Hungry for Truth, Peace and Justice

UN secretly documenting FDLR operations from Rwanda

By RNA reporter
October 21, 2009

Kigali: Senior political leaders of the Rwandan FDLR rebels are in Europe as the war machine is based in the bushes of eastern DR Congo but the two sides keep in touch through regular email and phone contacts, according to former commander General Paul Rwarakabije and others, now in government here.

The former commander, who surrendered in 2003 along with hundreds of others, is just among the many former combatants who are being interrogated by UN investigators to try to understand how the militia force operates. As the FDLR are allegedly causing havoc in eastern DRC, the UN hopes to use these details to penetrate its command.

Dr. Ignace Murwanashyaka is the leader of the rebels, but is living in Germany as a free man. It's by no means a secret that Murwanashyaka lives in the Germany city of Mannheim. German politicians and the judiciary are well aware of the fact, but the wheels of justice are turning only very slowly.

UN mapping FDLR functioning

Currently there are a number of legal cases pending against Murwanashyaka - one of them aims to withdraw his status as an asylum seeker. Since the year 2000 he has been recognized as a refugee in Germany - which means that he is barred from engaging in any political activity. He's already been convicted once on that count but received a suspended sentence.

As Germany broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports, the United Nations is now trying to shed light on the FDLR and its criminal structures. Investigators are engaging former top commanders who have surrendered to Rwanda. Another top officer now in Rwanda is Brigadier Jerome Ngendahimana, who was part of the Rwandan operations in January.

In a reintegration camp for former rebel fighters in Mutobo – Northern Rwanda, UN mediators have met with former officers. What they are looking for is; who is giving the orders in the FDLR, who is in charge of finances, strategies, and ideology?

But the former fighters have been hesitant to talk about their past, they're afraid to give out names. Several have already received death threats. They know that the FDLR chief Ignace Murwanashyaka is living in Germany and that he closely follows what the media is reporting about him. A former major explained how the order of command works.

"The FDLR is divided into a political and a military wing," he says. "Murwanashyaka is the head of the political wing but ultimately he also holds the command over the military side. He is treated like a head of state among his men. And the top general among the fighters, Sylvestre Mudacumura is a good friend of his."

The United Nations is said to have documented the phone contacts made between Murwanashyaka in Germany and Mudacumura in eastern Congo. The two are in regular contact with each other and the number of calls increases whenever the FDLR is in a difficult situation - as for instance last February when it was being hunted by the official army.

In 2008, Rwanda issued an international arrest warrant against Murwanashyaka, accusing him of numerous human rights violations - but Germany has said it will not extradite him because it considers the Rwandan legal system incapable of holding a fair trial.

Cooperation with Berlin

For Rwanda's chief public prosecutor, Mr. Martin Ngoga, it's irrelevant where the FDLR chief is put on trial, whether in Rwanda or Germany: the important thing is that he is faces justice.

"He's the head of an armed rebel group that is responsible for killing countless innocent people - and which continues to do so," Ngoga says.

"The FDLR is considered a terrorist organisation and it would be very bad if Berlin doesn't recognize that. We hope that the case is finally properly picked up the German authorities. The urgency to do so grows by the day."

Ngoga is counting on his colleagues in Germany. The case of Ignace Murwanashyaka is at the top of his agenda - after all, Rwanda has already spent 15 years searching for dozens of war criminals involved in the 1994 genocide. Many of the fighters from back then are now members of the FDLR - and dismantling the rebel organization could be a crucial step towards peace in the region.

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posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 10:54 PM