MONUC granted access to North Kivu military compounds

The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported on Wednesday that it had been granted access to military compounds in North Kivu Province, which it hoped would enable verification of the alleged presence of Rwandan troops on DRC territory. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the UN mission, known as MONUC, said that for several weeks, its military observers had been refused access to military camps in the eastern province, which is run by the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie former rebel group, now party to the DRC's two-year transitional government. [See earlier story, "MONUC denounces obstruction of verification missions in east"] MONUC spokesman Hamadoun Toure told a news conference on Wednesday in Kinshasa, the capital, that North Kivu Governor Eugene Serufuli had issued instructions for the mission's observers "to be allowed free movement, free access to any military compounds and to freely interview any person they wished". Asked about the cantonment of armed groups in Ituri District of northeastern Congo, the MONUC military spokesman, Col Antoine Wardini, said he deplored continuing delays in the process. "Due to logistical problems, we have not yet received from the different groups the necessary information, especially regarding the strength and the location of their troops for cantonment," he said. [See earlier story, "Deadline extended for Ituri militias on cantonment details"] Meanwhile, Toure added that a Kisangani court had decided that following his recent arrest, Felix Ngudjolo, the chief of staff of one of Ituri's five primary armed groups, the "Forces de Resistance Patriotique de l'Ituri, would remain in MONUC's custody until a magistrate arrived from Kinshasa. An earlier report said he had been arrested on suspicion of having committed murder. In a related development, Toure announced that 40 airport security police officers and 30 judiciary police officers in Bunia, the main town of Ituri, had completed several weeks of a MONUC-led training. Asked about thawing relations between DRC and neighbouring Uganda, Toure conveyed the satisfaction of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to the DRC, William Swing, with regard to the two countries' intention to normalize diplomatic ties and proceed with the exchange of ambassadors. "Mr Swing considers this to be an encouraging step forward in the peace process. He expresses hope to see other DRC neighbours in the Great Lakes region follow suit," Toure said.