PRESENTATION ON THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC) TO THE PARLIAMENTARY PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON 16 APRIL 2003.

PRESENTATION ON THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC) TO THE

PARLIAMENTARY PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON

FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON 16 APRIL 2003

BACKGROUND

• Peace process in DRC started with signing of Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement (LCA) by all belligerent on 10 July 1999

• Part of process initiated by LCA is Inter-Congolese (ICD)

• ICD opened on 15 October 2001 in Addis Ababa, but adjourned again

• ICD meeting took place at Sun City from 25 February to 19 April 2002

Background continues….

• When adjourned, 36 resolutions were adopted

• These relates to:– The military– Constitution– Elections– Humanitarian affairs and development– Peace and national reconciliation

Background continues…

• DRC Government and MLC signed partial agreement, excluding others

• Meeting in Cape Town from 8 to 10 May 2002

• DRC Government and MLC did not attend

• Decided discussions on outstanding issues should continue

Background continues...

• President Thabo Mbeki vigorously continued engagement with all components of ICD

• Ministers M M S Mdladlana and P Maduna visited DRC as Special Envoys on 28 May 2002

• President Mbeki, Minister Zuma and Minister Mdladlana also visited DRC on 29 June 2002

CONTINUATION OF TALKS

• Talks resumed in Pretoria on 25 October 2002 under mediation of UN Special Envoy, Mr Moustapha and Minister Sydney Mufamadi

• Aimed at bringing back to the fold all participating parties to continue debate on outstanding issues

Continuation of talks continues...

• These were:– Transitional Constitution– Integration of the armed forces– Security

• Discussions culminated in SIGNING OF Global and Inclusive Agreement on the Transition in the DRC on 17 December 2002 in Pretoria

• President Joseph Kabila will remain Head of State for transitional period of two years

• President will be assisted by four Vice- Presidents from Government, RCD, MLC and unarmed political opposition

• Vice-Presidents will be in charge of four clusters of ministries, i.e. Political (RCD), Economic and Finance (MLC), Reconstruction and Development

Continuation of talks continues...

• (Government) and Social and Cultural Commission (unarmed political opposition)

• Cabinet portfolios are distributed among the four clusters and the portfolios under each cluster, among participants in ICD

• Follow-up Committee to be established to implement agreement

• President Kabila will chair Follow-up Committee

Continuation of talks continues...

• Apart from Chair, rest of Follow-up Committee is made up of two senior representatives of each component and one senior representative from each entity

• Mandate of Follow-up Committee expires after presenting its report to Transitional Government, at the latest one month after establishment of the that government

Continuation of talks continues...

FOLLOW-UP ON TALKS IN PRETORIA

• Constitutional as well as Defence and Security Commissions met in Pretoria from 24 February to 4 March 2003

• Followed by a plenary of all signatories of the Global and Inclusive Agreement on the Transition in the DRC from 5 to 7 March 2003

• Late on 6 March 2003, participants signed an agreement on the Transitional Constitution and an Memorandum on the Army and Security

ISSUE OF SECURITY

• On security, agreement was reached that every leader would choose ten to fifteen bodyguards for his/her personal security

• Until their eventual incorporation into the national integrated police force, the bodyguards will be put under a central integrated command

Issue of Security continues...

• Transitional government will define the practical modalities for the establishment of a national integrated police force

• Congolese parties requested the deployment of a neutral force under the authorisation of the United Nations to assist in assuring the general security of the government and the population in Kinshasa and other key cities in the country

Issue of Security continues...

• This force will be deployed for a limited period to allow for the integrated national police forced to be fully operational

INTEGRATION OF ARMED FORCES

• Meeting of Chiefs of Staff of FAC (current Government army), RCD-G, MLC, RCD-N, RCD-ML and Mai-Mai were convened from 10 to 13 March 2003 and on 27 and 28 March 2003 in Pretoria

• Only RCD-G signed agreement reached in those meetings, under which integrated forces would be under supreme command of President Joseph Kabila

Integration of armed forces continues...

• Senior officer from FAC would take up post of Chief of Staff in new national army

• Senior official of the RCD-G will become the Minister of Defence and another officer from same organisation’s armed wing will take up the post of Chief of Land Forces

Integration of armed forces continues...

• MLC is, however, unhappy, with distribution of power under this deal, in which that group would get posts of Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration

• Eventually, this issue was left to different parties to solve among themselves

FINAL PLENARY OF ICD

• Final plenary of ICD took place at Sun City on 1 and 2 April 2003

• During plenary on 1 April 2003, the Global and Inclusive Agreement on the Transition in the DRC and the Transitional Constitution were endorsed

• During closing ceremony on 2 April 2003, Final Act was signed by 44 delegates who represented five components of ICD

Final plenary of ICD continues...

• Final Act comprise following:– Preamble– Four articles – 36 Resolutions adopted during the previous

session of ICD at Sun City – List of signatories

• In preamble and articles, signatories commit themselves to be bound by decisions and agreements of ICD

MILITARY SITUATION IN THE EASTERN DRC

• Situation in the east of the DRC has remained precarious throughout process of ICD

• Soon after the signing of the Global and Inclusive Agreement on the Transition in the DRC, fierce fighting broke out between the Congolese Rally for Democracy-National (RCD-N) and the MLC,

Military situation continues...

