Sunday, June 17, 2012
Is Rwanda backing a new rebellion in the eastern Congo? Is the region
returning to the turmoil of 2008, when the Rwandan-backed CNDP, battled the
Congolese army, which was allied to a host of local militias? These are
questions that many hope might be answered, at least in part, by a UN report
that will be submitted this coming week. There are, however, indications,
that the publication might be vetoed.
Rwandan involvement in the recent fighting, which is still confined to a
tiny patch of land of about twenty square kilometers, has fueled much debate
in recent weeks. Most foreign diplomats in Kinshasa - as well as some in
Kigali I have spoken with - privately agree with the conclusions of Human
Rights Watch, that Rwanda is helping M23 recruit soldiers, and is possibly
also supplying the rebels with food, weapons and free passage through their
territory.
Kigali, however, has vehemently denied the allegations, and aside from
expressions of concerns by diplomats - including a letter from Washington a
few weeks ago - there have been few concrete demarches by capitals.
Meanwhile, after a week of calm, the fighting saw a brief peak again on
Thursday, when M23 was almost able to take a large military camp at
Rumangabo and cut off the Bunagana road.
Now the diplomatic focus is shifting to New York, where, in response to the
allegations of Rwandan involvement, the UN Security Council called yesterday
for a "full investigation of credible reports of outside support to the
armed groups."
This statement was more than puzzling. At the same time at the Chinese
president of the council signed the statement, the UN Group of Experts was
in the process of submitting its interim report, which reportedly includes
investigations into these very allegations. According to diplomats working
for Security Council members, one of their colleagues is threatening to
obstruct the publication of the report in the coming week. The justification
given for this would be that the submission of the report flouted procedural
rules, but the diplomats I spoke to pointed to larger, political
disagreements linked to the allegations of Rwandan involvement in the
eastern Congo.
Meanwhile, Congolese diplomats have upped their campaign against Rwanda,
with their foreign minister traveling to Dar es Salaam and Bujumbura, while
security officials visited Kampala during this past week. Ambassador Ileka
Atoki, who is currently posted to Paris but used to be the Congo's permanent
representative to the United Nations, is headed to New York this week to
make the case to the Security Council, and specifically asking for the UN
report to be made public.
Posted by Jason Stearns at 11:38 AM
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni and Dr. Kiiza Besigye Uganda is in anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni na Dk. Kiiza Besigye Uganda ni katika machafuko"
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