DR CONGO: An air of colonial grandeur hangs over the governor's residence in Bukavu, writes Declan Walsh
The white, Belgian-built mansion commands a magnificent view over Lake Kivu. Its sprawling lawns would make a perfect cocktail party venue.
But yesterday the governor was out, and a pair of combat fatigues on the first floor balcony hinted at the new occupant - renegade army commander, Brig Gen Laurent Nkunda.
"We have come here in peace," said the lanky, lean-faced soldier, who stormed into Bukavu at the head of a 1,000-soldier column last Wednesday.
Gen Nkunda's surprise offensive has plunged the democratic Republic of Congo into turmoil and stoked fears of impending war.
The furious president, Mr Joseph Kabila, blamed neighbouring Rwanda for being behind the attack. Across the country, furious mobs held violent anti-UN protests. In Bukavu, Gen Nkunda's troops, oblivious to the furore, embarked on an orgy of pillage and rape against the city's hapless civilians.
By last night most of the rebels had retreated to make-shift barracks near the city centre. But their leader remained at the dusty, deserted governor's mansion, welcoming visitors on velvet-cushioned dinner chairs arranged on a circle under a tree.
Accusations of Rwandan involvement in his offensive were completely false, he said. "That is a misunderstanding. Yes, they are our allies ... but Rwanda is not behind this operation." Instead, he said, his troops seized Bukavu to halt the "genocide" of the Banyamulenge - a minority Tutsi tribe with historical links to Rwanda.
"The day they began to kill Banyamulenge, I started my march on Bukavu, my war," he said, stabbing the air with his finger.
UN officials deny any suggestion of a genocide in Bukavu. So do a number of his own troops, some of whom seem to be soldiers of fortune. "That is just a lie," said a soldier lounging on a chair by the mansion gate.
There is little doubt that Gen Nkunda has strong links with Rwanda. He fought with the Tutsi rebels that seized power in Kigali after the 1994 genocide, and has fought with pro-Rwandan forces ever since. His long, gaunt face has drawn comparisons with the Rwandan president, Mr Paul Kagame.
But he insists he is a Congolese like any other - and not just a fighter, but also a farmer. When not waging war he looks after three farms and 800 cattle in North Kivu province.
Their milk is so tasty, he boasted, that his troops carried 200 kilos of home-made cheese on their march to Bukavu. "They were our dry rations," he said.
Now a game of cat-and-mouse with the UN is under way in Bukavu. On Thursday night the Swedish military commander, Brig Gen Jan Isberg, announced that Gen Nkunda had agreed to withdraw his troops "well outside" Bukavu.
But yesterday Gen Nkunda said he was only leaving the city centre. "My troops are not geographically, but sociologically, out of the centre."
The next move in the tense stand-off may be made by the Kinshasa government. After initially furious, warlike outbursts, President Kabila sounded a more conciliatory note on state television yesterday.
"The insurgents must lay down their arms and the Rwandan troops must retreat," he said. He also asked the UN to "get involved with more determination". One of Nkunda's conditions is an immediate investigation into the alleged Banyamulenge genocide.
Human rights workers say this is ironic given that he himself is wanted on war crimes charges.
In May 2002 RCD-Goma brutally quelled an attempted coup in the northern diamond trading city of Kisangani. Over 160 suspected mutineers were executed, some after having their heads cut off. Gen Nkunda was in charge of the local RCD brigade at the time.
"Basically he is a pretty nasty character who has committed numerous crimes and has never been brought to justice," said Ms Anneke van Woundenberg of Human Rights Watch in London.
Most of Brig Gen Nkunda's troops had melted off the streets by last night but some were still visible, including a small cluster who stood before a factory gate.
"The beer factory," explained their commander. "We are very proud. It hasn't been touched." But for many Bukavu residents, Nkunda's word of retreat - and an end to raping and pillaging - does not hold true.
As darkness fell last night, about 1,000 people bedded down on the lawn of the UN compound, sleeping behind a razor wire fence and the protection of 800 peacekeepers.
One team of UN officers has rescued over 1,200 people from danger, plucking them from their houses and driving them to safety in the fortified compound.