Great Lakes: IRIN Update 132, 3/20/97

U N I T E D N A T I O N S Department of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network for the Great Lakes

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IRIN Emergency Update No. 132 on the Great Lakes (Thursday 20 March 1997)

* An attack on three displaced persons camps in Buganda commune of Cibitoke province of Burundi has left 135 dead and 144 wounded, Radio Burundi announced today. The dispatch says the attack, in which 300 shelters were burnt, was mounted by "genocidal groups" and that the camps were among those described by these groups as "concentration camps". This implies that they were regroupment camps.

Regroupment camps holding about 200,000, mainly Hutu, civilians are part of the government's strategy to counter insurgency by rebel groups, in particular the National Council for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD) and its armed wing, the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD). Former UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Great Lakes, Martin Griffiths said on March 7 that the international community should be "fundamentally opposed" to the regroupment policy, which the Burundian government claims is voluntary, but observers say is at least partially involuntary. However, given reports of malnutrition and health problems in the camps, UN agencies were willing to offer limited help to alleviate suffering under certain conditions. "The dilemma for aid agencies is how to meet humanitarian needs without having the effect of encouraging the military policy", Griffiths said.

In a presentation yesterday by the Burundian Prime Minister, international aid agencies were warned that the Burundian government would henceforth be exercising a greater role in "coordination", and would set priorities and areas in which NGOs should work. UN agencies, donors and NGOs have expressed deep reservations at being asked to supply services to the inhabitants of the regroupment camps.

* African leaders yesterday called for an immediate ceasefire in Zaire and negotiations to end the country's civil war, but made no new proposals for resolving the turmoil. The six-nation mini-summit in Nairobi called for the urgent implementation of the UN five point peace plan, drawn up by Mohamed Sahnoun, Joint UN/OAU Special Representative for the Great Lakes region, and urged all parties to facilitate access for humanitarian assistance. In a final communique, the leaders expressed grave concern at the rapidly deteriorating situation in Zaire and "loss of lives, suffering of refugees, displaced persons and other victims of the conflict, as well as destruction of property and infrastructure". The Summit requested the establishment of a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the peace plan and stressed the importance of Africa's involvement in the process. Leaders asked the 17-nation extraordinary summit of the conflict resolution Central Organ of the OAU, to be held in Lome, Togo on 26 March, to address this issue. UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, currently on an African tour, including South Africa and Angola, will attend the Lome summit. He said today that the Security Council would have to consider establshing a "monitoring mechanism and that can only be done by troops."

Speaking at yesterday's summit, its chairman Kenyan President, Daniel arap Moi, warned that continued conflict in Zaire and the Great Lakes region would have repercussions "far and wide". The president said that a negotiated settlement was necessary to arrive at a lasting solution. The summit, which lasted about four hours, was attended by Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, Pascal Lissouba of Congo, Vice-President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Prime Minister Peter Mafany Musonge of Cameroon and Zairean Prime Minister Kengo wa Dondo, who was voted out of office in his absence by about 470 members of Zaire's 738-seat transitional parliament. Also attending the summit was the Secretary-General of the OAU, Salim Ahmed Salim and Sahnoun. Kengo's spokesman, Famboy Dema, called the vote a "flagrant violation" of the constitution of Zaire. The US government has also questioned the legality of the parliamentary vote and said that the US would continue to recognise Kengo as the legal authority of the government of Zaire.

Belgium indirectly criticised the sacking and called on political parties in Zaire to end their "useless quarrels and mobilise behind a common goal". Military leaders are widely believed to be behind the move to sack Kengo. However, Zairean Chief of Staff General Mahele Bokoungu said on CNN that the army remained non-political. Sources say that some generals want a replacement who would negotiate with Laurent-Desire Kabila, leader of the rebel group, the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire. Kengo, who returned to Kinshasa today, has repeatedly refused to negotiate with the ADFL. The ADFL said that the sacking of Kengo did not change anything and that their objective was still to reach Zaire's capital, Kinshasa, by June. Spokesman Raphael Ghenda told AFP that the rebels wanted "a major clean-up of the country's political rulers". Zaire's army also pledged yesterday to continue the fight.

* General Mahele yesterday addressed officers and men of the FAZ in Kinshasa. He blamed the "bad performance" of the army in the east on the Zairean "political class". He urged the solderis to respect military discipline, and said they had lost the battle, not the war. According to state-run Voice of Zaire radio, he called on the soldiers to respect military laws and regulations, protect people and property and defend the country's territorial integrity and republican institutions "at all costs". He urged the army not to give in to "mind poisoning" which can make the army commit "reprehensible acts". The army would from henceforth control acquisition and management of weapons and logistics directly, he said, while urging a lifting of the European arms embargo.

* Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko left hospital yesterday and will return to Zaire "by the weekend" said aides. Mobutu had been in hospital since Sunday after returning to France on 21 February for his third stay since surgery for prostate cancer in Switzerland in August last year. In a sign that preparations for his return to Zaire were underway, Mobutu's private plane was reported to be standing by at Nice airport. Mobutu was also scheduled to meet with journalists at his Riveria villa today but the session was cancelled at the last minute. In a telephone interview with CNN, Mobutu's son, Nzenga, said that his father would return to consult his parliament about whether he should enter into negotiations with Kabila. Asked whether Mobutu favoured negotiations, Nzenga said that it was "too premature to discuss" but that following yesterday's Nairobi summit he hoped that a solution could be found.

