UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
DRC: Rebels tell Angola they have no links with UNITA

DRC: Rebels tell Angola they have no links with UNITA

DRC: Rebels tell Angola they have no links with UNITA

NAIROBI, 27 August 1998 (IRIN) - In a bid to persuade Angola to end its military support for Kinshasa, the rebel Congolese Democratic Movement (CDM) has written to the Angolan government to assure Luanda their campaign is a homegrown popular uprising and no UNITA forces are among their ranks.

A copy of the statement sent to the Angolan government on Tuesday and signed by CDM President Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, has been received by IRIN.

The statement affirms that the CDM "have never ever approached UNITA or its allies the Interahamwe". It adds that "UNITA has created havoc in our country" and "we are committed to fully support the Angolan government in its efforts to resolve their UNITA-related question."

The message stresses that: "There has been no invasion of the Congo by Rwanda or Uganda. The problems of the Congo shall be resolved by Congolese people themselves ... any external military intervention will only complicate them."

"Our movement is open to all democratic forces in the Congo," the statement reads. "It is understood that our problems are fundamentally political and thus have to be resolved politically."

The message adds that the CDM is willing to send a delegation to Luanda to further clarify the rebel movement's position.

Nairobi, 27 August 1998 13:00 gmt

[ENDS]

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Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 16:14:06 +0300 From: IRIN - Central and Eastern Africa <irin@ocha.unon.org> Subject: DRC: Rebels tell Angola they have no links with UNITA

Editor: Dr. Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D

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