Great Lakes: Disarming the rebels in the long term?

Former rebels integrated in the Congolese national army, on parade following. Several armed groups signed a ceasefire in Goma to end their activities

IANSA members in the Great Lakes region have expressed serious concerns over disarmament initiatives in Burundi and DRC this week.

Around 21,000 combatants from the Burundian rebel group the FNL (Forces for National Liberation) are participating in a DDR scheme, after their leader surrendered his uniform and AK-47 to African Union troops. Although some combatants will be integrated into the police and army or be eligible for small business bursaries, most will return to civilian life with just $80. Dagropass and other Burundian NGOs have criticised the scheme, (implemented by the governmental commission in charge of civilian disarmament) saying that people who have previously handed in weapons voluntarily should also receive compensation.

Meanwhile a new peace agreement was signed in Goma, DR Congo this week. The agreement, which is part of the Amani process, comprises around ten rebel groups but leaves out several other armed non-state actors in the region, according to IANSA member Charles Nasibu.The declaration confirms that the groups will disband and cease their activities. The combatants will be given places in the official Congolese army.

However there are conflicting reports of the number of combatants still at large. The government-run Military Structure for Integration claims it has disarmed a total of 11,482 combatants. But the groups themselves say there are an estimated 21 900 combatants, leaving 10,000 unaccounted for. Meanwhile the UN mission in the region, MONUC, has removed 511 child soldiers from the armed groups.

Joseph Asanda, secretary of the Amani agreement commission, said the remaining combatants who do not join the latest agreement will be treated as bandits.

Charles Nasibu said that the main problem with the agreement was that it covers only the North Kivu area, leaving out South Kivu where the armed violence is equally serious. Also, the agreement includes the best-known armed group, the CNDP, but excludes several others, including the FDLR. .“There have been several recent attacks against government forces in both North and South Kivu, illustrating that the agreement must include all armed groups if a long term solution is to be put in place,” he said.

The CNDP is one of the largest rebel armed groups in the DRC. It divided following the arrest of its leader, General Nkunda in Rwanda earlier this year, with some combatants remaining loyal to Nkunda and other following his deputy, Jean Bosco. It is not clear whether Nkunda’s followers will disarm.

Nounou Booto Meeti from Femmes des Medias pour la Justice au Congo pointed out that if Jean Bosco is granted a position in government, then many rebel leaders will not be held to account for the atrocities they committed during the conflict. “This will create a culture of impunity in the government. There are men who will be in power in Kinshasa who have killed our men, raped our women and burnt our homes,” she said.