DRC army chief axed
2004-06-21 12:53
Kinshasa, Congo - President Joseph Kabila's government fired its army chief of staff on Sunday, citing its investigation into a failed June 11 coup attempt.
Information Minister Vital Kamerhe gave no specific reason for the firing of Admiral Liwanga Mata, beyond saying it was in line with the government's probe into the attempt.
However, Mata had been mentioned by the alleged ringleader of the coup, Major Eric Lenge, a former trusted top presidential guard.
Lenge briefly took over state broadcasting in the early morning of June 11, announcing he was "neutralising" Kabila's 14-month-old post-war power-share government.
The attempt ended within hours, with about 20 soldiers placed under arrest and Lenge fleeing.
Lenge, in his communique on state radio during the attempt, had mentioned Mata by rank but not name, saying the army chief of staff had been aware of his plans.
Opposition figures, diplomats and ordinary Congolese have expressed scepticism about the coup attempt, questioning how Lenge managed to escape from a surrounded military base in the hours after the coup. The government has yet to announce his arrest, and his whereabouts are unclear.
Congo says its investigation into the failed putsch is continuing.
Kabila leads an interim administration assembled from loyalists, former rebels and opposition figures after Congo's 1998-2002 war.
Another war looming?
The war saw neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda back Congolese rebels in a bid to overthrow Congo's government, which hung on only through the support of the armies of the southern nations of Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The war killed an estimated 3.3 million people, most through hunger and disease.
Congo's government has dismissed accusations levelled on Saturday by Rwanda that Congo was massing troops near its eastern border for an invasion of Rwanda.
Congo earlier in the month flew daily planeloads of troops to the northeast and east, scene of a June 2-June 9 uprising by former Rwanda-backed rebels.
The government on Saturday dismissed the claims of invasion plans as "fabrications". Government officials in Kinshasa have refused to explain the troop movements, calling it within their sovereign rights to re-deploy troops.
UN Radio Okapi journalists over the last week said the deployment was aimed at preventing repeats of the June 2 - June 9 uprising, including by mixing soldiers from other parts of Congo in with those based in the east.
- AP