DR Congo has appealed for assistance from Angola to fight rebels under the command of dissident General Laurent Nkunda, who are said to have made gains in the latest upsurge of fighting.
Congolese Minister of International and Regional Cooperation, Raymond Tshibanda, onb Tuesday met Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos for one hour of talks during which the Congolese request was made, official sources said.
“I have come to ask for the support of President José Eduardo dos Santos in a bid to cope with the difficult situation, as we want to preserve DR Congo’s sovereignty,” Mr Tshibanda was quoted as saying by the Angolan News Agency (ANGOP).
The Congolese minister did not specify the nature of the support sought by Kinshasa.
“I have come, on behalf of my president, Joseph Kabila, to inform the Congolese head of state of the latest developments of the situation prevailing in eastern DR Congo which has assumed worrying proportions,” Mr Tshibanda added.
Deploring the large number of deaths caused by the rebel action and the displacement of thousands of people the Congolese minister said the situation in his country must be of concern to the international community and countries bordering on DR Congo, hence the need to inform President dos Santos, who is also part of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
Mr Tshibanda denounced the “unmistakable” support the rebels get from other countries, but he did not name the country.
The Congolese minister expressed concern about the resignation of the head of the United Nations Mission in DRC (MONUC) saying the peacekeepers could also contribute to the restoration of stability.
The recently appointed MONUC commander, Spanish Lieutenant General Vicente Diaz de Villegas, tendered in his resignation on Monday in New York for “personal reasons”.
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