For Immunity For Your Crimes? Be a UN Groupie!

Fuming is an understatement; I am literally sweating in my brain.

A “damning” report by the UN regarding “human abuse crimes” committed by Rwandan, Ugandan and Burundi troops in the Congo from 1993 to 2003 was released today. Many weeks ago, the report was leaked to various news agencies around the World and those responsible for those crimes voiced in unison their “unbelief”.

“The period covered by this report is probably one of the most tragic chapters in the recent history of the DRC,” the report says.

Violations of human rights linked to the exploitation of the DRC’s natural resources by both domestic and international actors are also listed.

I will not take a legalistic approach to this subject but I’m going to be straight-forward and emotional as I am personally affected by those crimes.

And the striking aspect of this “damning” report is the genocide accusations against Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, of which they all categorically object to.

The accusations of genocide hit Kigali particularly hard as its government has largely based its “legitimacy” on being the force that stopped the Rwanda genocide in 1994.

From my understanding, this “unified” protest from the implicated nations namely Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi was envisioned a long time ago because as we all know the TRUTH has a bad habit of ALWAYS coming out at some stage. In anticipation, they covered their backs by joining their armies to UN missions and today it’s almost funny to see that the ONLY way out of this misery for them is threatening to pull out of UN missions around the world.

Note that none of those countries haven’t systematically contradicted the report as such. They haven’t denied it so to speak but ONLY voiced their disgust about that TRUTH being uncovered.

A Hutu who sheltered more than 1,200 Tutsi during the genocide, Paul Rusesabagina, who is the subject of the 2004 film HOTEL RWANDA , says the report revealed unspoken truths about the region’s history.

“At long last, for the first time, the United Nations have not yet abandoned Rwanda and my fellow Rwandans,” said Paul Rusesabagina. “Because, at least now we can see that both sides committed atrocities.  The only way to reconcile a nation is to bring everybody around the table.  And then around the table, give an opportunity to each and everyone to talk, to bring the truth.  Then through the truth, equal justice, equal rights and then reconciliation and a lasting peace.”

The UNHCHR states:

The 550-page report contains descriptions of 617 alleged violent incidents occurring in the DRC between March 1993 and June 2003. Each of these incidents points to the possible commission of gross violations of human rights and/or international humanitarian law. Each of the incidents listed is backed up by at least two independent sources identified in the report. As serious as they may be, uncorroborated incidents claimed by one single source are not included.

Field mapping teams met with over 1,280 witnesses to corroborate or invalidate the violations listed in the chronology. Information was also collected on previously undocumented crimes.

And Uganda’s foreign affairs minister, Sam Kutesa, dismissed the report as …

“a compendium of rumours deeply flawed in methodology, sourcing and standard of proof”.

So the Rwandan foreign affairs minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, said the document was…

“flawed and dangerous from start to finish”.

These governments release lengthy statements to voice their opinions while they know for FACT that

“They (Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi soldiers) carried out summary executions of civilians, arbitrarily detained large numbers of people and subjected them to torture and various other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatments,” the report said.

The draft document said the slaughter in Congo of tens of thousands of Hutus by Rwandan troops seeking to avenge the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in their country could be classified as “crimes of genocide“.

She (Louise Mushikiwabo) criticised the methodology used to collect evidence and accused the UN of seeking to “rewrite history”.

Uhm okay, which history is she talking about? The history that happened? Or the Rwandan government’s make believe theories of Kagame & co heroically ending the genocide of his people?

Didn’t she know using big words wont make you intelligent or persuasive?

“The accusations of genocide are particularly contested by Kigali as its government has based much of its legitimacy on being the force that stopped the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

And that’s the ONLY reason why they should be in power and control that country indefinitely.

That’s the myth about Kagame; he managed so well to sugar-coat his image as the genocide buster, now why this report is pouring hot water on his thin and almost non-existent layer of glory?

See Rwanda has created THEIR history and not even the TRUTH is good enough to change that.

They say the report is DANGEROUS, dangerous for whom? Last time I checked the truth turns out to be dangerous ONLY to liars or am I wrong?

Rwanda, a SMALL country in East Africa, contributes thousands of soldiers to peacekeeping missions in Chad, Haiti, Liberia and Sudan. It would create a “headache” for the United Nations if Rwanda made good on its threat and withdrew its troops.

And I guess Rwanda played its card very well on that regard, now they have a solid bargaining tool to get away from such crimes without a scratch… If such a SMALL country can send thousands of troops in UN missions, I wonder what would happened if the UN asked BIG countries to fill in for them, I mean the US deployed more troops in Haiti within days way more than Rwanda has deployed all across the globe in years.

Sure the USA being such a believer of the UN wouldn’t mind saving it from a FATAL headache… Or would they?

Rwanda’s government has always said its troops entered DR Congo to pursue the militiamen responsible for the 1994 genocide of Tutsis. Uhmm what about the minerals you exported without having NATURAL mines for them within your territory? And That’s another subject worth a full discussion on its own… Moving along.

So that assumption of creating a global crisis is just one of those theories developed and believed only by Rwandans and their government.

On a different tone, though the UN effort of unearthing the TRUTH about crimes committed in the DRC is praiseworthy, the fact that its Secretary General Ba-Ki-Moon literally rushed to Kigali to attend to Kagame’s whinning and sobbing raises many questions about the REAL intentions of this body in regard to the CONGO and this “damning” report.

Recently the UN Mission in the Congo (MONUC) mandate expired and it was suddenly “converted” to UN “Stabilization” Mission in the Congo (MONUSCO)… We all know from Chemistry lessons back in school that “stabilizing” missions (in labs) cant be measured in periodical terms, meaning it might take as LONG as it is needed.

So there comes the well-known myth that where the UN goes the UN never ever leaves and that place never EVER knows PEACE.

Basically the UN intend on staying indefinitely in the Congo.

Even the timing of this report is suspicious. Though commissioned by Kofi Anan during his time why leak it and then release it only NOW? Note that the main way forward preached by this 550-page report is that ultimate establishment of UN courts in the DRC to deal with these crimes.

In its Section IV, see UN report page 444, the top transitional justice options mentioned is the establishment of International Criminal Courts (by the UN), that alone is subconsciously telling me of their next move.

As a proud and revolutionary Congolese citizen, do I need to be prepared myself to the fact that I will spend the rest of my life side by side with UN soldiers in my country? We all know that where the UN remains indefinitely peace never ever prevails.

Are we condemned to be in this tense situation for the rest of our existence?

Do we, as a Nation of PEOPLE, have a say in this?

I believe so, and I shall work towards making our voices will be heard.

Call me bias if you wish but I am a proud son of my father who himself was a fulfilled son of our Mother Land the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

That is my African view.

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