HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------In a message dated 24/01/02 00:42:18 Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Published on Wednesday, January 23, 2002 in The Irish Times
Volcanos Are Televisual: War is Not
It is estimated that two-and-a-half million people have died in Congo -because of the
war since 1998. Nobody paid any attention at all to that, not in the western media anyway.
Natural disasters are more televisual
by Vincent Browne
Although it was a war zone (September 1999) there was a breezy, nonchalant informality
about Goma airport, chaos but friendly chaos. I had come in on a light aeroplane, seating
about 12 people, from Entebbe in Uganda, hopping from one small airstrip to the other en
route. There was no sign of other aircraft in the small airports on the way but in Goma there was
a longer airstrip and several modern, large jets. These weren't taking in passengers - the
passenger seats had been taken out, except for the front few rows, to allow more room for
freight. I never found out what freight but I suspect guns were coming in and cotton and
diamonds were going out. A taxi driver "befriended" me at the airport and brought me to a modest lodge/hotel on the
road to the Rwandan border (less than a mile away), surrounded by a luxuriant garden. The sheer beauty of the location is so striking, the vegetation, the lake and the brooding
Nyiragongo volcanic mountain. They used to be inundated with tourists in the 1980s and
early 90s, tourists who wanted to see a rare species of gorillas, now almost extinct
because of the war. Out along the shores of Lake Kivu were villas, a fine restaurant, an
expensive hotel and gardens dripping with luxuriant magnificence. Joseph Mobutu, the
former dictator of the Congo built one of his magnificent palaces on Lake Kivu. Not far from
here homo sapiens emerged. But Goma has been devastated by what happened in Rwanda in 1994 and afterwards and
by the Congolese rebellions that started there: it was this lodge/hotel that Laurent Kabila
started his rebellion against Mobutu in 1997. The main street of Goma is a long, two-lane
broken-down avenue. In September 1999 the buildings on both sides were ramshackle, a
few bars, a travel agency, a few poorly stocked shops, offices of aid agencies and
makeshift garages. At the bottom of the main street was what I think was once a school but which had been
taken over by the rebel movement, the RCD. RCD soldiers lounged around in dishevelled
gear - you would easily tell Rwandan troops from them by the gear, the Rwandans were
well attired. The Rwandans had come into Goma in 1997 to help Kabila's rebellion and they stayed.
They had come to Goma because of what Goma had become after 1994. That was the
year of the genocide in Rwanda when the majority Hutu population (or over half the Hutu
adult population) attempted to exterminate the minority Tutsi population of a million and
nearly did so in 100 days. In those three months 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were
massacred. Lake Kivu was choked by mounds of bodies. The Tutsi army from Uganda defeated the Hutu forces in Rwanda and the Hutus fled en
masse across the border, nearly a million of them to Goma. Having stood by and allowed
the genocide to take place unimpeded, the world then lavished aid on the Hutu fugitives
who had set up massive "refugee" camps in Goma and elsewhere. From these camps the
Hutu militias sought to continue the genocide through raids across the Rwandan border
and between 1994 and 1997 thousands more Tutsis were slaughtered. The Tutsi-dominated government that had taken over in 1994 wanted to "cleanse" the
border area and they sent troops to help Kabila when the rebellion against Mobutu started
in 1996. Goma was cleared of Hutu militias, the Hutu civilians returned to Rwanda and the
huge "refugee" camps were closed. It was in Goma also that the rebellion against Kabila started in 1998 and the belief is that
it was started at the instigation of the Rwandans, disenchanted by Kabila's disassociation
from the Tutsis who had brought him to power and his alliance with what were seen as
Hutu factions - the Rwandan civil war had been exported to the Congo. And it is in Goma
that the main base of the Rwandan rebel movement is based, the RCD. North and south of Goma, in eastern Congo, it is estimated that two-and-a-half million
people have died because of the war since 1998. Nobody paid any attention at all to that,
not in the western media anyway. Yes, there were a few Security Council resolutions and
some efforts by the US and by Bill Clinton's administration to get a peace process going
in the Congo but very little commitment - the UN promised 5,000 peacekeepers whereas
at least 60,000 are needed in a country the size of Germany, France and Spain combined. There have been real prospects of peace in the Congo of late with all groups - the
government of the new Kabila (his father was killed a year ago), the rebel armies and the
seven states that have become embroiled in the Congolese war (Zimbabwe Angola,
Namibia, Chad, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi) all agreeing to hammer out an agreement
but they have run out of money. A brief report in yesterday's Times of London stated negotiations that were to get under
way in South Africa later this month have had to be postponed because the organisers
need more funding and none is so far forthcoming. And then the volcano. Yes, the Goma has been further devastated and maybe 80 to 140
people have been killed. Vivid shots of the burning lava streaming down form the mountain
and the mounds of lava on the street have been on the world's television screens for days
now. But during all those years of carnage and death, nothing or almost nothing. Natural disasters are more televisual. � 2002 ireland.com
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Published on Wednesday, January 23, 2002 in The Irish Times
Volcanos Are Televisual: War is Not
It is estimated that two-and-a-half million people have died in Congo -because of the
war since 1998. Nobody paid any attention at all to that, not in the western media anyway.
