Johannesburg - The failure of President Laurent Kabila to attend a regional summit this weekend to promote a peace accord in the Democratic Republic of the Congo suggests he has decided he can further his interests better by other means.
Heads of state of the 14-nation regional Southern Africa Development Community gathered in the Mozambican capital Maputo over the weekend but Mr Kabila stayed away, causing anger among colleagues.
Analysts said Mr Kabila's absence effectively torpedoed the summit, also attended by Congolese rebel backers Rwanda and Uganda, and could reinforce rebel claims that he sought a military solution to the former Zaire's problems.