The Ngurdoto Agreement

The Democratic Republic of Congo was party to the short-lived Ngurdoto Agreement.

The Ngurdoto Agreement was a short-lived truce between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda regarding border disputes near Lake Albert. The agreement was signed in September, 2007.

Background

In late September, 2007, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni and DRC president Joseph Kabila met in Ngurdoto, Tanzania to resolve growing tensions over a border dispute between the two nations. The dispute led to several deadly skirmishes on the waters of Lake Albert in the months leading up to the September meeting. The nations' two leaders reached an agreement, called the Ngurdoto Agrreement, that set out to peacefully resolve the dispute.

Features

The agreement addressed several key issues the two leaders agreed were the source of the disagreement. Most notably, they agreed to form a joint boundary commission to more clearly define the portion of their border that crossed over Lake Albert. They agreed to pursue a joint exploration of the lake's potential oil reserves, rather than scuffle over those reserves. The agreement also stipulated that all Congolese refugees would be moved at least 90 miles away from the border to deter any refugees from joining any Congolese rebel groups exacerbating the border dispute.

Results

The agreement worked for a few a months, but it was rendered a footnote in the ongoing struggle when the Congolese moved a customs post to within 350 yards of the Ugandan border and put up a sign that said "Welcome to Congo." Three days later the Congo withdrew from the joint boundary commission. Shortly afterward they also withdrew from the joint oil exploration effort, effectively negating the two major agreements reached in the Ngurdoto pact.

References

• Relief Web: DRC/Uganda: Lake Albert Spat Imperils Wider Region