DRC: The Sun City Inter-Congolese Dialogue Negotiations

Extracted from: "Democratic Republic of Congo" IN Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa (2002), edited by Tom Lodge, Denis Kadima and David Pottie, EISA, 73.

In March 2002, 400 delegates assembled in Sun City, South Africa for the second session of what was now called the "Inter-Congolese" dialogue. 52 days of talks (at a cost to South Africa of R1 million a day) ended in agreement between the Kinshasa government and Jean Pierre Bemba, providing for a two and a half year transitional administration presided over by Joseph Kabila. In the terms of the agreement, there would be two vice-presidents, one from each of the rebel movements, MLC [Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo] and RCD [Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie], and an interim parliament representing all the signatories to the agreement would draft a new constitution. A new integrated army would be created from government units and rebel soldiers. Bemba was accorded with the role of prime minister; on signing the agreement the RCD would receive the less powerful post of the presidency of parliament. RCD delegates rejected this proposal: from their point of view the scheme was quite inferior to an arrangement which President Thabo Mbeki was trying to induce all sides to accept in which Kabila would continue as president but with many of his existing powers conceded to a council of state in which government and the rebel groups would have equal representation. The MLC's rejection of Mbeki's plan prompted discreet 'bilateral' talks between Kabila and Bemba and the announcement on April19th of the new agreement. Most civil society groups in attendance offered pledges of support, as did the Maï-Maï, but furious RCD representatives threatened a return to warfare.