Miliband among diplomats heading to DRC
Foreign secretary David Miliband is flying to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) today as the international community seeks to end fighting in the west African country’s interior.
DRC president Joseph Kabila has agreed to an emergency summit with Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagama as rebel forces remain camped outside North Kivu province’s capital Goma.
Over 200,000 people are believed to have fled before the rebel advance and agencies are warning a humanitarian catastrophe could develop if fighting prevents aid being delivered.
A tentative ceasefire continues to hold as rebel leader Laurent Nkunda seeks negotiations with the Kinshasa government.
DRC government troops fled Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, earlier this week, leaving just 850 United Nations peacekeeping troops in the city.
The UN is in the process of redeploying its 17,000 other peacekeepers – the world’s largest peacekeeping force – from around Congo to Goma.
Reports that rebels have looted and burned camps set up to cope with the internally displaced persons have been condemned by French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner.
The AFP news agency quoted him as telling French radio Europe 1: “This is a massacre such as Africa has probably never seen, which is taking place virtually before our eyes.”
He and Mr Miliband are joined by US African envoy Jendayi Frazer in Goma, where they will seek to expedite the negotiation process.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “They will impress upon the leaders of both countries the seriousness of the situation, the need to engage urgently to find a solution to the underlying problem and to take stock of the situation as they find it,” the spokesman said.
“They are not going to set unrealistic ambitions for the visit but the fact that they are going illustrates the level of concern that we and the French have.”
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon remains deeply worried by the situation, which he described as “very threatening”.