Natural disasters are more televisual
by Vincent Browne
Although it was a war zone (September 1999) there was a breezy, nonchalant informality
about Goma airport, chaos but friendly chaos. I had come in on a light aeroplane, seating
about 12 people, from Entebbe in Uganda, hopping from one small airstrip to the other en
route.There was no sign of other aircraft in the small airports on the way but in Goma there was
a longer airstrip and several modern, large jets. These weren't taking in passengers - the
passenger seats had been taken out, except for the front few rows, to allow more room for
freight. I never found out what freight but I suspect guns were coming in and cotton and
diamonds were going out.A taxi driver "befriended" me at the airport and brought me to a modest lodge/hotel on the
road to the Rwandan border (less than a mile away), surrounded by a luxuriant garden.The sheer beauty of the location is so striking, the vegetation, the lake and the brooding
Nyiragongo volcanic mountain. They used to be inundated with tourists in the 1980s and
early 90s, tourists who wanted to see a rare species of gorillas, now almost extinct
because of the war. Out along the shores of Lake Kivu were villas, a fine restaurant, an
expensive hotel and gardens dripping with luxuriant magnificence. Joseph Mobutu, the
former dictator of the Congo built one of his magnificent palaces on Lake Kivu. Not far from
here homo sapiens emerged.But Goma has been devastated by what happened in Rwanda in 1994 and afterwards and
by the Congolese rebellions that started there: it was this lodge/hotel that Laurent Kabila
started his rebellion against Mobutu in 1997. The main street of Goma is a long, two-lane
broken-down avenue. In September 1999 the buildings on both sides were ramshackle, a
few bars, a travel agency, a few poorly stocked shops, offices of aid agencies and
makeshift garages.At the bottom of the main street was what I think was once a school but which had been
taken over by the rebel movement, the RCD. RCD soldiers lounged around in dishevelled
gear - you would easily tell Rwandan troops from them by the gear, the Rwandans were
well attired.The Rwandans had come into Goma in 1997 to help Kabila's rebellion and they stayed.
They had come to Goma because of what Goma had become after 1994. That was the
year of the genocide in Rwanda when the majority Hutu population (or over half the Hutu
adult population) attempted to exterminate the minority Tutsi population of a million and
nearly did so in 100 days. In those three months 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were
massacred. Lake Kivu was choked by mounds of bodies.The Tutsi army from Uganda defeated the Hutu forces in Rwanda and the Hutus fled en
masse across the border, nearly a million of them to Goma. Having stood by and allowed
the genocide to take place unimpeded, the world then lavished aid on the Hutu fugitives
who had set up massive "refugee" camps in Goma and elsewhere. From these camps the
Hutu militias sought to continue the genocide through raids across the Rwandan border
and between 1994 and 1997 thousands more Tutsis were slaughtered.The Tutsi-dominated government that had taken over in 1994 wanted to "cleanse" the
border area and they sent troops to help Kabila when the rebellion against Mobutu started
in 1996. Goma was cleared of Hutu militias, the Hutu civilians returned to Rwanda and the
huge "refugee" camps were closed.It was in Goma also that the rebellion against Kabila started in 1998 and the belief is that
it was started at the instigation of the Rwandans, disenchanted by Kabila's disassociation
from the Tutsis who had brought him to power and his alliance with what were seen as
Hutu factions - the Rwandan civil war had been exported to the Congo. And it is in Goma
that the main base of the Rwandan rebel movement is based, the RCD.North and south of Goma, in eastern Congo, it is estimated that two-and-a-half million
people have died because of the war since 1998. Nobody paid any attention at all to that,
not in the western media anyway. Yes, there were a few Security Council resolutions and
some efforts by the US and by Bill Clinton's administration to get a peace process going
in the Congo but very little commitment - the UN promised 5,000 peacekeepers whereas
at least 60,000 are needed in a country the size of Germany, France and Spain combined.There have been real prospects of peace in the Congo of late with all groups - the
government of the new Kabila (his father was killed a year ago), the rebel armies and the
seven states that have become embroiled in the Congolese war (Zimbabwe Angola,
Namibia, Chad, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi) all agreeing to hammer out an agreement
but they have run out of money.A brief report in yesterday's Times of London stated negotiations that were to get under
way in South Africa later this month have had to be postponed because the organisers
need more funding and none is so far forthcoming.And then the volcano. Yes, the Goma has been further devastated and maybe 80 to 140
people have been killed. Vivid shots of the burning lava streaming down form the mountain
and the mounds of lava on the street have been on the world's television screens for days
now. But during all those years of carnage and death, nothing or almost nothing.Natural disasters are more televisual.
© 2002 ireland.com
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