From Africa Recovery, Vol.16 #2-3 (September 2002), page 35

Congo: New hope for peace?

Recent African diplomatic initiatives have fanned cautious hopes for the end of the devastating four-year conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On 30 July Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Joseph Kabila initialled a South African-sponsored accord requiring the DRC to disarm thousands of Rwandan Hutu militiamen operating in eastern Congo since their participation in the genocidal massacre of as many as 1 million people in Rwanda in 1994. In return, the Rwandan government agreed to withdraw its troops from DRC soil.

Two weeks later, representatives of the DRC and Uganda agreed to the final withdrawal of Ugandan forces from north-western Congo and the normalization of relations between the two countries. The pact was initiated by Angola and signed in Luanda on 15 August. The Ugandan withdrawal will be monitored by Angolan troops deployed in the DRC at the invitation of Mr. Kabila's government. Uganda, Rwanda and their Congolese allies have fought against the government, which has been supported by Angolan, Zimbabwean and Namibian forces. Namibian troops have already withdrawn from the DRC, and Zimbabwe Defence Minister Sidney Sekeramayi announced on 5 August that Harare would soon follow suit.

The 30 July agreement was welcomed by the UN Security Council, which pledged to support its implementation within the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC. The accords received a sceptical response from many analysts and observers, however. They note that the opposing governments have made and broken many past peace agreements and may not be able to impose a settlement on their Congolese allies -- even if the political will now exists.

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