ANB-BIA SUPPLEMENT

ISSUE/EDITION Nr 454 - 15/04/2003

CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS

TENSION

The population of the Pool region are still suffering a great deal from hostilities. On 17 March, the government and the rebel Ninjas agreed to a ceasefire in the Pool region with the promise to enrol Ninja militia into the regular government forces and to grant them an amnesty. In Brazzaville, however, pessimism prevails

 Is it the end of rebellion in the Pool region? On 17 March, the government, represented by Mr.Isidore Mvouba, and Bernard Kolelas’ Ninja militia led by Pastor Ntoumi, and represented by Mr.Mahoulouba at the meeting, undertook to end the war which has been raging in the Pool region for five years. The Ninja have been conducting a guerilla warfare from the forests surrounding the capital, and this has always been a threat in the eyes of the Brazzaville government. During the signing ceremony in Brazzaville, a member of the Follow-up Committee for Peace and the Rebuilding of Congo recalled that: «On many occasions, the rebels had conducted raiding operations from the forests north and south of the capital, killing many people». Both sides agreed that the further commitment for peace reaffirms a number of past agreements: The ceasefire signed at the end of 1999 in Brazzaville and Pointe Noire; the Amnesty Law number 21/99 (20 December 1999) granting amnesty to all those involved in the 1993–94, 1997 and 1998-99 civil wars. This Law has been expanded to include the recent events of 29 March 2002, which triggered off new hostilities in the Pool region.

Good intentions

The government made it clear that it was willing to integrate former rebel fighters into the security forces «within the limits indicated by the government and complying with certain criteria». Mr.Isidore Mvouba said that soldiers belonging to the government army who deserted to the rebel Ninja militia, can rejoin their original regiments for service within the country.

For their part, the rebels have shown good will. Through their representative, Mr. Mahoulouba, they promised «not to place obstacles to re-establishing the central government’s authority in the Pool region». To prove this, they intend to encourage the free circulation of people and goods, stop hostilities, collect up arms still in use among many Ninjas, and finally, allow the redeployment of government forces in the Pool region. «This will make it possible for elections to be held in that part of the country». Because of the war raging there, it hasn’t been possible to extend the election process to the Pool region. The rebels ask that the government make it possible for young people to take their place in the nation’s socio-economic life.

For the moment, the good intentions are paper agreements. The International Office for Migration (IOM) which was the only organisation working for arms collection and the rehabilitation of former fighters, shut down its local office in November 2002 — and rightly so because Congo had refused to cooperate with the IOM‘s efforts.

A former IOM employer in Brazzaville says: «Congo had promised $500,000 as a contribution to the disarming and rehabilitation project, but nothing happened — whereas, international donors such as the European Union (EU), Norway, the USA and the United Nations Programme for Development kept to their agreement». 15,000 former fighters should have been rehabilitated by the end of 2002; in fact, only 8,000 were. More than 10,000 light weapons were collected.

Pessimism is the order of the day in Brazzaville, where people are still anxiously awaiting the end of war. For example, there’s the three teachers from Madzia, a village situated alongside the railway, who’ve been refugees in Brazzaville since April 2002. They say: «The rebel leader, Pastor Ntoumi, must emerge from the forests with his militia and allow passenger and freight traffic to once again circulate freely in the Pool. Only then will we be convinced that Pastor Ntoumi’s telling the truth». Pool residents who are itching to get back home, all think along the same lines.

Since 2002, in the Mindouli area situated more than 150 km south of Brazzaville, more than 400 young Ninja fighters have surrendered to the government security forces. They’re now living in the former parliament building in Brazzaville. Jobless, clearly discouraged, these youths don’t know what to do in the town. As yet, no concrete action has been taken to rehabilitate them into the nation’s socio-economic life.

There’s another reason to doubt the seriousness of the new commitment: it’s not the first time that government and rebels have signed such a document. The ceasefire signed at the end of 1999 between the government and the rebels had given rise for hope in the devastated Pool region. Thousands of people who had left the capital, only to be taken hostage by the rebels, managed to escape back to town. But peace lasted only a short time. Repeated ceasefire violations resulted in a further outbreak of hostilities, especially since October 2002. This was when government and rebels were at the negotiating table — without success, of course. On 19 November, President Sassou ordered a humanitarian corridor to be opened in order to allow the Ninjas to come out of the forests. He promised them amnesty. These corridors however, soon became death traps as anyone attempting to pass through were simply killed. In December, the rebel chief Pastor Ntoumi, in his turn asked for a real dialogue. This and the round table negotiations requested by the Opposition, were rejected by the government.