• on the one hand and Congolese Rally for Democracy-Kinsangani/Liberation Movement (RCD-K/ML), on the other

• Mr Amos Namanga Ngongi, special representative of the United Nations Secretary General to the DRC, initiated a meeting in Gbadolite on 30 December 2002 between the presidents of MLC, RCD-K/ML and RCD-N

Military situation continues...

• An agreement was reached to establish the Ituri Pacification Committee (IPC) in accordance with the Luanda Agreement

• Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) took over Bunia in the east from the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) OF Mr Thomas Lubanga on 6 March 2003

• UPDF has in the meantime established order and its soldiers were deployed at strategic points

Military situation continues...• A truce was signed on 18 March 2003

between belligerents in Ituri region

• It was decided that all parties would be encouraged to immediately nominate their representatives to Preparatory Committee for IPC to enable it to finish its work before 24 April 2003

• UN indicated that a large number of civilians had been killed in village of Drodro, 80 kilometres east of Bunia, on 3 April 2003

THIRD PARTY VERIFICATION MECHANISM• Pretoria Agreement was signed on 30 July

2002 between the Heads of State of the DRC and Rwanda on the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from the territory of DRC as well as on the dismantling of the Interhamwe and ex-FAR in the DRC

TPVM continues...

• According to this agreement, the responsibilities of the Third Party was assigned to the United Nations Secretary General and the South African Government in its dual capacity as mediator and Chair of the African Union

• The Third Party Verification Mechanism (TPVM) was established to act as the Secretariat for the Third Party

TPVM continues...

• Rwanda completed the withdrawal of their troops from the territory of the DRC on 5 October 2002

• Main concern remains lack of implementation of Pretoria Agreement on the side of the DRC Government

• During first meeting of the Principals on 1 November 2002 in Pretoria, the TPVM’s mandate was extended with another 90 days

TPVM continues...

• Second meeting of the Principals in Paris on 20 February 2003 mandated TPVM to continue with its work until its duties could be handed over to a relevant structure in DRC transitional government

TPVM’S INVESTIGATION IN EAST OF DRC

• Subsequent to reports on threatening troop presence and movements from different competing forces in ease of DRC, the Chairperson of Africa Union instructed TPVM to engage various parties and verify their claims and report back to Chairperson

• TPVM has observed that there is a large amount of aggressive military activity posing threat to peace process in DRC

TPVM continues...

• TPVM has further recommended that Uganda adheres to the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement and withdraws its troops from territory of DRC and that they should not be allowed to remain in that country’s territory

• DRC Government has been urged by the TPVM to respect Lusaka Cease- fire Agreement and not allow itself to be provoked into deploying its troops in eastern part of DRC

REPORT ON THE GREAT LAKES SUMMIT MEETING

• President TM Mbeki convened a Summit Meeting on the Great Lakes on 9 April 2003, in Cape Town, following renewed tensions in the Northeastern part of the DRC

• It also took place against the backdrop of the massacre of civilians in the village of Drodro, 80 kilometers east of Bunia, on 3 April 2003

Report on Great Lakes continues...

• The Summit was attended by Presidents Joseph Kabila of the DRC, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania

• After extensive deliberations on the situation in the DRC, President Mbeki reported that Uganda confirmed its plans to withdraw from the Ituri regions by 24 April 2003, in keeping with the previous undertakings

Report on Great Lakes continues…

• President Mbeki further reported that he had secured an undertaking from the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, that the UN monitoring force in the DRC, MONUC would be deployed in the Ituri region after the withdrawal of the Ugandan Peoples’ Defence Force (UPDF)

• Once it is in place, the Transition Government of the DRC will deploy its force to replace MONUC

Report on the Great Lakes continues...

• President Mbeki announced that President Kabila had sent out invitations to the five components of the ICD to nominate their representatives and attend the first meeting of the Follow Up Committee which would take place in the Kinshasa on Monday, 14 April 2003

• The President noted that this was an important first step towards an all-inclusive transitional arrangement in the DRC

Report on the Great Lakes continues...

• President Mbeki also reported that the Summit discussed the Pretoria Agreement and noted progress made by the TPVM

• In this connection, the Summit agreed to include the Ituri region within its scope

• This means that the TPVM will also verify troop withdrawal in the North East

Report on the Great Lakes continues...

• The President noted that the capacity of the TPVM will have to be strengthened in order to enable it to fulfil this additional responsibility

• President Mbeki concluded by expressing the view that the Summit was convinced that the measures they agreed to will advance peace in the DRC

CHALLENGES

• Biggest challenge now lies with Congolese themselves to institute the various structures that are provided for during transitional period

• Second challenge is to reach agreement between different parties on integration of armed forces

Challenges continues...

• Third challenge facing peace process in DRC is cessation of military hostilities in eastern part of DRC

• Fourth challenge is composition of the Follow-up Committee, which will be established to facilitate implementation of agreements signed at final plenary of ICD