, Moustapha Niasse.

This is the first time that the two main armed rebel groups in the DRC -- the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RDC) and the Congo Liberation Movement (MLC) -- and the country's government have agreed on a power-sharing deal.

Other political and civil society groups in the DRC also have given the agreement a cautious thumbs-up.

In terms of the agreement, DRC President Joseph Kabila will become the head of a planned transitional government. The last round of negotiations in South Africa, held earlier this year, stumbled to a halt after the DRC government refused to budge on rebel demands that Kabila step down.

However, Kabila will now have four vice-presidents, who will represent the present DRC government, the RCD, the MLC, and one who will act for other political parties and civil society in the country. This interim government will prepare the way for democratic elections.

After the deal is signed this week, there will be a two-week break in the talks. They are scheduled to resume on Nov 15, when the parties will work out exactly how power in the Congo will be shared and who will get what cabinet post.

However, some South African observers, who have been following the talks closely are still concerned that the peace-deal may run into resistance on the ground in the Congo. They point out that local and regional warlords, who have used the conflict to get rich, have no vested interest in building peace.

However, the withdrawal of foreign troops, who were drawn into the DRC conflict, is seen as a real move towards peace. The DRC rebel groups were backed by Rwanda and Uganda, while the DRC government received military support from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola.

At the height of the war, there were well over 50,000 troops from seven different African states fighting in the Congo.

This week, the last Zimbabwean, Angolan and Namibian troops left the Congo. Rwanda had already withdrawn its forces. Uganda is keeping some troops in the Congo at the request of the UN to help maintain security in the vast Central African country.

Mbeki will meet with Kabila and Rwandan President Paul Kigame, in South Africa this week to assess progress towards peace in the Congo and the Great Lakes region.

The Great Lakes Region comprises the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Zambia.

In the meantime, the Transitional Government of Burundi and the armed rebel group, the National Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), entered into cease-fire negotiations in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, earlier this week.

The two parties are meeting in committees in which experts from the two sides will negotiate the technical details of the draft cease-fire agreement, according to South African Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, who is facilitating the Burundi peace talks.

Zuma also has met with another Burundian rebel group, the Palipehutu Forces for National Liberation (Palipehutu-FNL), in an effort to get them to join the talks.

However, they indicated that they did not have a mandate to negotiate with the Burundi transitional government until their demands had been met. These include that the Burundi government officially recognise the group, enforce the return of all government soldiers to their barracks and suspend all criminal courts, among others.

Zuma does not plan to hold further meetings with the Palipehutu-FNL. He pointed out that: ‘'The Great Lakes Heads of State Summit held on 7 October 2002 in Dar es Salaam directed armed movements to negotiate and conclude a cease-fire agreement within 30 days of the summit, failing which appropriate measures would be taken against the recalcitrant party.''

South Africa as chair of the African Union (AU) has been pushing hard to end the conflict in the Congo and the Great Lakes region. International support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) - the social and economic development programme of the African Union - is broadly dependent on improving political and security stability on the continent.

The conflicts in the DRC and the Great Lakes region have been among the largest and most destructive wars in Africa. The resolution will go a long way towards convincing the international community that Africa has the capacity to resolve its conflicts - especially since the latest outbreak of civil conflict in Cote d'Ivoire has again slowed efforts to build political stability on the continent. (END/2002)