DRC: Tit-for-Tat in a Proxy War

by Michelle . · 2008-12-16 16:23:00 UTC
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A UN-commissioned report by a panel of independent investigators found evidence of what many have suspected for quite some time: The government of Rwanda support to DRC rebel leader Laurant Nkunda and his militias, and the government of the DRC has "collaborated extensively" with the FDLR:

"The report by a panel of five U.N. experts who monitor Security Council sanctions against armed groups in eastern Congo provided the first evidence that the two governments have violated U.N. bans on military and financial support for armed proxies in eastern Congo."

Many members of the FDLR are responsible for Rwanda's 1994 genocide, and have sought to satisfy their cravings for ethnic cleansing against the population of their unwitting host country, and generally brutalized most others nearby. Hence the rise of Laurent Nkunda, and Rwanda's affinity for him.

Naturally, all sides deny the UN report: The FDLR calls the accusations "unfair, unfounded, and untrue," while the government of Rwanda accused the UN of "malicious" intent.

It seems unclear, at this point, how the report will impact the ongoing, multiplicitous conflict in the eastern DRC, or the fledgling peace process. Perhaps each side will dig in their heels even more, perhaps it can be used cleverly as diplomatic leverage to push for resolution...who knows? At the very least, Amnesty International is right in calling for a more robust arms embargo...and if it could actually be enforced, that would be just super.

For tracking on the situation on the ground in the DRC, follow Michael's Humanitarian Relief blog.

[Photo: FDLR militias.]

Michelle . has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns.
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