Finaly... The proof of Rwanda support to war in DRC are published
Quote:
U.S. Tells Rwanda to Halt Support for Rebels in Eastern Congo
An addendum to a report by the United Nations Group of Experts on Congo accused top Rwandan officials including its Minister of Defense of coordinating military operations with several Congolese rebel groups. Rwanda has denied the allegations.
“We are deeply concerned about the report’s findings that Rwanda is implicated in the provision of support to Congolese rebel groups,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in the statement. The U.S. has “asked Rwanda to halt and prevent the provision of such support from its territory.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...ern-congo.html
The addendum can be found at the following link:
http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1533...2012/348/Add.1
All the ingredients of an invasion of DRC through proxies and exCNDP (Pro Rwanda) forces integrated in FARDC are here.
The evidence are disturbing.
200 000 IDPs + 20 000 refugees for the momment. May be it is time to call for stronger sanctions than just saying: "you're naughty boy!".
During that time, war is raging on in DRC
Quote:
UN: peacekeeper killed in volatile eastern Congo
The Indian peacekeeper was killed overnight on Thursday as fighters from the M23 rebel group attempted to take the town of Bunagana, said Madnodje Mounoubai, the United Nations spokesman in Congo.
"I confirm the death of a peacekeeper of Indian origin working for the United Nations mission in Congo," he said. "He was hit by shrapnel from an exploding shell during an attack by the M23 mutineers in Bunagana last night."
"We took the town of Bunagana this morning at around 6 a.m. but we do not plan to stay," said M23 spokesman Vianney Kazarama, who was reached by telephone in eastern Congo. "We plan to leave our police there for security, but we are going to return to our initial positions in the surrounding hills. ... We do not need to take the towns or the villages even if we control several now. We are only asking the government of Kinshasa to respond to our demands, which are known by all."
A United Nations report says that the rebels are led by Ntaganda, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, and backed by Rwanda _ a charge Rwanda denies.
On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador R. Barrie Walkley said he had issued a strong message to Rwanda. "I'm coming from Kigali, where I passed on a forceful message that outside support to the M23 group must stop, must cease," said the recently appointed U.S. special representative to the Great Lakes region that includes Rwanda and Congo.
http://www.timesonline.com/news/worl...34b647c27.html
Kinshasa and Kigali must talk. Let's push in that direction.
some times there's a light in the dark
Quote:
Statement: Office of the Prosecutor on Lubanga sentence
By sentencing Thomas Lubanga Dyilo to 14 years in prison for the crimes of enlisting, conscripting and using children under the age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities, International Criminal Court judges have sent a clear message to perpetrators of crimes: you will not go unpunished. The Prosecution had requested a longer sentence in line with the gravity of the crimes and the aggravating circumstances. The Prosecution is now studying the Judgment in detail and will consider whether or not to appeal. The Prosecution is also expecting to hear the judges’ decision on reparations in order to ensure the victims of Lubanga’s crimes see the full scale of justice.
The ICC's Prosecution continues to conduct investigations in the situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where violence is still ongoing and escalating. The local populations including children continue to be exposed to the dramatic consequences of war at the hands of armed groups supported by regional actors. Civilians are used as a bargaining tool in the search for power and economic gain. In the context of this situation, an arrest warrant was issued in 2006 by the Court for Bosco Ntaganda who is among those responsible for this situation. The Prosecution has recently asked for new charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes to be brought against him, including for murder, persecution, intentional attacks against civilians, rape and sexual slavery and pillaging. Recent information has surfaced that a new group called M23 associated with him has reverted to violence and armed confrontation against the DRC army. As a consequence civilians pay the highest price. This is unacceptable and must end. Those responsible for these crimes should be isolated, arrested and brought to justice. This is the only way to put an end to this vicious cycle of violence, reprisals and attacks against the civilian population in Eastern DRC.
http://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/exeres/E2A...56F2F23DF0.htm
14 years is not much as Lubanga spent already 8 years in jail. So he'll be free in 6. But that's a strating point.
The cavalrie to the rescue?
Quote:
US-trained Congolese troops to aid efforts against M23 rebels
Congolese soldiers undergo training at a camp in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in this September 2010 photo. A U.S.-trained light infantry battalion of Congolese soldiers will help in efforts to halt advances by the M23 rebel group in the DRC, the United Nations says.
http://www.stripes.com/news/us-train...ebels-1.183281
US State Department's Statement on Rwanda
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
US State Department's Statement on Rwanda
Quote:
In light of information that Rwanda is supporting armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Department of State has decided it can no longer provide Foreign Military Financing (FMF) appropriated in the current fiscal year to Rwanda, considering a restriction imposed by the 2012 appropriation act.
