DR Congo rebel leader agrees to talks with gov´t

The UN special envoy Olusegun Obasanjo(L) with Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunda(R) before talks in the North Kivu town of Jomba. Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunda has agreed to take part in UN-backed peace talks.

Source: CCTV.com | 11-17-2008 09:01
In the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunda has agreed to take part in UN-backed peace talks.

However, despite his support for a ceasefire, fighting between rebel soldiers and the government army raged on in the eastern part of the country.

After meeting with UN special envoy Olusegun Obasanjo, Nkunda said he had agreed to respect a ceasefire, open a humanitarian corridor to aid refugees, and support the UN peace initiative.

But he also asked Obasanjo to tell the Congolese government to respect a suspension of military hostilities.

Obasanjo said the talks with Nkunda went "extremely well." He said the rebel leader had also agreed to a tripartite committee to monitor ceasefire violations, but on the condition that the UN peacekeeping force in Congo is not involved.

But the UN envoy did not specify a date for the peace talks. Nor does he think it would involve face-to-face meetings with President Joseph Kabila, which Nkunda wants.

But he adds that Kabila is "not averse to negotiation".

Meanwhile, UN peacekeepers reported heavy fighting between Nkunda's rebel soldiers and the army near the village of Ndeko, 110 kilometers north of Goma.

Weeks of combat between the two sides have displaced around a quarter of a million civilians, creating a humanitarian crisis.