Congo warlord snubs peace talks
2008-01-10 20:41
Goma, DR Congo - A warlord at the heart of the conflict in Congo's lawless east has suspended participation in peace talks, citing security concerns, a top aide said on Thursday.
Kambasu Ngeve, head of the 10-member delegation sent by rebel Laurent Nkunda alleged that authorities had tried to arrest one of its members.
"We have provisionally suspended our participation in this peace conference because we want to have a guarantee of our security from officials," Kambasu said. "We are awaiting an official guarantee of our security from the government or else we're leaving for good."
Although historic elections were held in Congo last year, the country's first free and fair vote in over 40 years, President Joseph Kabila has struggled to contain the bloody war in the nation's east.
Numerous militias, of which Nkunda's is one of the largest, have set up bases in the dense forests, terrorising villagers, raping girls and forcing boys to enlist as fighters.
Some 800 000 villagers have fled their homes in the last year.
About 800 delegates representing a wide array of armed groups and government officials are attending the peace talks, which have been praised by the UN as an attempt to halt the spiraling violence.
- SAPA