[miningmx.com] – VIANNEY Kazarama, leader of the M23 rebel group that last week captured the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) town of Goma, has demanded direct talks with Joseph Kabila, president of the country.
Speaking to Bloomberg News, Kazarama said: “We are waiting for a briefing. We want inclusive, direct talks with the president.” Kazarama also warned the DRC not to strengthen its army following a November 24 summit of regional leaders agreed to deploy a “composite” force, said Bloomberg News.
The 12-nation International Conference on the Great Lakes Region said the force would consist of government and M23 soldiers and a group of “neutral’ guards to protect Goma airport within two days. The conference also called on the rebels to move at least 20km north of the city.
M23 consists of soldiers who mutinied in April and is headed by General Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, Bloomberg News said.
It’s also thought that Rwanda has assisted with rebel groups in the DRC, an allegation the country’s president Paul Kagame, as repeatedly denied. The claims are supported by United Nations reports, however.
The African Union has also supported a plan to deploy its own neutral military force in the eastern part of the country, which is rich in Coltan, a mineral used in the manufacture of mobile phones. The UN has yet to approve this move, however.
Kazarama has vowed to march south to Kinshasa raising security fears for a number of mining companies that operate in the region such as First Quantum Mines. There are also mines near the conflict such as Banro’s gold exploration property, Twangiza which is about 200km south of Goma in South Kivu.
In the main, mining groups such as AngloGold Ashanti, have said the conflict is still relatively far from their operations which have not been interrupted.
