by M. Libani, Congo-Brazza, November 1999
THEME = CIVIL WAR
On 16 November, a ceasefire agreement was
signed in Pointe-Noire:
the various factions involved in the
fighting, seemed to have at last
decided that negotiation is
better than fighting
A Cocoye militiaman put it this way: "In the long run, any war comes to an end around the negotiating table. Let's hope this means peace". Congo-Brazza's authorities had been quietly engaging in behind-the-scenes dialogue with the various factions involved in the conflict, and this seems to have born fruit. The proof? A number of exiled politicians who held senior positions in the former government, saw that violence was getting them nowhere and opted for a peaceful solution to the present conflict. They then returned home from exile. Since December 1998, the Congolese Armed Forces (FAC) and the rebel factions - the "Ninjas" of the former mayor of Brazzaville, Bernard Kolélas, and the "Cocoyes", of the former President of the Republic, Pascal Lissouba, had been slugging it out. Now they've agreed to lay down their arms. This decision was taken at Pointe-Noire (Congo-Brazza's economic capital) where on Tuesday 16 November, they signed a ceasefire agreement.
The Pointe-Noire Agreement which ended the fighting, was made possible thanks to the committee of exiled Congolese living in Douala, Cameroon, under the leadership of the former minister, Marius Mouambenga. The committee was determined to bring peace to their country. The Agreement was signed by representatives from the following groups: The FAC's high command - the delegation under the leadership of Brigadier-General Célestin Moukoki; the rebel National Movement for the Freedom of Congo (MNLC) - the delegation under the leadership of Colonel Bouissi Moukoko, alias Paul Mouléri; the "Cobra" militia (President Denis Sassou Nguesso's pro-government militia); the "Ninja" rebels (Bernard Kolélas) - the delegation under the leadership of Commander Bernard Tandou (former adviser to Bernard Kolélas); the resistance movement "South-South".
The Agreement envisages inter alia: Amnesty for the rebellious ex-militiamen, once they have laid down their arms; a rescue operation for the people who have taken refuge in the forest areas of The Pool, Bouenza, Niari and Lekoumou; the FAC to stop any military action against the armed factions, signatories to the aforesaid agreement, except in the event of a violation of the Agreement; senior and junior officers plus privates, to be assimilated within the security forces before 15 December.
Not everybody's enchanted with this Agreement. But", says President Denis Sassou Nguesso, "there's something new afoot which cannot be ignored. The fact is, the rebels answered my call for a return to peace, launched on 14 August. The young people who took up arms and who were operating from the forests have just given proof of it. We are persuaded that the steps taken in Congo- Brazza to bring about peace, are irreversible. The armed factions inside the country took their own decision and responded in a concrete way to our appeal for peace".
According to supporters of deposed president Pascal Lissouba, presently in exile in London, the Pointe-Noire Agreement is a "machination". They say that further negotiations under the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity's auspices must take place, to guarantee lasting peace as well as the withdrawal of foreign troops from Congo- Brazza.
Many political observers say that dialogue is the only way forward. But from his exile in the USA, Bernard Kolélas describes the Pointe-Noire negotiations as "a sham", for, he says, there can be no way out of the present crisis without the signature of the political leaders on the ceasefire Agreement.
For civil society, this Agreement aims to finally end Congo- Brazza's internal violence which has been continuing since 18 December 1998.
It's clear the politicians must get round the negotiating table to discuss how national unity can be achieved, and to arrive at a true and lasting peace. Already, on 14 July 1997, they had unanimously signed a ceasefire agreement. But what happened? They started off again! Let's hope that this latest Pointe-Noire Agreement will be respected by all those involved in the present conflict.
END