Uganda: U.S. concerned about Uganda, Congo tensions r

(SomaliNet) The DR Congo and Rwanda that a spell of diplomatic activity continued on Wednesday on efforts to resolve a simmering repeat of conflict involving Uganda.

Dr Jendayi Ellyn Frazer, the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, told a press conference yesterday in Kampala after meeting with President Museveni that the US government was “very concerned about the situation in the eastern DRC” and were working “to ensure that the security situation improves.”

Ms Frazer said apart from her meeting with Mr Museveni, she had also held talks with Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Joseph Kabila of DR Congo.

“President Museveni and I spoke about the eastern DR Congo today and he assured me that he will continue to work to reduce tensions with the government of the DRC,” she told journalists.

Ms Frazer said the US facilitated the Tripartite-plus meeting between Uganda, DRC, Rwanda, and Burundi that will be held in Kampala between September 15-17, “to discuss common approaches to address negative forces in eastern Congo that include FDLR, Laurent Nkunda and the LRA.”

Renewed tensions have been mounting in eastern Congo over the last few weeks raising international fears of the period between 1998 and 2003 when nine regional neighbours got involved on different sides in a conflict that left an estimated 2.3 million people dead in less than 10 years.

Between July 29 and August 9, there were three separate attacks on Uganda from DR Congo that left four people dead.

One of those killed was a worker with Heritage Oil and Gas who was shot on an oil exploration berge on Lake Albert. Congolese soldiers shot at the berge, which they said had trespassed into their waters.

On August 9, a group of armed Congolese men raided the border village of Butogota in Kanungu, killed three people, injured several others and looted some property before retreating into the Congo. Earlier, four Ugandan soldiers had been abducted by Congolese forces but were later released following negotiations.

Though unrelated the incidents, provoked a warning from both Uganda’s Minister for Security Amama Mbabazi and that for Defence Crispus Kiyonga that Uganda could redeploy in Congo to pursue the attackers.

But Ms Frazer said the US government was happy with the diplomatic efforts going on so far to deal with the matter.

Meanwhile, tensions between Congo and Rwanda rose up again recently when former Congolese army general turned rebel leader; Laurent Nkunda resumed fighting in the North Kivu area leading to a break down a fragile peace process.

There were reports that Rwandan troops could have re-entered Congo to bolster Nkunda. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebel leader a claim Rwanda denies.

Rwanda in turn accuses the DRC of harbouring rebels of the FDLR hostile to the Kigali government.

Rwanda and Uganda deployed troops in eastern Congo in 1998 to fight against former President Laurent Kabila but later disagreed and backed different militias in a conflict that has devastated lives of millions of people in Africa’s largest country.

On the LRA, Ms Frazer warned that as much as the US government supports the ongoing peace talks in Juba under the mediation of the government of South Sudan and President Joachim Chissano, the process should not be allowed to drag on for ever.

She said the US would back the UN mission in Congo, Monuc, and Congolese government forces to push the LRA out of their hide outs in Garamba National Park.

“We look forward to the conclusion of the consultations and urge rapid progress on the remaining two items,” she said. She revealed that the US government had committed at least US$110million in development assistance to northern Uganda part of which was focussed on the peace process.-Daily Monitor