There is mixed reaction after residentsin the restive town of Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province heardannouncement that Rwandan forces are in the country to fight rebels. This comesafter Kinshasa invited Kigali troops to chase down the Forcesfor the Liberation of Rwanda rebelsafter a recent agreement last year between Congo President Joseph Kabila and RwandaPresident Paul Kagame. Hundreds of Rwandan troops reportedly crossed into north eastern DRC yesterday(Tuesday) with the aim of rooting out FDLR rebels who are accused ofperpetuating Rwanda's 1994 genocide. But while some residents hailed the move, othersfear of an escalation of violence, which they said would increase the numbersof displaced people.
MadnodjeMounoubai is the spokesman for the United Nations Mission in the DRC (MONUC).He tells reporter Peter Clottey that MONUC would help Kinshasa protect thelives of ordinary Congolese.
"TheSpecial Representative of the UN Secretary General (Alan Doss) in the DRC isfollowing closely those developments in the eastern part of the DRC. We think that whatever is taking place now isin line with recent agreement between the DRC and Rwanda during their meetingin Goma last year when they signed an accord last December to get a joint forceagainst the FDLR, and I think that is what is taking place now," Mounoubai noted.
Hesaid MONUC hopes the joint military operation would not adversely affectresidents in the eastern part of the country.
"Weare calling on all those parties involved in this military operation to aboveall make sure that the civilians are protected and that the internationalhumanitarian laws are respected and applied as they are. And of course we areworried when there is going to be a military operation and so far we don't havemany details about how and when the operation itself will begin," he said.
Mounoubaidenied claims by Kinshasa that the United Nations mission in DRC is involved inthe military operation.
"MONUCis not being part of the preparatory meeting that is leading to the militaryoperation. So, what I can tell you is that yes the war is there and we arecalling on all the parties to make sure that the civilians are not the innocentvictims during this military offensive," Mounoubai pointed out.
Hesaid MONUC is mandated to help protect the lives of innocent Congolese.
"Thelast resolution 1856 gives us a firmer mandate to do everything in our capacityto protect civilians. But now the minister of communication and the media wason different media outlets today talking about the difficulty in informingCongolese about the joint military operation. So, I think the government isaware of the current situation about the mix reaction that greeted the Rwandanforces. So, the minister is trying to take some actions in order to informpeople about the operation," he said.
Mounoubaisaid it behooves Kinshasa to protect its citizens although MONUC would provideassistance.
"Thefirst thing you must be aware of is that it is not MONUC's responsibility toprotect the population or the civilians, this is the government'sresponsibility. We are assisting the government of this country to provideprotection to the civilians. And as far as MONUC is concerned this is ourmandate and we are in contact and working closely with the humanitariancommunities and we are following developments on the ground and bracingourselves to intervene whenever it is necessary to protect the civilians andbring them assistance if that is what is needed," Mounoubai noted.
Somepolitical analysts say the joint military offensive between Kigali and Kinshasacould potentially change the security landscape. The presence of the FDLRrebels is believed to have contributed immensely to the instability in theeastern part of the DRC.