CONGO / FDLR

Since 1994, in eastern Congo, the mountains have belonged to the Rwandan rebels of FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda). The Congolese army, or UN peacekeeping forces based in Congo rarely venture into this region, but things may be changing.

Many leaders of the FDLR Hutu rebels (between 8 and 10, 000 combatants) are accused of involvement in the Rwandan genocide in which at least 800, 000 Tutsis and moderate Hutu were killed between April and July 1994. Some FDLR rebels were members of the former Rwandan army, known as ex-FAR, and pro Hutu militiamen, known as the Interahamwe.

The presence of thousands of Rwandan rebels in eastern Congo during the last ten years has fuelled regional instability and put the Congolese population under constant threat. Rwanda has used the presence of the rebels to justify its invasions of eastern Congo in 1996 and 1998.

Last March in Rome, representatives of the FDLR announced the movement was willing to cease military action, disarm and return home. A timetable envisaged that demobilization would begin by early May and repatriation would be completed by the end of June, but since then no progress has been made.

On the 24th June, near the south Kivu rebels headquarter, one of the senior officers among the armed wing of the movement announced a change in the leadership of the group.

Following what seems to be an internal coup, Colonel Amani Jeribaal, seen as a moderate, said the existing commanders had failed to seize the opportunities presented by the Rome peace process and a new command was taking over.

SOUNDBITE (French) Colonel Amani Jeribaal, FDLR:
"Conscious of our responsibility in front of God, history and the Rwandan people, we decide and declare the following things : the present commanders of the armed wing of the FDLR are hereby relieved of all their function and are hereby dismissed since Friday 24 June 2005. They have been replaced temporally by the Military Command for Change"

SOUNDBITE (French) Colonel Amani Jeribaal, FDLR:
"We confirm our total adherence to the Rome declaration and reiterate our determination to restart quickly this peace process. Therefore we are demanding the rapid establishment of the steering committee as previously planned".

The announcement was condemned by the political wing of the movement who labeled it an act of "treason" and asked for sanctions. But the split between moderate and hardliners, between the rebels armed forces in Congo, mostly composed of young rebels who are not involved in the Rwanda genocide and the old guard who could face trial for their crimes, seems to be growing.

After more than 10 years in the bush, many rebels may want to come back to Rwanda, but remain in fear of the gacaca, the local judiciary courts put in place in Rwanda to deal with the crimes committed during the genocide.

SOUNDBITE (French) FDLR rebel, ex FAR:
"I, like everybody would like to come back, but the gacaca court process has complicated everything and scared the FDLR members."

Although it may be too soon to expect a quick return to Rwanda of the FDLR rebels, it could be a very positive step for peace in a region which has suffered terribly from instability during the last decade.

SOUNDBITE (English) Tim Reid, Canadian team leader MONUC (UN Peace keeping mission in Congo) for Demobilisation:
"Hopefully it will be a positive step. It certainly seems like it will be, and should it come about it will be very important for several reasons. Most important is that it is a group that has been living off the Congolese population for the last ten years. If they would leave, it means one less group living off the Congolese population. So, that's the first most important thing. And an important thing to realize also is that it is the Congolese population who are the most at risk and suffering the most from different armed groups in Eastern Congo, more than the Rwanda population at this point of time. The second thing, is that it will cease to be a pretext for any invasion from Rwanda, therefore that will be another threat to them which will be removed. It will also be a potential threat to Rwanda population that would be removed".

But the new command of the FDLR may yet face a new threat. Last month (24 June), the EU special representative to Africa, Aldo Ajello said the Union might support military action against the rebels if they refuse to disarm and return home.
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