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Give Rwanda No Excuses

The East African (Nairobi)
EDITORIAL
July 26, 2004
Posted to the web July 28, 2004
Nairobi
A report by the UN team charged with investigating causes of last month's
fighting between renegade Congolese rebels in Bukavu led by Brig-Gen Laurent
Nkunda and the Kinshasa government forces has accused Rwanda of playing an
active role in the fighting.
In its draft report, which The EastAfrican obtained last week, the panel of
experts accuses Rwanda of recruiting, training and sheltering renegade
Congolese soldiers responsible for the fighting in North Kivu that left several
people dead and others seriously injured.
The report details how Rwanda assisted the rebels, who temporarily took control
of Bukavu town before they were repulsed. It says Rwanda's help included
mobilising and recruiting fighters for Col Jules Mutebutsi and Brig-Gen Laurent
Nkunda, promising them mobile phones or $100 to fight. "This information was
corroborated by satellite imagery showing six heavy weapons encasements," the
report says.
As expected, Rwanda has denied the accusations, saying that the UN is trying to
divert world attention from the real issues, citing these as the presence of
Interahamwe militias in eastern Congo and the killings they have carried out
recently. The Interahamwe, who are blamed for carrying out the 1994 genocide in
Rwanda that claimed an estimated one million lives, constitute the foremost
security problem for Rwanda. Leaders of the central African country have
repeatedly said that they will do everything possible to ensure their national
security is not compromised. This is a genuine concern.
Under the terms of the ceasefire signed between Rwanda, the rebels and the
Kinshasa government, a timetable was drawn and a number of activities were
supposed to be carried out. Among these were the rounding up of Interahamwe
militias in Congo, withdrawal of foreign troops and the formation of a
coalition government in Congo to prepare the country for a general election.
These were all to be monitored by the UN.
Uganda and Rwanda have withdrawn their troops and a coalition government has
been put in place; what now remains of concern to Rwanda is the disarming of
the Interahamwe. The UN and Kinshasa should take Rwanda's security concerns
seriously as failure to do so will give the latter reason to take its troops
back to Congo.

   

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