As a result, we will not obligate $200,000 in Fiscal Year 2012 FMF funds that were intended to support a Rwandan academy for non-commissioned officers. These funds will be reallocated for programming in another country.
We will continue to provide assistance to Rwanda to enhance its capacity to support peacekeeping missions.
The Department continues to assess whether other steps should be taken in response to Rwanda’s actions with respect to the DRC.
The United States government is deeply concerned about the evidence that Rwanda is implicated in the provision of support to Congolese rebel groups, including M23.
The United States has been actively engaged at the highest levels to urge Rwanda to halt and prevent the provision of such support, which threatens to undermine stability in the region.
Restraint, dialogue, and respect for each other’s sovereignty offer the best opportunity for Rwanda and the DRC, with the support of their partners, to resume the difficult work of bringing peace and security to the broader region.
We are encouraged by the ongoing high-level dialogue among the states of the Great Lakes region, and we join the Security Council in taking note with interest of the communiqué issued by the eleven member states of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) on July 12.
Developing a disciplined and unified army as part of a comprehensive security sector reform process remains critical to the stabilization of the DRC.
We support efforts to bring to justice alleged human rights abusers among the mutineers, including Bosco Ntaganda, who is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. We are concerned by reports that the mutineers have forcibly recruited child soldiers.
Hilary Fuller Renner
Spokesperson
Bureau of African Affairs
U.S. Department of State
What were they doing there?
Quote:
Rwanda: Special Forces Return HomeRWANDAN Special Forces returned home over the weekend after their joint operations with the Congolese army FARDC came to an end.
The Joint operations were against the Forces Democratic pour la Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR), a terrorist militia comprised of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, with bases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The 357 Rwanda soldiers were operating in concert with 357 other Congolese counterparts - FARDC, under a Joint DRC-Rwanda Special Forces Battalion based in the Rutshuru territory of DRC's North Kivu province. Rutshuru is located about 70 kilometres north of North Kivu's Provincial Capital, Goma.
Showing no signs of fatigue despite marching for over 100 kilometres since Friday evening, the 357 soldiers [two companies] arrived home through the Kabuhanga border post, in Mutovu cell, Bugeshi sector of Rubavu district, at exactly 15:53pm.
Addressing the troops, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Charles Kayonga, saluted their service, telling them that they had accomplished their mission to the satisfaction of the Commander-in-Chief, the RDF leadership and the nation.
He told the returning troops that it was necessary that they return home because of the current changes in the conflict engulfing eastern DRC, especially with the FARDC whom they were jointly operating with now fighting the M23, with the latter overrunning the area of operations of the Joint Special Forces Battalion in Rutchuru.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201209031017.html
Here are some pictures of that ceremony:
http://www.soleildugraben.com/actual...-mensonge.html
This is important cause those special operation troops were present in Rutshuru territory (DRC) during the fighting between FARDC and M23. As soon as they were gone, M23 took over their positions. (here is an article in French: http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2012...ises-kiseguro/).
Also, if you look at the first picture, there is a US soldier present during the ceremony.
Eastern Congo: Why Stabilisation Failed
Eastern Congo: Why Stabilisation Failed
Quote:
Since Bosco Ntaganda’s mutiny in April 2012 and the creation of the 23 March rebel movement (M23), violence has returned to the Kivus. This crisis shows that today’s problems are the same as yesterday’s because the 2008 framework for resolution of the conflict has yet to be put in place. Instead of implementing the 23 March 2009 agreement between the government and the CNDP (National Council for the Defence of the People), the Congolese authorities pretended to integrate the CNDP into political institutions, while the rebel group pretended to integrate into the Congolese army. In the absence of army reform, military pressure on armed groups only had a temporary effect and post-conflict reconstruction was not accompanied by essential governance reforms and political dialogue. To move away from crisis management and truly resolve the two-decades-old conflict, donors should put pressure on both Kigali and Kinshasa.
Kinshasa/Nairobi/Brussels, 4 October 2012
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/region...on-failed.aspx
The briefing should be available in english next week. It tries to explore the roots of the actual conflict in Eastern DRC. The briefing does not focus on Rwanda involvement, others did it extremely well, but rather lookes at where M23 comes from.