Rwandan Envoy Urges DRC, UN to Tackle FDLR Rebels
FILE – A fighter from the FDLR rebel group, which is being hunted by the Rwandan and Congolese armies, stands guard deep in the bush of eastern Congo.
UNITED NATIONS — As the Congolese rebel group M23 began surrendering its weapons Wednesday, neighboring Rwanda called for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to turn its attention to tackling another rebel group.
This is typical of Rwanda, the idiots can’t even read the writing on the wall, any one with even the slightest interest in the Great Lakes Region would be well aware that the FDLR are very much on the Intervention ( Africa ) Brigade and therefore also the Congolese Army’s agenda.
Rwanda’s U.N. Ambassador Eugene Gasana told reporters that the Congolese army and the nearly 20,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, must now turn its attention to eliminating a nearly two decades-old scourge: the Hutu rebel group known as the FDLR (Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda), which operates in eastern Congo.
Ambassador Eugene Gasana might want to pull his bloody head in, he has never had any legitimate authority in the DR Congo and now that Rwanda’s proxy M23 has been defeated he and his nation have no illegitimate authority either yet the fool is issuing orders to not only MONUSCO but also FARDC.
“They should have done this some years ago. I hope that this time they will tackle the FDLR. They have to. Otherwise, I won’t let them sleep,” he said.
When it comes to pointless threats I am guessing that a promise to not let them sleep is right up there. I rather think MONUSCO and FARDC will not be paying much attention to that at all. There is a reason why the FDLR have not been tackled and that again should be fairly obvious to Gasana but I am a helpful chap and will explain it for him. M23 your proxy military Gasana that has been causing havoc in the DR Congo was considered to be a higher priority. I would hazard a guess that intellect is not a high priority for members of the Rwandan foreign service.
The United Nations has accused Rwanda of supporting the now defeated M23 rebels in Congo, a charge it denies. The Rwandan government in turn said the DRC supported the FDLR, which is made up of Hutu rebels involved in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.
Rwanda is always denying the charge, despite the huge amount of evidence that conclusively proves the charge. A bit more turned up today thanks to Charly Kasereka, who if I have understood his tweet ( In French ) would suggest an even greater Rwandan involvement than had been previously thought.
A Congolese soldier shows a military index of the Rwandan army found on the hill
( I am guessing it is Charly’s Photo )
Rwanda’s envoy said his country was ready to retaliate, should the FDLR act against it.
Yes that was the Rwandan excuse for the millions of deaths they have caused in the DR Congo, it would appear they intend to use it going forward as well.
The DRC’s U.N. ambassador, Ignace Gata, acknowledged that the FDLR is a cause for concern to his government. He said military offensives against the group were put on hold because the army had to deal with the M23 rebellion.
I guess when you have counterparts as intellectually challenged as Rwanda’s Gasana, stating the obvious is a necessary chore.
Ambassador Gata said now that the M23 rebellion was over, the government would return to the issue of the FDLR. He said Kinshasa would eradicate all of the armed groups that exist in eastern Congo, including the FDLR, the ADF-Nalu and others.
Again this has been obvious to anyone who has been taking any interest in the situation. I have noted before on this blog the thoughts of DR Congo expert and blogger Jason Stearns of the Congo Siasa blog.
“But it may be the third factor that was the determining one––the absence of support from Rwanda. According to several reports from the frontlines, despite indications of some cross-border support in the Kibumba area, the M23 was largely left to its own devices. “The Rwandans just wouldn’t pick up their phone calls,” one source close to the M23 leadership told me. This is a drastic change from August, when many sources––the UN, Human Rights Watch, and foreign diplomats––all reported hefty support coming across the border.”
Despite the evidence of Charly Kasereka’s photo above, Rwanda should be given some credit for its restraint in the ultimate show down between FARDC and M23. It is unfortunate that Gasana has detracted from that with his stupidity.
French Ambassador Gérard Araud told reporters after a Security Council meeting Wednesday that there was general consensus among the 15 members that the FDLR must be dealt with. He said the success against the M23 was only the beginning for this region.
“The M23 combatants must now be disarmed. The Congolese administration needs to get back to the areas which have been just recovered and provide basic services to the population. All other armed groups, beside the M23, which threaten civilians in the Kivus need to be neutralized,” he said.
I have said it before as a New Zealander ( and I write this on the eve of the All Blacks V. France Armistice Day test match ) I am to a large extent ambivalent when it comes to the French government but the crap that M23 / Rwanda et all M23 sympathisers have be raining on the French has been totally unjustified, France has been doing everything right this time around and should be congratulated not condemned.
As for the Kampala peace talks between Kinshasa and the M23 which were suspended on October 21, the French envoy said the DRC government was hesitating to sign an agreement, now that the rebellion was crushed. But he said some sort of understanding between the two sides would be formalized.
Congo’s ambassador confirmed this, saying Kinshasa wanted to complete the Kampala talks and in the coming days would sign a “document” with the M23.
A document should be signed. It is called an unconditional surrender.
The M23 was formed last April by about 300 former members of the CNDP rebel group who had joined the army following a March 23, 2009 peace agreement.
The rebels-turned-soldiers decided to become rebels again, saying the government had failed to fulfill that agreement and was treating them poorly. Last November, the rebels seized and briefly held the provincial capital of Goma in North Kivu.
Which is yet another reason why they can’t be integrated into FARDC despite the dreamers who think otherwise.
