Congo Rebels Urge Quick Implementation of Peace Accord

By Peter Clottey
26 June 2009

A rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo is urging the government to quickly implement a recently signed peace agreement.

The National Council for the Defense of the People rebel group (CNDP) is accusing Kinshasa of failing to keep its part of the accord.

DRC Government soldiers have often clashed with rebels in restive North Kivu province

Under the signed deal, Kinshasa is expected to devise a comprehensive amnesty law, release captured rebels and retrain them before integrating them into the national army. Rebel officials are to be included into the government of North Kivu province in the east of the country.

In return, the CNDP promised to have its fighters lay down their arms and become a political party.

Chairman of the CNDP rebels, Desiree Kamanzi, said that the government is abdicating its responsibility for carrying out the deal.

For example, he said the prisoner release enshrined in the agreement has not gone well.

"Prisoners have been released (but) only few of them. But when we look at the agreement, they should have been released a long time ago. And when they are released, they are not transported to the places where they come from (as stipulated in the agreement)," he said.

Kamanzi said the rebel movement is struggling to take care of the former combatants.

Democratic Republic of Congo

"The CNDP is trying its own best to take care of them (rebels) with the few means that we have," Kamanzi said.

Kamanzi said there is a need for the government to expedite the process begun in March that ended frequent clashes with the national army in Congo's restive North Kivu province.

He urged Kinshasa to keep its side of the agreement.

"We need to see the government do more than what we are seeing right now," he said.

The government denies that is not implementing its side of the agreement.