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Interview with Congo's Parliamentary President

'We Hope for an EU Contingent'

Vital Kamerhe, president of the National Assembly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, speaks to SPIEGEL about the war in Congo and the guilt shared by companies in the industrialized world.

SPIEGEL: Why hasn't your government succeeded in bringing peace to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo?

Vital Kamerhe: After the peace agreement of 2002 the rebel organizations were absorbed into the army. Because of this, our troops now consist of regular soldiers as well as former militia members. The army is fragile and frustrated, and it has been infiltrated. It makes it difficult to enforce peace.

AFP

Vital Kamerhe, President of Congo's National Assembly.

Kamerhe: Anyone responsible for massacres belongs in front of an international court. Because of the war in the east, we have had no time to reform our security forces or justice system.

SPIEGEL: Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda, your main enemy, says he needs to protect the Tutsis in the eastern part of the country from the Hutu-killers who fled to Congo after the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

Kamerhe: This is just a pretext. Today we have Tutsi generals in the Congolese army and Tutsi workers at state enterprises. Their best source of protection are the institutions of the Republic, not a rebel army.

SPIEGEL: Isn't the war really a fight over natural resources?

Kamerhe: Our country is a special case geologically. We possess valuable minerals like coltan, gold and diamonds. Our natural resources are being exhausted by the Nkunda rebels, who conduct their sales through Rwanda. Big companies in China, Russia, Europe and the US are the recipients. They share the guilt for this exploitation. We prefer that the resources be used legally.

SPIEGEL: The UN Security Council wants to strengthen its 18,000 blue helmet force with 3,000 additional men. Is that enough?

Kamerhe: We need international troops to protect the populace. There also needs to be political talks with Nkunda and diplomatic efforts to restore the relationship between Congo and Rwanda. That will take time. To begin with we hope for an EU-contingent -- 850 men can help stop a humanitarian catastrophe.

Interview conducted by Stefan Simons

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