Democratic republic of Congo to negotiate with M23 rebels in Uganda
By Godfrey Olukya 6-12-2012
The government of Democratic republic of Congo and M23 rebels who have occupied some areas in eastern part of the country are to start holding peace talks tomorrow in Uganda’s capital Kampala.
This follows the declaration in Kampala on 24 November 2012, of the Heads of State and Government of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), on the security situation in Eastern DRC.
A statement issued by Uganda government media center today said,’Delegations from the DRC Government and M23 shall begin
preliminary meetings tomorrow 7th December 2012 in Kampala, Uganda, to resolve the conflict in Eastern DRC.’
It went ahead to say, ‘Key on the agenda are Ground rules, working framework for subsequent meetings and Guidelines for and Composition of Observers.’
Uganda, the statement added, being the current Chair of the ICGLR, continues to facilitate the peace process in DRC.
A few days ago, M23 rebels captured a key city in eastern Democratic republic of Congo called Goma. UN condemned the act and ordered the rebels to vacate.
After intervention from Uganda and Rwanda, the rebels withdrew but after giving some conditions.
Chaos caused by rebels attacking government troops in the region has led to over 30,000 refugees fleeing to Rwanda and Uganda where they are living in pathetic conditions.
END
