BAD FAITH FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
MONUSCO UN Peacekeepers In congo In in action.Are This ( sic ) guys peace keepers really?
By Dr Antoinette KANKINDI (Mushakipager)
So Kinshasa and M23 went to Kampala, and we know as a fact of experience that Kinshasa is not about to negotiate. And we also know where the stubbornness is coming from: Kabila’s support from the so called international community. This is no speculation. We do not need to speculate anymore from the moment we saw the UN forces fighting M23 with the FDLR. Ladsous saw in that the best way of defeating M23. However, we also know M23 was not defeated since they retreated freely to allow CIGRL to push for political solutions. Now one wonders why, if we need political solutions, it is not the UN department for Political Affairs that takes the lead. When it comes to the Kivu, you wouldn’t even know that that department exists due to the huge activism and presence of Mr. Ladsous department. This is France at its best, changing definitively the narrative on the Kivu political problems: they want them to appear as Rwandan problems, and in so doing, exonerate Kinshasa of any responsibility as well as giving themselves to pick a fight with Rwanda using the genocidaires. This discourse will be sung again at the UN general assembly this year.
Well my first reaction is that Dr Antoinette Kankindi is an idiot if she thinks she can get away with this sort of historical revisionism when the events she refers to are still fresh in the memories of those involved.
Both M23 and Kinshasa went the Kampala talks with anything but good faith, both had an hidden unspoken agenda. Kinshasa went for the sake of appearances and M23 to buy time for Rwanda to reinforce them with both weapons and personnel.
It isn't so much that the International Community supports Kinshasa rather the International Community is sick to the death of Rwandan support for M23, Rwandan lies and infact the Rwandan regime. MONUSCO and the Intervention Brigade ( Africa Brigade ) have as part of their updated mandate, the suppression of armed groups and to protect the territorial integrity of the DR Congo. M23 clearly fits into the category of an armed group and there can be no doubt it is a huge threat to the territorial integrity of the DR Congo.
As for the statement M23 " retreated freely to allow CIGRL to push for political solutions." they didn't, they were routed, we also seem to have a bit of a problem with the timing. President Museveni called the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region ( ICGLR ) around September 1, the annihilation of M23 preceded this by a good week, it was infact one of the main reasons for calling the emergency meeting of ICGLR. I think we can safely call bullshit on that particular attempt to rewrite history by Antoinette Kankindi.
It is funny how the international community suddenly becomes just France. I think that that rather overstates French hegemony. Could I suggest the author removes her head from her arse and checks out the US State Department's position.
On the other hand, I am not interested in it really. I was even shocked to hear that M23 would be willing to disarm if FDLR are also disarmed. Absurd, because for one the political problems of the Kivu imply the FDLR too, but they are first and foremost a problem of development, which the FDLR have made worse with the increase of IDPs to add to refugees and the looting of local resources, for example. So, of course FDLR are absolutely unacceptable. But even if they were to be disarmed, our local political problems will still stand. And they are the same in Kamina or Isiro, Mbanza-ngungu or Mwene Ditu, Kalemie or Lisala, etc…The bad faith of the international community I want to deal with is that they have tried hard to transform the conflict, only to avoid what they fear most: that the Kivu seeks its own autonomy. And mind you I know the usual voices will accuse me of balkanization inclinations, haha. Autonomy does not mean total independence, a clarification for people with narrow views on political action.
As I mentioned above the extended mandate of MONUSCO is quite unequivocal it requires the suppression of all armed groups and that includes the FDLR. Reading this rubbish one could be forgiven for thinking that M23 have not created one refugee or one Internally Displaced Person. It is of course yet another lie. M23 have displaced hundreds of thousands of people and created thousands of refugees.
Autonomy means in the M23 context either a client state of Rwanda or the Rwandan annexation of the DR Congo's eastern provinces. The International Community does not support this and the people of the Eastern DR Congo don't either. The only way that Rwandan ambitions in the DR Congo could be realised is by a plebiscite of the community and an unequivocal vote to support such a development. That is never going to happen. Democracy means having the support of the majority. "...a clarification for people with narrow views on political action."
However, our people should understand two things: 1) that the solution to our problems starts from that autonomy; 2) That such autonomy simply means that participatory political action works better from the local level, so does production which creates economic growth. We must all understand this and it is valid not only for the provinces in the DRC but for the whole of sub-saharan Africa. Local politically well structured governance also limits the levels of corruption as it is likely to respond to the needs of the people rather than power politics. It is for these two reasons that I am convinced of the need to keep the DRC as a country but with a greater autonomy of each of its provinces, beginning from the Kivu that never tire to fight for the freedom of our people. But then this will require more transparency even on the part of the International Community in its dealing with a country endowed with strong local politics and strong local economy. For the starters, the zillion of NGOs such IC promotes will be the first casualties, next the whole cooperation discourse will need a redefining. How can our vultures of the IC allow that? You understand why they are obsessed with portraying the DRC problems as Rwandan??? We will be observing what is “NOT” happening in Kampala.
Ok autonomy does not mean " total independence " but it does mean " participatory political action at a local level. " Fortunately Charly Kasereka reported on some autonomy recently in Goma, my best efforts at translating it from French are here. It would seem that the participatory political action at a local level was fairly much united by a desire to see M23 stopped permanently. In fact if anything it was a call for the government to engage more not for further disengagement. As for the economic growth argument again Chary Kasereka gives us a few helpful observations on the M23 autonomists contribution to the economy of Goma.
Currently, there is not much for sale in the Goma markets, and everything has become very expensive: corn, green beans, milk, all basic food products… Before, a 100 kg bag of cassava cost between 25 to 30 US dollars; today, this amount costs in the 45 to 50 dollar range [35 to 40 euros]. And, for instance, a kg of green beans, which used to cost half a dollar, now costs almost a full dollar [0,80 euros]. These basic food products have nearly doubled in price! In a city where the population is already very poor...."
"...When the rebels took Rutshuru in early July, the M23 rebels put up numerous roadblocks and now undertake lengthy inspections of each trucks’ contents. On his last trip, he was taxed about 350 dollars [285 euros] for his cassava cargo. Before the rebels came, he used to pay at most only 50 dollars [40 euros] in taxes. ..."
In other words the woman is an economic ignoramus " strong local politics and strong local economy " I really haven't got a clue what she is talking about but the economy of Goma is totally reliant on the " zillions of NGO's " I am guessing here but it sounds like they are the vultures she is referring to guys like Médecins Sans Frontières who are working there butts of to provide medical services unlike those saints of M23 who are raping and killing at the behest of Dr Antoinette Kankindi. Finally yes I do understand why the International Community are portraying the problem as the fault of Rwanda and Rwanda can fix that very quickly by stopping interfering in the eastern DR Congo.
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