A Swiss member of parliament and Berne based activist group urged the government and banks yesterday to freeze Mobutu's Swiss bank account, estimated in 1982 to be worth about US$ 4 billion. A spokeswoman for the Swiss Banker's Association said "we are not aware of any reason to believe" Mobutu had money in Swiss banks, reports Reuters. The plea was in response to Kabila's recent call for the return of Mobutu's fortunes.

* As fears grew that soldiers may loot Kinshasa, growing numbers of Zaireans, including another of Mobutu's sons, Kongolo Mobutu and two of his cousins, have left the city for neighbouring Congo. Kongolo, nicknamed "Saddam Hussein", is reported to have fled last Thursday by river boat. Sources said that he was booed on his arrival by Zaireans and Congolese. Yesterday, Nzenga Mobutu denied that any close family members had fled Zaire. Sources in Kinshasa say that the city remains very tense. Western diplomats and a source close to the presidency told AP that there a dangerous divisions among top generals between those loyal to Mobutu and those who would want to seize power in his absense. Many foreigners are also fleeing the city and some shops boarded at the weekend remain closed. The Congolese Red Cross has announced plans to set up a processing centre for refugees from Zaire at Moukondo in Congo.

* France today recommended that its citizens to leave Zaire "provisionally" if their presence is not essential. France sent 100 troops, three planes and two helicopters to Libreville, Gabon and Brazzaville, Congo last night to assist in any evacuation if necessary. French Foreign Minister Herve de Charrette said in an interview on 17 March that France was not "seeking to gain anything" in the Zaire crisis. "I do not believe that we have any real interests in this part of the world - we have duties", he said on France Info radio. A 30-member US military team arrived in west Africa today to make plans for a possible evacuation of US nationals from Zaire. The deployment, however, did not represent a commitment or intention by the US to deploy other forces in the region, said a Pentagon spokesperson. Some 650 US citizens live in Zaire. Germany also advised its 200 or so nationals - 130 of them based in Kinshasa - to leave Zaire for security reasons, but will see how the situation develops before deciding on an evacuation.

* According to Reuters, many residents in Lubumbashi - Zaire's second largest city and capital of the country's copper belt - say that they welcome the ADFL and promised little resistance to a rebel advance on the city. Some believe that the city will fall as early as the weekend. A Belgian expatriate told AFP "they (the rebels) always make their decisive victories on Saturday - so this Saturday could be Lubumbashi's turn". Kabila had said, following the capture of Kisangani on Saturday, that Lubumbashi was his next target. However, yesterday Kabila said that he may be tempted to head straight for Kinshasa or to the diamond capital of Mbuji-Mayi and bypass Lubumbashi, which lies only 30 kms as the crow flies from the border with Zambia. Some inhabitants, meanwhile, are reported by AFP to be taking precautions against looting or have left, some fleeing overland to Zambia. One source told AFP that the outflow was so great on Wednesday that the Zairean side of the border was closed for several hours to cope with the backlog. The daily Zaire Airlines flight to Kinshasa has been packed all week and Sunday's flight to Johannesburg was moved up to Wednesday. It was filled with women and children.

* An Ilyushin transport plane which landed in Kisangani on Wednesday with the first batch of relief food supplies since the city fell to the ADFL on Saturday was briefly delayed at the airport today following problems over the plane's paperwork. Officials from WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR and MSF flew from Goma to Kisangani again today to assess the situation in Kisangani and Ubundu, 100 kms to the south. At Ubundu, some 100,000 refugees have gathered on both sides of the river, many of them in poor condition. Kabila announced yesterday a one week ceasefire to facilitate assistance to the refugees.

* Amnesty International has issued a statement expressing concern for the safety of nine men accused of involvement in a plot to assassinate the country's leader, Pierre Buyoya. The men, arrested on 8 and 9 March, are reported to have been tortured and at risk from further abuses. Amnesty says that although the men have also been accused of being responsible for a series of mine explosions in Bujumbura, they have not been properly charged with any offence. So far, at least 40 people, are reported to have been arrested in connection with last weeks alleged plot. The Amnesty statement says that it is investigating reports that the arrests may be politically motivated and may relate to the accused's membership or association with the PARENA party and its opposition to the current regime.

PARENA's president Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, under house arrest since 19 January, has been outspoken in his criticism of Buyoya. Bagaza's father, who required medical treatment, was prevented from leaving the house and died. The secretary-general of the Front pour la democratie au Burundi (FRODEBU), Augustin Nzojibwami, was arrested on 11 February and accused of subversion activities. He was subsequently released following a decision by Burundi's Supreme Court not to uphold the order. FRODEBU's executive secretary was detained for questioning in late February and tortured. Since Buyoya came to power in July last year, Amnesty says it has documented numerous cases of extrajudicial execution, arbitrary arrest and torture.

Nairobi, 20 March 1997, 15:30 GMT [ENDS]

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ate: Thu, 20 Mar 1997 18:36:58 +0300 From: UN DHA IRIN - Great Lakes <irin@dha.unon.org> Subject: Great Lakes: IRIN Update 132 for 20 Mar 1997 97.3.20 Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.95.970320182144.29932A-100000@amahoro.dha.unon.org>

Editor: Ali Dinar, aadinar@mail.sas.upenn.edu