Rwandan Hutus reject peace agreement

The peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been rejected by the Rwandan Hutu rebels, whose bases are inside the DRC. They claim that the peace treaty signed in South Africa will have no bearing on the conflict.

The Democratic Forces for the Freedom of Rwanda called the peace agreement signed between presidents Joseph Kabila of the DRC and Paul Kagame of Rwanda as “sidetracking”. The agreement signed involves a withdrawal of Rwandan troops from the eastern DRC in return for a commitment by Kinshasa’s troops to disarm “Interhamwe” Hutu militia in the same area, fighting the Rwandan forces. These Interhamwe were responsible for the genocide of 1994 in Rwanda against the Tutsis and Hutu opponents of the government, after which they fled into the eastern DRC. One million people are believed to have died.

Paul Kagame led the rebellion which deposed the Interhamwe movement responsible for the genocide. “Interhamwe” means “those who kill together” in the Kinyarwanda language.

The peace agreement signed in Pretoria on Tuesday stipulates that the Hutu militia must be disarmed within 90 days, which analysts claim is impossible. To date, 2.5 million people have died in the conflict in the DRC.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru

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