Nkunda loyalists in army warn of return to war

KINSHASA, Sunday

Former Tutsi rebels integrated into the Congolese army have warned of a possible return to conflict.

The warning, made public on Friday, comes nearly a year after a peace agreement was first signed.

The National Congress for the People’s Defence termed the humanitarian situation in eastern Congo “catastrophic”, adding that “hopes of peace were more distant than ever”.

They warned DRC President Joseph Kabila and Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame over the “indisciplined” Congolese troops, adding that they risked faltering the peace agreement.

The proclamation, dated October 15, comes days after a document written by their former leader, Gen Laurent Nkunda, before he was arrested, was published.

Gen Nkunda, whose forces threatened the Congolese political establishment last year with a series of resounding victories in the east of the country, was arrested in January by Rwandan troops.