Directing Attention to the Bosco Ntaganda Situation in Congo
Posted by Annette LaRocco on Apr 20, 2012 In the wake of Congo’s fraudulent 2011 elections, international actors urged President Kabila to work to rehabilitate his tarnished legitimacy by dedicating his government to security sector and justice reform, legitimate natural resource management, economic development, and good governance. Highlighting the desperate need for justice and security sector reform was the defection of controversial warlord-turned-Congolese-general Bosco Ntaganda from the formal military structure, in which he took hundreds of loyal officers and soldiers with him. It was unclear as to whether Ntaganda intended to re-start a rebellion or if he left the official structures to avoid potential arrest. Regardless, his defection prompted heightened tensions in the already volatile east, with President Kabila, top military brass, and specially-trained units descending on Goma and Bukavu to address the situation. While it is still uncertain how the situation will play out, the Enough Project urges the Congolese government to follow through on its obligation to arrest Bosco Ntaganda and turn him over to the International Criminal Court. In the midst of the crisis, Enough’s teams in eastern Congo, Nairobi, and Washington, D.C., have churned out coverage and reflections on a variety of topics related to Ntaganda, justice reform, and the security sector in Congo. Here’s a round-up of the recent blog posts: Fidel Bafilemba on the implications for Ntaganda of Thomas Lubanga's ICC conviction Enough Team on Ntaganda's original defection Annette LaRocco on President Kabila's unprecedented arrival in Goma Aaron Hall on Kabila's call for Ntaganda's arrest Enough Team on the suspension of the Amani Leo military operation and potential outcomes to the defection crisis Tendai Zvogbo on Enough's Bosco Ntaganda fact sheet Enough Team on North Kivu civil society's perspective of the crisis Annette LaRocco on the importance of security sector reform for peace and development in Congo Sarah Zingg Wimmer on the continued fraying of Ntaganda's alliances Also, read Enough’s new fact sheet, Who is Bosco Ntaganda: Lynchpin to Security or International War Criminal?, for background on Ntaganda’s crimes throughout the eastern Congo. In addition, some of our key partner organizations have produced material related to security and justice in the east. Here are two key partner productions: Human Rights Watch on the importance of arresting Bosco Ntaganda and handing him over to the International Criminal Court Eastern Congo Initiative, along with Enough and eleven other Congolese and international civil society groups, on the key role of meaningful security sector reform in Congo -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
