The New Times <http://www.newtimes.co.rw/> (Kigali)
3 November 2008
Posted to the web 3 November 2008
James Karuhanga
Kigali
Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe has sent in military support to the Eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to back Joseph Kabila's struggling FARDC
forces against the rebel group National Congress for the Defence of the
People (CNDP).
In an exclusive telephone interview with The New Times, Rene Abandi, CNDP
Foreign Affairs Commissioner, made these revelations: "Zimbabweans and the
FDLR are the ones that fight, government forces simply run away and we
remain fighting. We have given this evidence to MONUC and they acknowledge
this."
"Apart from Zimbabwe, Kabila wants to bring in SADC and as you've heard, the
French also want to come in, their Foreign Minister has been lobbying for a
French dominated EU humanitarian mission of about 1,500 soldiers," added
Abandi.
"Their role is real," he said, declaring that they had evidence of -
Zimbabwe ammunition - from the battle field.
If this is proved true, then Zimbabwe becomes complicit in the rampant
looting, rape and killing taking place in the Eastern DR Congo. Commenting
on the atrocities committed last week Abandi said : "They raped women,
looted and maimed families on that night."
He also claimed that these brutal atrocities in Goma town were designed by
the DR Congo government troops in a bid to put blame on the advancing rebel
army (CNDP).
"Bad things happened in Goma before we ceased fire. When just four
kilometers away and before government soldiers withdrew, they killed people
who don't speak Kinyarwanda, and this was planned to be blamed on us to
tarnish our image once we took over," Abandi said.
"All this they did to smear us. But what is more painful is that the
international community sees this but does not act," he lamented.
Abandi sounded bitter while explaining that recently Ban Ki Moon, the UN
Secretary General simply condemned the government army for - indiscipline.
"Such type of killing and he merely calls it indiscipline?"
"Secondly, after our ceasefire, in all the areas under our control, people
have resettled people have peace but this is not mentioned by the
international community," he stressed.
"No one has been harmed in the many areas we control but the good things on
the ground the truth, and the good on our side, is not mentioned," he added.
"The humanitarian crisis overly talked about is actually on the decline. We
are finding a solution for it but this is news that they don't want to
accept," he said.
Commenting on possible dialogue with Kinshasa and Rwanda's role in the
conflict, Abandi said: "Instead of talking to us (Congolese), they want to
talk to Kigali but we have a problem as Congolese between ourselves," he
said, while strongly dismissing claims that Kigali supports his group.
Abandi, however, acknowledged that Rwanda shares a similar concern, over the
alliance between the fatal rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of
Rwanda (FDLR) and the Military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(FARDC) - - saying that this is a fact that government uses as an excuse to
say Rwanda helps CNDP. The FDLR rebels are genocidal forces responsible for
the 1994 Tutsi genocide, which claimed over a million lives.
"We never buy weapons but capture from government," he stressed on their
source of funding, adding that their strength comes from sheer
determination, backed by truth.
"The first source of strength comes from willpower, but most importantly,
from truth and our side has got truth.
And truth wins by all means," he said, accusing Kinshasa of corruption and
divisionism, among others.
The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy"
Groupe de communication Mulindwas
"avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"_______________________________________________
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