UN troops begin Congo mission

The UN troops were welcomed in Goma

The first contingent of United Nations peacekeepers has arrived and started deploying in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They'll pull back. I cannot imagine they will not withdraw

General Diallo, chief peacekeeper

The 110 Uruguayan peackeepers landed in the eastern town of Goma and 50 of them have flown on to the UN base in Kalemie on the shores of Lake Tangyanika.

The soldiers are in the DR Congo to verify that all parties in the two-and-a-half year Congolese conflict have pulled back 15 km from the front line, in accordance with the 1999 Lusaka peace agreement.

But the deadline for withdrawal passed at midnight local time on Wednesday and there was still a question mark over whether all troops had retreated.

The head of the UN peacekeeping force, Major-General Mountanga Diallo, acknowledged that there was a problem but was, however, optimistic that the warring parties would eventually comply.

"They'll pull back. I cannot imagine they will not withdraw," he said.

Commenting on why he thought all the troops had not yet pulled back he said: "I do not know what happened exactly. We are looking at it."

Objections

Government troops backed by Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia have been battling to defeat rebel armies backed by Rwandan and Ugandan troops.

Rwandan troops, supporting the rebels

The peace process stalled last year as none of the parties could agree on the implementation of the Lusaka peace accord.

There has been progress, however, since the death of DRC President Laurent Kabila earlier this year.

His son and successor, Joseph Kabila, has been more open in negotiations and the parties subsequently agreed on the implementation of the pullback.

Problems

Optimism was deflated this week when Rwanda accused the government in Kinshasa and its foreign allies of not pulling back from the frontline in several areas.

It says the peace process could be derailed as a result.

The Uruguayan troops will be joined next month by a contingent of soldiers from Senegal.

The warring parties have until the end of May to hand in plans for their complete withdrawal.