KINSHASA, March 12 — Angola has announced that it will send a military unit to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following the failure of a truce it brokered to end the fighting between government troops and M23 rebels.
The ceasefire was put in place on Tuesday, but both sides have accused each other of breaking it. The conflict, which began last month, has forced 300,000 people from their homes in North Kivu province.
A European Union operation to deliver aid to the regional capital, Goma, is underway. There are concerns that the fighting, which is focused on an area rich in minerals and home to dozens of militias, could result in a wider international conflict.
The Angolan president’s office issued a statement explaining that the soldiers would help secure areas held by the M23 rebel group and protect ceasefire monitors. Kenyan soldiers, who form part of the East African Community Regional Force, have already been deployed in the same areas.
The rebels, who are said to be backed by Rwanda, had announced their intention to withdraw from several captured villages just hours earlier. The Congolese government has welcomed the arrival of Angolan troops to assist in its fight against the rebels.
However, there is a risk of a repeat of “Africa’s world war”, when armies from at least eight African countries fought a war in eastern DR Congo over 20 years ago.
Rwanda has long criticised the Congolese authorities for failing to disarm Hutu rebels linked to the Rwandan genocide in 1994 but denies supporting the M23. – Namibia Daily News
