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Rebel Appoints Ex-Government Officers

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
NEWS
March 31, 2003
Posted to the web March 31, 2003
Kinshasa
The Rwandan-backed movement in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the
rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma), has appointed to its
ranks four former army officers who had been condemned to death the
assassination of President Laurent-Desire Kabila.
One of the men, Bora Uzima Kamwanya, was a major in the government army. He has
been given the rank of brigadier general in the guerilla army. The others are
Georges Mirindi, John Bahati and Amuri Chap Chap, all former lieutenants in the
government army. They now hold the guerrilla rank of colonel. They all escaped
government detention, after a military tribunal handed down their sentences.
DRC State Prosecutor Luhonge Kabinda Ngoy told IRIN on Saturday that the
nominations were "an act of provocation". The prosecutor of the Military Order
Court that sentenced the four men, Col Charles Alamba, termed the nominations
"irregular and illegal".
However, the RCD chief of external relations, Joseph Mudumbi, said since the
Military Order Court was abolished by the Sun City accord signed with the
government in April 2002, the judgments were null and void. He said the
nomination should not prevent agreement on the reunification of the army with
other rebel groups.
AFP reported that the RCD and the government "signed an agreement Saturday in
Pretoria on a high command for an integrated armed force" for the country.
Laurent-Desire Kabila was shot dead on 16 January 2001 by one of his
bodyguards. Kabila's son, Joseph, succeeded him as president.

   

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