Stop threatening Tanzania, Membe warns M23 rebels
01:42Tanzania has warned rebel group M23 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to desist from threatening the country for sending troops to the DRC, in the implementation of the UN Resolution Number 2098 to restore peace and stability in the region.
He said the M23 group did not have moral authority to preach to Tanzania about peace and unity as advocated by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, when they continue causing human hardship and physical torture to innocent civilians, the government has said.
“This kind of intimidation must stop immediately and if they provoke us, we will retaliate accordingly. These (insurgents) have raped women, killed people, humiliated citizens, forcing thousands of people to flee their country and so they cannot quote Mwalimu Nyerere on the doctrine of human equality,” Membe said.
Last month the M23 rebels based in eastern DR Congo, warned they would retaliate if attacked by a new United Nations peacekeeping force, in which Tanzania are due to take a key role. M23’s political leader Bertrand Bisimwa last month wrote to Tanzania’s Parliament warning that the fighters had previously beaten even larger and better equipped forces and that the same would happen to Tanzanian troops if deployed in the area.
“The Tanzania People’s Defence Forces are well trained, we are not afraid of anything and we will go to the DRC for peace keeping mission similar to the operation in Dafur (Sudan) and Lebanon where Tanzania has sent troops. We are not scared of sending our troops,” Membe clarified.
He said the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states have given serious consideration to the need to help restore peace in the neighbouring country, the DRC. “It was agreed that at least 4,000 troops from among the member states should go to the DRC for peace keeping mission. Five countries from the region have shown the willingness to assign troops.
These are South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Malawi and Tanzania,” he explained. Clarifying on the mandate or the responsibilities of troops to be sent to the DRC, Mr Membe said they would make sure that M23 group does not expand, the insurgents must be disarmed and those willing should be re-integrated to the national army. “But any act of violence against peace keepers will not be tolerated,” he insisted.
In March, the UN Security Council unanimously approved the creation of a brigade with a mandate to conduct “targeted offensive operations” against rebels in Eastern DR Congo, a mineral-rich area that has been gripped by conflict for more than two decades.
Clearing doubts on possible unfriendly atmosphere in case Tanzania and Malawi troops are deployed and work together for a similar mission, Membe said there was no reason for such fears as the troops would be working separately nearly 100 kilometres apart, besides talks over border dispute between the two countries have improved.
“Malawi have decided to return to negotiation table under the mediation of the former president of Mozambique, Mr Joachim Chisano, together with a panel of other retired presidents from the region who are arbitrating on the matter. He said the panel would advise on the best way to resolve the stand-off and if not, the matter would be taken to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for adjudication.
“We (Tanzania) have more than convincing evidence about the border line and with no doubt we will win the case,” he explained. M23, named for a peace deal with the DRC government signed on March 23, 2009, emerged out of an ethnic Tutsi mutiny in the army in April 2012, on the grounds that Kinshasa was not upholding the pact. The rebels briefly seized the North Kivu provincial capital Goma in November, last year. It is reported that there are 3,600 soldiers forming the M23 group.
ByROSE ATHUMANI, Tanzania Daily News
0 comments:
Post a Comment