Situation Report: A 90-Day Plan to Bring Peace to the DRC? An Analysis of the Pretoria Agreement of 30 July 2002, Mark Malan and Henri Boshoff

On 10 July 1999, the six states parties to the DRC conflict signed a comprehensive cease-fire agreement in Lusaka. The agreement provided for the cessation of hostilities within 24 hours of signature, and for the establishment within one week of a ‘Joint Military Commission’ (JMC) for the purpose of overseeing the implementation of the agreement until such time as a UN peacekeeping force could be deployed. The accord also provided for the initiation of an inter-Congolese dialogue on the political future of the DRC.1

One of the key aspects of the Lusaka Agreement is it’s provision for the disarming of the foreign armed groups operating on Congolese territory and posing a threat to the security of their countries of origin. According to the agreement: “There shall be a mechanism for disarming militias and armed groups, including the genocidal forces …all Parties commit themselves to the process of locating, identifying, disarming and assembling all members of thearmed groups, [and] commit themselves to taking all the necessary measures to facilitate their repatriation.”2