Britain and France pressed on with diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Eastern Congo. Sunday night Britain and France warned the leaders of Congo and Rwanda that they could be held to account if the violence continued.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his French counterpart Bernard Couchner held talks with African Union officials in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania to draw a blueprint for regional peace negotiations. They urged Congo's neighbors to help the country hold a ceasefire between the rebels and the government troops. Senior European diplomats also urged bolstering of the 17,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force that is already deployed.
Britain is considering a military option only to protect the delivery of humanitarian aid as part of the European Union force. Up to 700 soldiers from the Spearhead Battalion, 4 Rifles, along with support staff could be dispatched as part of the European Union force if necessary. The troops would try to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, like the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 that killed about 800,000 people, reports said.
The diplomatic warning came after 10,000 rebels led by Laurent Nkunda, a Tutsi, went on the offensive in North Kivu province displacing tens of thousands of people. He is allegedly supported by Rwanda. Goma, the capital of eastern Congo is swollen with thousands of refugees after last week's advancement of rebels to the gates of the city and the situation is appalling, reports said. Many are allegedly going without food for days and are planning to return to their homes in rebel-held territories, reports said.
About 250,000 people have forced out of their homes since fierce fighting broke out in eastern DR Congo two months ago. The clashes have subsequently compelled aid agencies to suspend operations.
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