African Nations Vow Peace in Congo

Leaders of six African countries pledged Monday to end fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a conflict so large and intractable that Secretary of State Madeleine Albright compared it to a world war.

In an unusual Security Council meeting orchestrated by the United States, officials from Congo and five nearby nations--Angola, Rwanda, Uganda, Namibia and Zimbabwe--renewed their commitment to a collapsing cease-fire agreement that they signed in July.

Besides the cease-fire, the agreement called for withdrawal of outside troops and deployment of U.N. peacekeepers. The meeting will continue until the end of the week, to hammer out details on cease-fire implementation and possible deployment of peacekeeping troops.

In the Security Council chamber, seven heads of state and six foreign ministers, including Albright, took the places of their usual U.N. ambassadors, underscoring the high stakes.

The African leaders were invited by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Richard Holbrooke during his trip to Africa last month.

“The continent cannot hope to meet the aspirations of its people until this war is history,” Albright, acting as Security Council president, said in opening the meeting.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, has been mired in conflict since August 1998, when rebels aided by Rwanda and Uganda tried to overthrow President Laurent Kabila. Kabila drew Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola onto his side. The fighting has driven nearly 1 million people from their homes and deprived more than 2 million of food.

The Security Council is considering sending more than 5,500 peacekeepers and military observers to the region. But after “getting it wrong twice” in Somalia and Rwanda, Holbrooke said, members want to be sure that there is a real peace to keep.

In the 1960s, after gaining independence from Belgium, Congo was the scene of one of the largest and most disastrous U.N. operations. That peacekeeping effort, which involved 20,000 troops, ended in disarray in 1964.

The United States, which would pay one-third the cost of a new mission, insists that the budget be clear and the soldiers’ mandate well defined, Albright said.

“We have learned much over the past decade about the do’s and don’ts of U.N. missions,” she said. “We must apply those lessons firmly and realistically in this case. But we must also be resolute in our determination to help the Congo move from war to peace.”

Several African presidents said there can’t be peace without more U.N. help.

“While we should allow ourselves to learn the lessons of history, we should not be paralyzed by them,” said President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. “Africa feels marginalized, neglected and--dare I say?--segregated.”

Kabila, who boycotted a meeting of the other five leaders last week in Mozambique, had threatened to remain in his New York hotel suite and not join the session. Albright met with him Sunday night to assure him that Congo’s sovereignty and territory would be respected, and to tell him that a peace agreement cannot be implemented without him.

Clad in a crisp black Mao jacket, Kabila showed up a few minutes late at Monday’s Security Council session and urged reconciliation.

“Although history has not always been kind to my country, we are a people--a people who know how to forgive,” Kabila said. “And I am here today once again to offer my hand of reconciliation to those that have done us harm. For this to work, it must be mutual.”

The United States offered $2 million to push the dialogue ahead. Canada pledged an equal amount, with half to go to children affected by the war, especially child soldiers.

Last Friday, South African President Thabo Mbeki said his country would be willing to contribute troops if a peacekeeping mission was approved.

“We must not shrink from doing what is needed,” said Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy. “Too often, the council is motivated by avoiding cost and evading risk. This cannot be the case in the Congo.”