Bemba, the first of Congo's rebel leaders to sign an agreement MESSAGE BOARD: Congo Peace?

August 4, 1999
Web posted at: 11:56 a.m. EDT (1556 GMT)

In this story: Kabila's intentions questioned RELATED STORIES, SITES

From Correspondent Catherine Bond

GBADOLITE, Congo (CNN) -- The clock is ticking on rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba's endorsement of a cease-fire in Congo's civil war.

The millionaire businessman known as "Papa" Bemba said his signature will hold only for a week while he waits for President Laurent Kabila to step down and for another rebel group to sign. On Sunday, Bemba became the first rebel leader to sign the truce.

Bemba said many Congolese in areas falling under his control don't support the idea of a cease-fire ending the year-long civil war. But, he insisted, he signed to give peace a chance.

Last week, Bemba's rebels and the Ugandan soldiers he admits train and support them moved from Gbadolite -- the home town of the Congo's deceased dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko -- to the border with the Central African Republic.

Bemba's headquarters remain in Gbadolite, where President Kabila, he said, lost support through the sometimes brutal conduct of his army and its allies.

"It's happened in many towns we captured, same kind of story," Bemba told CNN. "One of violations was to make people drink five liters of water, then they beat their stomach till they die."

Looting was prevalent, he said, as was forcing bribes from the people of the town.

Kabila and the representatives of five other African nations signed the cease-fire last month, but Bemba accused his adversary of insincerity.

"I don't feel convinced that Kabila really wants peace," he said. "I believe that Kabila is trying just to gain some time to organize himself."

The largest rebel group, the Congolese Rally for Democracy, said it, too, is skeptical of Kabila's intentions. But that group has refused to sign the cease-fire agreement until an internal leadership dispute is settled.

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