After a lingering negotiation for peace talks by UN special envoy, former Nigerian president Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, the government of DR Congo under Joseph Kabila has agreed to hold talks with General Laurent Nkunda on Monday next week, reports claim.
DR Congo president Joseph Kabila until now, has refused calls for direct talks with General Laurent Nkunda and his forces. But recent developments has forced his government to accept this initiative.
Prior to this consent, DR Congo and Rwanda had agreed to join forces and take action against Rwandan Hutu rebels based in DR Congo.
Reports claim that a meeting will take place between representatives of the government of DR Congo and the CNDP (Gen Nkunda’s National Congress for the Defence of the People) under the auspices of the United Nations and the mediator on December 8 in Nairobi in Kenya
Both Rwanda and General Nkunda have accused the Congolese government of not doing enough to tackle the Rwandan Hutu rebels.
An agreement to hold talks was reached in the eastern Congolese city of Goma, which is surrounded by Gen Nkunda’s forces.
However the chairman of the Rwandan Hutu rebels, Ignace Murwanashaka has said that they are prepared to fight back if military force is used against them.
Despite agreeing to a ceasefire in November, General Nkunda’s forces have continued to attack Rwandan Hutu rebels hiding in Congo, saying the truce does not apply to operations against the Hutu militiamen who perpetuated the 1994 genocide of Tutsis.
