African Union condemns coup attempt in DRC

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 13, 2004 (PANA) — The African Union has
strongly condemned Friday’s abortive coup d’etat in the
Democratic Republic of Congo saying such attempts
could destabilise the transitional process and plunge
the country into another round of violence.

The 11 June 2004 attempt against the Transitional
National Government in Kinshasa was the second within
a period of three months.

In a statement issued here Sunday, AU Commission
Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare commended the
transitional government of the DRC for ending the coup
attempt peacefully and restoring calm in Kinshasa, the
capital.

Konare called upon Congolese of all political and
ethnic affiliations to work together, under the
leadership of the transitional government, and utilise
the options of dialogue, tolerance and peaceful
coexistence to resolve outstanding differences.

To achieve lasting peace, especially in the
eastern part of the DRC, Konare re-asserted his
earlier appeals to all Congolese parties for full
co-operation with the United Nations, which maintains
a peace observer mission in the troubled nation.

He said recent developments in eastern DRC threatened
to undermine the process of reconciliation and
reconstruction of the country.

The AU Commission has sent two envoys to the DRC to
consult with various parties on these developments so
that they could come up with recommendations on what
more the AU could do to help the DRC consolidate
peace.

DRC government troops on Friday foiled a coup attempt
spearheaded by President Joseph Kabila’s protection unit.

The abortive coup attempt occurred amid chaos caused by
dissident government troops in Bukavu.