POLITICS-AFRICA: World Must Help Ensure Peace, Says Kabila

By Marty Logan Reprint | | Print |

Marty Logan

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 14 2002 (IPS) - Despite recent peace agreements, bloody fighting continues to destabilise the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the sub-Saharan African region, President Joseph Kabila warned the United Nations as its General Assembly continued Saturday.

While most of his fellow African leaders in recent days had lauded peace deals in the continent’s Great Lakes region and Angola, Kabila told the international community that greater effort is needed to bring stability to the region.

“I have in mind the bloody and distressing events in Kisangani and Bunia. I’m also thinking of the resumed fighting in Kivu, and I’m also thinking of the rapes and the plundering of the wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and all other forms of violations of human rights,” Kabila told the U.N. General Assembly.

“I would appeal urgently to the international community to put and end to this tragedy that is affecting the populations of the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to ensure that the perpetrators of these vile and barbaric acts are punished and brought to trial.”

Last week, the D.R. Congo signed an agreement with Uganda to have the latter’s estimated 2,000 soldiers leave the country by year’s end. But reports say Ugandan fighters have been involved in recent skirmishes in the D.R. Congo’s northeast.

Uganda, along with Rwanda, sent soldiers to D.R. Congo in 1998 to help topple the president at the time, Kabila’s father Laurent, who they accused of backing rebel groups from both countries.

D.R. Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement earlier this year but the U.N. says Rwanda has been increasing its military presence in the country.

“The commitment undertaken yesterday by the president of Rwanda that they would embark on troop withdrawal beginning next week may mark a decisive phase,” Kabila told the General Assembly.

On Friday, the U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General Kofi Annan held a special meeting on the D.R. Congo that included leaders from Rwanda and South Africa. No results of the gathering were released afterwards.

Also on Friday, Burundi’s President Pierre Buyoya called on the U.N. to help tame rebels in his country, who continue to operate despite an agreement between the transitional government and a second rebel group.

“If the diplomatic route does not bear fruit, all other means must be used to prevent this rebellion from holding hostage our peace process, led by a government born from negotiation and which holds international legitimacy,” Buyoya told the General Assembly.

Earlier in the week, South African President Thabo Mbeki delivered the first of many positive accounts about recent developments on the continent to the annual meeting of the U.N.’s largest body.

“We are happy that there are encouraging peace processes in Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, with the Comoros already having held successful elections,” Mbeki said.

“We are particularly pleased because these positive developments will create the possibility for millions of our fellow Africans to reaffirm the sanctity of human life and security, and to engage in the important tasks of rebuilding their countries to bring about a better life for all,” he added.

Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe was also positive, but reminded the rest of the world that it must play its role in making peace.

“Let me take this opportunity to announce once again that, in view of these positive developments, Zimbabwe is in the process of withdrawing its remaining forces in the D.R. Congo,” he said.

Zimbabwe, along with Angola and Namibia, earlier sent troops to D.R. Congo to support the embattled Congolese government.

“We, however, hope that the Security Council will act boldly and without favour in ensuring that peace is consolidated in the D.R.C.,” Mugabe added.

The outspoken leader also led the way for African leaders who have urged the General Assembly this week to reform global financial and trade institutions.

“We call for improved global governance through the democratisation of multilateral organisations such as the United Nations, the Bretton Woods Institutions (World Bank and International Monetary Fund) and the World Trade Organization,” said Mugabe. “There is also need for coherence in global policy-making.”

“In the same vein,” he added, “my delegation also calls for an immediate cancellation of the debt of poor countries so that debt service funds, which are crippling the development efforts of developing nations, can be used to improve the situation of those countries.”

President John Kufuor of Ghana issued a more compliant call for reform. “We see a lot of potential in globalisation. We wish to recommend, however, that an organisation such as the United Nations should provide the regulatory framework to ensure that the benefits of globalisation are more equitably distributed,” he told the General Assembly.

His continent has already taken steps towards positive change, Kufuor pointed out.

“Africa has never wanted to be perceived as the ‘scar on the conscience of the world’. We do not want to be the objects of pity and charity, and we do not want to provide the grisly images of war, disease, ignorance, famine and poverty on the world’s television screens,” he said.

“Today, under the aegis of the African Union, the rejuvenated continental grouping, our countries have resolved to tackle the continent’s problems to enable us join the mainstream of the world’s development.”

“We have pledged to endeavour to be honest with each other, and under the Peer Review Mechanism, there will be no hiding behind claims of sovereignty, to tolerate abuses of human rights in individual countries,” said Kufuor.