On Friday, human rights groups in the region announced that government forces in Democratic Republic of Congo and rebel troops were rearming and recruiting despite a January peace deal to end the fighting. Human rights groups warn that the peace process is now under threat. The US and European Union officials in the region are also warning that the situation in Congo is increasingly tense. Media reports from Congo said yesterday six plane-loads of arms and ammunition had been flown into Goma by the government in the last 10 days. Tens of thousands of people have fled as the situation in the area deteriorates. “What we’re seeing is re-recruiting and ongoing attempts by different armed groups to continue with the military option,” Human Rights Watch said. Alan Doss, the UN special representative for DR Congo, told the BBC that peacekeepers in the region were anxious about the situation. “When you have armed groups in close proximity to each other and where we are not making progress on the political process, the risk of an accident is always there and, of course, things can spiral out of control,” he said. The problem is that in the areas that armed groups control, violence against civilians of various kinds - and especially sexual violence - has continued. Tim Shortley, the US senior African conflict adviser and a witness to the Goma peace deal, warns that the peace process is now in danger. Early this year, a peace deal was signed in Goma between the government and the variety of groups that have been fighting for control of the lush green forests of eastern DR Congo. The peace deal is supposed to have seen the disarmament of groups and their integration into the army. But clashes since January’s peace deal have driven 100,000 from their homes, and with the situation as tense as it is now, any incident could spark off a fresh round of fighting. Surely, the recruitment and re-armament reports are very worrying. Among the armed groups are said to be Hutu FDLR, former members of the Rwandan army who fled to DR Congo, after participating in the Genocide. Given opportunity, these Hutu FDLR militias can strike and kill everybody not only in Rwanda but in the entire region. The European Union, which also witnessed the Goma peace deal, is now working hard to prevent an outbreak of fighting and everybody should be helping to prevent a new wave of fighting. ssuuna2000@yahoo.com
