DRC: Ituri ceasefire to be signed on 10 March, says UPC's Lubanga

The signing of a ceasefire for the Ituri District of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will take place on 10 March, Thomas Lubanga, leader of the Bunia-based Union des patriotes congolais (UPC) rebel movement, told IRIN last Friday. He was accused by the UN Mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, of blocking the signing of the ceasefire that was to have taken place on 19 February. Lubanga, in turn, accused MONUC of favouring the DRC and Ugandan governments, which, he alleged, supported the creation of a rival militia to the UPC, namely the Front pour l'integration et la pacification de l'Ituri.