A Democratic Republic of Congo armedgroup has issued an ultimatum to President Joseph Kabila demanding theresignation of the Information Minister Lambert Mende.
The Mai Mai threatenedto soon take drastic action if President Kabila fails to fire the minister.
Thearmed group claims Minister Mende insulted them after they accused thegovernment of violating a recently signed agreement, a charge the Kabilaadministration denies.
The information minister allegedly described members ofthe armed group as terrorists who killed innocent Congolese and destroyedproperties.
Mai Mai spokesman Didier Bitaki saidthe armed group would no longer tolerate the minister's insults.
"Thearmed group has made a communiqué in which they were talking about theviolation of the Goma Peace Agreement, which was violated by the government.But instead of getting the response from the government the Information and theMedia Minister, Mr. Lambert Mende started to insult people while he called thearmed group as criminals? terrorists," Bitaki said.
Hesaid the information minister's action undermines the authority of PresidentKabila.
"Thoseresponsible for signing the document were nominated by an act signed by thepresident. I think the minster has madea big mistake," he said.
Bitakisaid his group is demanding the immediate resignation of the informationminister.
"Inconsequence, the armed group is saying before even talking to the government,the minister has to resign from the government for that to make things start goingcorrect," Bitaki said.
Hewarned the government of a possible insurgency if the minister is not removed.
"Ourcombatants are still waiting here so if the minster does not take back hisword, we are going to ask the president that we cannot continue to work withpeople who don't have any respect for us," he said.
ButInformation Minister Lambert Mende has dismissed the call for his removal as infantile.
"Iwish them good luck, but I have no comment to say on such childish statement.First of all, nobody consulted them for me to be appointed as a member ofgovernment following my election in my constituency. And nobody will ask themfor me to be removed from office," Mende said.
Hesaid the armed group took advantage to attack innocent civilians.
"Weknow how they went to the bush. They took opportunity from some disturbancesthat were created by other people. They are not the ones that created thedisturbances," he said.
Mendedescribed the armed group as scandalous.
"Nobodywill come and give justification to criminals who have themselves to justifybefore our country. And we are not going to pay people because they have killedCongolese," Mende said.
Hesaid the government will resist all forms of blackmail.
"Nobodywill again blackmail the Congo state. Mai Mai or not, nobody will again beallowed to blackmail the state of this country. That is all," he said.
Mendedenied that the government agreed to pay all armed groups who killed innocentcivilians during the height of rebel insurgency in the restive Kivu provinces.
TheGoma Peace Agreement effectively ended years of clashes between governmenttroops and several armed groups in Eastern Congo.