By Scott Baldauf
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

12/02/07

(AXcess News) Kitchanga, Democratic Republic of CONGO – The general walks into the hut, his boots freshly brushed, his green beret tilted just so, his silver-capped swagger stick tucked under his arm. He greets a group of journalists, puts his hand over a table full of food, and closes his eyes in prayer.

"Father, we thank you for the food we are about to eat, and we ask you to ensure a safe journey for your children who have come to visit us," Gen. Laurent Nkunda intones, in the rhythm of an evangelical preacher, which he has been in the past.

It's not the picture one expects of Congo's Public Enemy No. 1.

Called a war criminal and terrorist by his opponents in the Congolese Army, General Nkunda maintains a well-armed and -supplied militia of 8,000 in the mountainous eastern region of Congo, carrying out a guerrilla war against the government and other ethnic militias in defense of his ethnic group, Congolese Tutsis.

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Rwanda News Agency

12/02/07

Every effort must be made to discourage the Congolese government and UN forces from pursuing a military solution to the problem of the dissident officers in North Kivu or else the whole region ends up in chaos, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) has warned.

Testifying before the US Senate Subcommittee on African Affairs on Wednesday, Mr. Mauro De Lorenzo – a Fellow from the thank-tank said four risky scenarios are likely under which an attempt to resolve the crisis by force results in greater tragedy.

De Lorenzo said President Joseph Kabila will be in a delicate position in a case where UN-Congolese troops are defeated with grave casualties. Nkunda’s forces are well-trained and experienced, and above all they have a clear sense of purpose, because they feel they are fighting for the survival of their community, he said.

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