Gen Nkunda who claims to have been fighting to protect his Tutsi community from attacks by Rwandan Hutu rebels based in DR Congo, has been left in the cold as a strong faction of his army have decided to abandon his mission and join the Congolese Army for the sake of peace.
The leaders of the faction of the Tutsi rebel group said its fighters would join the Congolese army for peace sake. Experts and observers believe that the move will put pressure on Laurent Nkunda- leader of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), to declare a full ceasefire and surrender.
The break away faction was headed by Bosco Ntaganda who along with other top officials of the Tutsi militia stated that it had ended its series of warfare with government troops. Earlier this month Mr. Ntaganda also said that he had overthrown Gen Laurent Nkunda.
The ceasefire by Mr. Ntanganda’s troops was announced at a meeting in Congo before Rwanda’s army chief of staff and the Congolese interior minister.
Many have waited for this move desperately.
Gen Laurent Nkunda had been expected to make the cease fire move earlier this week in Nairobi but chose to boycott a planned meeting with government officials from both Rwanda and DR Congo.
However, news of the sabotage has reached Nkunda’s camp and reports say that their faction would respond to the declaration of the break away faction over the weekend.
Some experts say this could lead to an internal conflict within the Tutsi rebel camp which may go on to expose Gen Laurent Nkunda.
Early January, General Bosco Ntanganda, head of the CNDP, was accused of high treason following an interview he gave to the BBC, in which he confirmed that a group of officers from the rebel group had stripped their leader, Laurent Nkunda, of his powers. He claimed that Laurent Nkunda failure in his functions “could have dire consequences for the CNDP and the people of Congo at large”.
