Rwandan rebels won't leave DRC
2004-11-13 17:48
Nairobi - Rwandan Hutu guerrillas hiding in the mountains and forests in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo will resist by force any attempt to make them go back to their country, their leader said on Saturday.
"We are in the Congolese forests, we know these forests very well and if anyone attacks us, we are going to defend ourselves," said Ignace Murwanashyaka, head of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
The FDLR is made up of remnants of the Rwandan army that participated in the 1994 genocide in which upwards of 800 000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slain.
The DR Congo authorities, with the support of the UN mission, Monuc, wants the Rwandans to disarm and return home, in an attempt to end the chronic unrest and violence in the eastern part of the country.
Earlier this month, the government sent 3 000 troops to the Walunga region in a joint operation with Monuc to persuade the Rwandans to leave, a mission supported by foreign donor countries and other African nations.
Bad for DRC economy
The presence of the Rwandan armed groups on DRC territory is a brake on the economy because the guerrillas submit the local population to theft, rape and murder, and people have given up farming. It also threatens to re-ignite conflict between DR Congo and Rwanda.
No one knows how many guerrillas are hiding out in the forests, but more than 11 000 fighters or family members have responded to efforts by Monuc to persuade the Rwandans to go back to their country.
Now Monuc is telling the fighters that this is their last chance for repatriation.
Murwanashyaka told AFP UN representatives have gone to the region with threats, and had ruled out any talks with the FDLR, which is insisting that a return must be discussed in "highly inclusive" talks among Rwandans.
He appealed to the DR Congo government not to take part in a forced repatriation, recalling that FDLR fighters had been recruited in the past to help Kinshasa drive back invading Rwandan and Ugandan forces.