Democratic Republic of Congo troops on Wednesday captured
the last stronghold of M23 rebels in the troubled east of the country, raising
hopes of a return to the negotiating table.
Bunagana, the rebels' main base located in the lush green hills
near the border with Uganda, "is completely under our control",
government spokesperson Lambert Mende told AFP, adding that the final battle
for the town had begun early in the morning.
The rebels either fled into the mountains or crossed into
neighbouring Uganda after the rout, Mende said.
An official of the UN mission in the country also confirmed that
troops had taken control of the town some 80km north of Goma, a major mining
hub and the capital of North Kivu province.
Troops and tanks had surrounded the nearby town of Rutshuru on
Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday's assault, the army said.
The fall of Bunagana comes a day after Martin Kobler, the head of
the peacekeeping mission known as Monusco, declared that the push by troops
signalled "practically the military end of M23".
In the Ugandan capital Kampala, which is hosting stop-start peace
talks, representatives from both sides voiced guarded optimism for progress on
the negotiating front.
Francois Muamba, representing Kinshasa, said: "If what we
have put on the table is accepted by the M23, with or without pressure, I think
things will move forward."
M23 delegate Roger Lumbala was even more sanguine, saying
negotiators were "putting the final touches to a deal proposed by Ugandan
mediators. I think... tomorrow or the next day we'll have signatures on this
agreement".
Kampala talks
Bertrand Bisimwa, M23's political leader who fled by helicopter to
Uganda, is due to take part in the Kampala talks.
In Kinshasa however, DRC President Joseph Kabila, while saying
that "political and diplomatic solutions" were still on the table,
warned that if the rebels did not voluntarily disband, he would have "no
other choice but to make them do so by force".
The M23 was founded by former Tutsi rebels who were incorporated
into the Congolese army under a 2009 peace deal they said was never fully
implemented.
They mutinied in April 2012, turning their guns on their former
comrades in North Kivu, a province rich in minerals and agricultural produce
that armed groups have fought over for more than two decades.
At the height of their military strength, the M23 rebels were able
to capture Goma for 10 days last November, before withdrawing as a precondition
for the Kampala peace talks, which began on 9 December.
Intermittent fighting has persisted ever since, with a new flareup
last Friday after a two-month lull.
A joint offensive by the government and a UN intervention brigade
to push back the rebels began in earnest at the weekend.
Government troops quickly took control of a military base at
Rumangabo used by the rebels and recaptured another town, Kiwanja, on their way
to Rutshuru and finally Bunagana.
At the Rumangabo base, one soldier held in captivity by the M23
for nearly a year with up to 200 others described how the prisoners were "badly
treated".
At least 5 000 people have fled
From time to time rebels came and "took people, certainly to
kill them because we have never to this day seen them again", said Major
James Mwendangabo.
In the nearby market, 26-year-old Jacques Kagura said he was happy
to see the rebels leave.
"We suffered with the M23... Some people are still afraid to
come back because we know that the M23 likes war whereas we are more
reserved."
At least 5 000 people have fled into Uganda to escape the
fighting.
That figure could double, warned Lucy Beck, a spokeswoman for the
UN refugee agency UNHCR.
"We are predicting up to 10 000 people would have crossed by
tomorrow, because the fighting seems to be going on very close to the border...
People are continuing to cross even as we speak," she said Wednesday.
Other aid groups estimated that around 22 500 people had left
their homes since Friday to move closer to Goma.
Alarmed by the renewed violence, the West called for restraint,
with the United States warning that the conflict could submerge the whole
region.
The United Nations and numerous rights groups have accused the M23
of atrocities including rape and murder.
Both Kinshasa and the United Nations allege that Uganda and Rwanda
have backed the rebels, a claim both countries reject.
No comments:
Post a Comment