African leaders urge DR Congo rebels to leave Goma
Kampala, 25 Nov- (ANA) - Regional leaders meeting in Uganda on Saturday called on a rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to withdraw from a city seized by its fighters this week and to "stop all war activities." The M23 group must also "stop talk of overthrowing an elected government," said a statement issued by the regional leaders at the end of the Great Lakes region summit in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. It states the rebels should withdraw at least 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Goma and that the U.N. mission for DR Congo,MONUSCO, should monitor the buffer zone. The statement also calls on the Congolese government to listen to and resolve the grievances of the rebels, who took control of the city of Goma on Tuesday after days of fighting with government forces. The M23 group was named for a peace deal reached on March 23, 2009, which it accuses the government of violating. Congolese President Joseph Kabila was among the leaders who attended the conference Saturday aimed at ending the crisis. Rwandan President Paul Kagame was scheduled to attend, but sent his foreign minister instead, Ugandan officials said. Kagame attended monthly community meetings Saturday where residents plant trees, according to his website. The Rwandan president met his Congolese counterpart Tuesday in Uganda. After the meeting, the leaders issued a statement calling on the rebels to pull out of Goma. Rene Abandi, a spokesman for the M23 group, told reporters on the sidelines of the conference Saturday that the rebels' main aim was to force the Congolese president to agree to talks."We want talks over human rights and insecurity (involving) issues contained in the 2009 truce, which he, Kabila, has refused to implement," Abandi said. The outstanding issues include the sharing out of positions in the national army, an equitable distribution of resources and infrastructure development in eastern DR Congo, Abandi said. "If he (Kabila) does not agree talks now on how we get to implement the 2009 truce, then he will take full responsibility of what will happen later."
On Wednesday, another M23 spokesman told crowds at Goma's stadium that his group would fight on.(ANA)
FA/ANA/25 November 2012---------