Donors push restraint on Congo
Friday, December 10, 2004 Posted: 2:15 PM EST (1915 GMT)
KIGALI, Rwanda (Reuters) -- International donors urged Rwanda on Friday to exercise restraint in its relations with neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo amid reports Rwandan soldiers had crossed the border to attack rebels.
Key financiers including the European Union, United Nations, the United States and Sweden meeting in the Rwandan capital side-stepped a decision on whether to cut aid in the event of unilateral military action by Kigali.
Kigali has repeatedly threatened to send soldiers across the border to carry out surgical strikes against rebels based in Congo, some of whom took part in its 1994 genocide.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo said last week it was "almost certain" Rwanda was involved in attacks on rebels who hide out in Congo, raising fears of renewed war in a region where 4 million people have died from genocide and war-related hunger and disease in the past decade.
Rwanda says it is impatient with delays to international promises to help disarm the rebels. "One would hope the government of Rwanda would respect the integrity of Congo, exercise restraint and resist the urge to take unilateral action against Congo," Kamau Macharia, UNDP representative and donor coordinator told Reuters.
But the donors said the latest developments would not affect their relations with Rwanda, which relies on external financial aid to fund 90 percent of its development budget and 50 percent of its general budget. "Overall, Rwanda has registered remarkable economic growth which must be supported continuously," Kamau said.
Separately, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Donald Yamamoto said after a visit to both countries that the United States is confident Rwanda and Congo were committed to peace. "Both countries as well as Uganda have shown commitments and we can move forward. I am very hopeful that we will have progress," Yamamoto said on Friday in Kinshasa. He did not specify what commitments had been made.
Rwanda's economy grew 5.1 percent in 2004, rebounding from 3.5 percent in 2003 on the back of better performance in the coffee, services and industrial sectors, according to the country's budget presented last week.
Rwanda has already invaded Congo twice in the past decade, in 1996 and 1998.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/africa...eut/index.html