Determined to deal with the situation once for all, Angola’s President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos planned to give a helping hand to President Kabila. He assembled an elite team that would be airlifted to Eastern Congo to get rid of Bosco Ntaganda.

However a few days before the International Conference on the Great Lakes region, Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni travelled personally to meet his Angolan counterpart in Luanda to dissuade him (Eduardo Dos Santos) from entering into the mix for fear of taking the war to other proportions.

This writer has been in touch with diplomats privy to the resolution. They told Hapamedia that President Dos Santos remains skeptic and has not disbanded the assembled unit yet. That the reason Uganda Foreign Affairs Minister Henry Okello Oryem has been tasked to assemble a group of lobbyist with a mission to prevail on President Dos Santos not to send troops in DR. Congo

Skepticism of Constitution of force

Though locals in the DR Congo swear that have witnessed a convoy of trucks with Ugandan mercenaries crossing into Congo via Bunagana, a border point controlled by M23, no credible information has linked Uganda to the insurrection. In that capacity, President Museveni considered as neutral party in the conflict.

He (Museveni) determined to assert his position as the doyen and wise president in the region, he undertook to convince Great Lakes region leaders in coming up with a resolution that will help constitute a neutral force to patrol DR. Congo and Rwanda common border. The resolution is to be presented tomorrow Wednesday August 15 2012.

It is however not clear which countries will constitute the forces as would be decided by Great Lakes leaders early September 2012. The involvement of Rwanda and Uganda could jeorpadise the credibility of the force since their considered part of the problem in the conflict. The presence of presence of Angola and Congo Brazzaville soldiers in the neutral force could also be rejected by Rwanda because they are alleged to support and harbour Interahamwe Rwanda rebels.

Kenyan Vice President Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka who attended the Kampala conference early this month expressed concern over the constitution of the neutral force and even hinted that the force should not be considered as a permanent solution in solving volatiles situation in Eastern Congo.

Love hate relation

President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos had a close friendship with the late former Congolese Angolan Army President Laurent Desiré Kabila. He sent his troops to Congo in 1998 when a Rwanda – Uganda invasion was taking place.

He still maintains good relations with the late Kabila’s son, Joseph the current DR. Congo President. Though the two have spat from time to time of expulsion citizens from their respective countries, analysts argue that it is a way for Dos Santos to redeem himself to the Angolan opposition which accuses him of serving Congo’s interests more than that of Angola.

Angola fire power is known too well by Rwandan Forces. Having single handedly repelled a Rwanda backed force with a mission to topple Laurent Kabila in Kinshasa, Angolans valiantly prevented a Rwanda – Uganda backed rebellion from taking over power in the DR Congo.

ICGL

The International Conference on the Great Lakes region (ICGL) agreed to sub-committee of Defence ministers of Angola, Burundi, Congo Brazzaville, DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, which will finalize a position on the planned Neutral Force deployment by tomorrow August 15. The report will then be discussed by head of states early September 2012.