By John Stephen Katende

8^th April 2013:

The president of the Congolese rebel group M23 has warned that his forces will fight back against the new UN Intervention Brigade if it enters the M23 controlled areas.  Speaking to Al Jazeera on Friday last week, Bertrand Bisimwa rejected what he called “any foreign interference” in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“If UN forces come and attack us they will find us here and if they [are] against us, we will fight,” Bisimwa said, adding that the M23’s position on non-interference is consistent with its earlier policies to defend seized territory from any group that threatens peace.

The UN last month approved and authorised to use force to end the rebellion.  The Intervention Brigade is to be made up of 2,000-3,000 troops from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania, and is mandated to operate “…in a robust, highly mobile and versatile manner” to ensure that armed groups cannot threaten the security of civilians.

While welcoming the resumption of peace talks in Kampala, the Congolese warlord said his country’s problems could only be solved by Congolese people.  Over the past few weeks, M23 leaders have been holding rallies – telling people that they are safe, and that they should not be concerned about harassment from its soldiers.

The group has held rallies in the towns of Rutshuru and Kiwanja, and has planned further rallies in villages across the region.  All this seems to point to a deliberate strategy by the rebel group to win popular support in the eastern areas of the country which it had taken by force.  END: Login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories mid-week for our updates

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