Hungry for Truth, Peace and Justice

UN Experts' Report: Failure In Congo

The coalition forces of Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), and UN Mission of Congo (MONUC) have failed to dismantle Rwandan rebels, says UN Experts Report.

By David O’Brian
AfroAmerica Network
Baltimore, November 25, 2009

AfroAmerica Network just finished to review a copy of the UN Group of Experts report leaked to the media, and to us. The conclusion of the Report is damning for everybody and especially discredits the claims by the coalition of the Congolese Defense Forces (FARDC), Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) and MONUC of having broken the military and political structure of the rwandan rebels, including Democratic Liberation Forces (FDLR) and the Rally For Unity and Democracy (RUD-Urunana).

Instead, the report asserts, these two rebels groups, not long ago competitors, have created alliances among themselves and with the Congolese ethnic groups including Hunde, Nande, and Congolese Hutu in North-Kivu and Tutsis Bagogwe and Banyamulenge in Masisi and South-Kivu. Besides, the report affirms that the two groups, especially a RUD Colonel named Winceslas Nizeyimana, has been recruiting hundreds of combatants across the border in Uganda from the refugee camps of Nakivale and Cyaka. CNDP, led by the accused war criminal General Bosco Ntaganda has increased in numbers, strength, and wealth and committed most of the worst abuses, including massive rapes, mass slaughters of civilians, looting and illegal levy of taxes, following its integration within the congolese army, the FARDC.

As most human rights group have pointed out, the UN Experts’ report concurs that instead of reaching sought out solutions, the military operations known as Umoja Wetu, Kimia I and KImiaII against the rwandan rebels, have complicated the problem, and created one of the most appalling human catastrophe the humanity has experienced: thousands of women and girls raped, thousands of civilians killed, hundreds of thousand of refugees and displaced, countless villages looted and burned to ground.

All countries are accused of supporting or helping the Rwandan rebels: China, Angola, South Africa, Russia, Tanzania, North Korea, Sudan, France, Germany, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, North America, Great Britain, Switzerland, and most importantly the Democratic Republic of the Congo itself.

Among the Congolese accused of supporting FDLR and RUD-Urunana are: Congo-Kinshasa’s Minister of Decentralization, Mbusa Nyamwisi, who was previously Foreign Minister, and the businessman Kasereka Maghulu, also known as Kavatsi, who has apparently been helping RUD-URUNANA to obtain food supplies, arms, ammunition and cash in return for minerals and timber. The commanders of the FARDC 10th military region, General Pacifique Masunzu, a Banyamulenge (South Kivu Banyamulenge Tutsi) who broke with the Rwandan-backed Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) back in 2003 and who clearly remains implacably opposed to the Rwandan government, and his deputy Colonel Baudouin Nakabaka, a former Mai-Mai fighter accused responsible of providing logistical support to Rwandan rebels.

One interesting accusation is directed to Roman Catholic networks. The UN Group particularly names two Spanish charities linked with the Roman Catholic church, the Fundació S’Olivar and Inshuti, and funded by the government of the Islas Baleares Province. The Spanish charities, Fundació S’Olivar and Inshuti are accused of providing financial support to the FDLR, funding allegedly used to recruit combatants from refugee camps and young Congolese Hutus. Fundació S’Olivar is run by the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Juan Carrero, a prominent figure in Spain and
renown conscience objector. Inshuti used to be run by Joan Casoliva.

Both men are cited in the report as being FDLR sympathizers and for seeking the prosecution of RPF officials in the Spanish courts. Inshuti is accused of collaborating with a Belgian brother of a charity called Constant Goetschalckxhas.

The UN Experts especially targets the FDLR political leaders in the following sections (93 - 95):

93. To further corroborate the modus operandi of the FDLR chain of command, the Group worked in collaboration with an FDLR ex-combatant who in turn obtained information in the presence of the Group from a radio operator active in DRC. This conversation, which was heard and transcribed by the Group, related to military instructions issued in March 2009 by the FDLR high command to attack civilian populations and hospitals ........

For more information visit: UN Expert Report: Failure in Congo or afroamerica home page and go to the Blog page.

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posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 11:23 PM