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DR Congo's M23 Rebels, Government Meet with Mediators
[An Nahar] Democratic Republic of the Congo
...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo or Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material...
's M23 rebels and government delegations met separately Saturday with Ugandan mediators, a day ahead of a hoped-for resumption of direct talks, Ugandan officials said.

"The two delegations are here finally and we are hoping for a (face-to-face) session tomorrow (Sunday)," said Ugandan defense ministry front man Paddy Ankunda.

The rebels, army mutineers largely from the ethnic Tutsi community, staged a lightning advance in November through the DR Congo's mineral-rich and chronically unstable east, raising fears of a widespread conflict.

The talks' mediator, Ugandan defense minister Crispus Kiyonga, is "meeting separately with the two delegation heads for consultations," Ankunda added.

Uganda is hosting the talks despite accusations that it -- alongside Rwanda -- has backed the fighters, claims which both countries have strongly denied
No, no! Certainly not!
Although the M23 rebels were persuaded to withdraw from the key eastern city of Goma after a 12-day occupation, they still control large areas of territory just outside the strategic mining hub.

Posted by: Fred 2013-01-06
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=359466