Acrimony after DR Congo talks collapse

Rwandan and Ugandan forces back rebels in DR Congo

Disappointed representatives at the collapsed talks on the future of the Democratic Republic of Congo, have expressed fear of further war.

The troubled talks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, were adjourned on Sunday two days after the Congolese Government delegation walked out saying that the absence of a number of important groups at the talks meant the meeting was pointless.

A representative of the Rwandan-backed rebel Congolese Rally for Democracy, Kin-Kiey Mulumba, accused the government of wanting to divide the country saying their pullout had been pre-meditated.

The government, backed by troops from Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia, controls less than half of the central African nation in a three-year conflict dubbed "Africa's First World War".

The various armed resistance movements have accused President Joseph Kabila of having been determined from the start that the meeting would fail.

Valentin Mubake Nombi, spokesman for the opposition party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), lamented: "We have never even for a minute talked on issues of national reconciliation that brought us to Addis Ababa."

Criticism

There is also criticism of the mediator, former Botswana president Ketumile Masire, for his poor handling of the talks.

A UN mission is overseeing a shaky ceasefire

In a joint communique, opposition leaders said President Kabila's government "seems not to understand the necessity and the urgency to make peace".

Negotiations are under way for another meeting in South Africa.

The mediator is now said to be coming under mounting pressure to take a tougher line with the Congolese Government.

He says he needs time to consult with international donors and the South African Government.

A BBC African affairs analyst says that nothing at all seems to have been achieved and now the organisers have to convince donors that it is worth financing another session, which is expected to go on for more than six weeks and to involve four times as many people.

Latest reports from eastern Congo say fighting has been taking place in Kivu.