Burundi: We've played this scene before.

A statement from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.


UN experts call for determined Security Council action to prevent mass violence in the Great Lakes region


GENEVA (16 July 2015) – A group of United Nations human rights experts* today urged the Security Council to take immediate action to prevent Burundi from sliding back into violent conflict ahead of presidential elections, a crisis which will not leave the other countries in the region, including Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, unaffected. Thus far, 145,000 persons have fled to neighbouring countries in fear for their lives.

This is something that should scare the shit out of the whole world. Once again we are seeing the Great Lakes Region of Africa descend into chaos and once again the world is looking away. Six million lives have been lost in the DR Congo since 1998 and lets not forget the genocide in Rwanda and a further 800,000 lives. 


“The world is witnessing an escalating pattern of politically motivated violence in Burundi, enabled by the country’s decades-long tradition of impunity,” the experts warned. “The international community must not simply stand by and wait for mass atrocities to unfold, thereby risking a major conflict of regional proportions before it finally decides to act,” the Special Rapporteurs added, pointing to repeated cycles of mass violations that Burundi and the Great Lakes region have witnessed in recent history.

New Zealand is the currently president of the Security Council as we were when the Rwandan Genocide occurred and once again the Security Council is dithering. The difference being the last time we held the presidency we acted with honour.

" As the death count grew, our Ambassador, Colin Keating, pressed hard for the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda to be strengthened, and for the Council to declare this atrocity as genocide.

As the Council’s President in April 1994, we even had to threaten to hold a public debate to shame certain countries for their refusal to acknowledge what was happening.

In the end, mainly because of the unwillingness of some of the Council’s permanent members, those efforts were unsuccessful and 800,000 innocent people were butchered – many with jungle knives."

For fucks sake our ( NZ ) official position is that we oppose the great power Security Council veto. Yes we failed Rwanda but we tried. We may fail again...we will certainly fail if we don't try. The world voted us onto the Security Council not the vested interests of the west.

The situation in Burundi has already involved serious human rights violations. “It is accumulating the well-known and visible marks of a society which previously suffered divisions leading to grave violence. This can escalate into major conflict through the use of outright repression against, and intimidation of, the population at large, the instrumentalization of the police, the closure of independent media, as well as the detention of the opposition and other civic leaders. We also witness efforts to coerce the judiciary, some of whose highest members have fled the country claiming their lives were at risk. In the meantime, armed militias, with the collaboration of authorities, exercise violence against civilians. In these circumstances, it is not surprising that the results of the 29 June elections have generally not been endorsed,” the experts raised alarm. 

In short we have all the ingredients for another ethnic conflict that like the rest will engulf the the Great Lakes Region with potential consequences that don't bare thinking about except that we will have to do a lot more than think about them if   when they come to pass.



“The absence of independent media and a climate of repression and fear to exercise civil rights and express opinions, notably by peacefully taking to the streets, have marred the recent elections and will also be defining the forthcoming presidential elections, now scheduled for 21 July. The postponement by six days of the presidential elections does not remedy this blatant deficiency,” the mandate-holders stated.

It might be time for the world as represented by the Security Council to remind certain African dictators of a supposedly African proverb popularised by American President Roosevelt.

" Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far,"  


“If the government persists in holding presidential elections under the current circumstances – something even the former first Vice-President objected to after also having fled the country – they will in no way confer any legitimacy on the to-be-elected authorities. On the contrary, the elections are highly likely to result in major instability and confrontations in Burundi, with the potential to spread to the region,” the experts warned.

The big and forever unanswered question being who will benefit from the instability ? Oh of course the West, instability is opportunity.... just look at the illegal exploitation of resources multi-nationals have achieved in the DR Congo....and the cost... six million Congolese lives.  


On 9 July, the situation on Burundi was most recently discussed by the Security Council. The seven independent experts strongly echoed the call made by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to immediately disarm the youth militia Imbonerakure which is spreading major violence and intimidation among the population. The experts join the High Commissioner in recalling that the people of Burundi “have a right to go about their lives peacefully, in freedom, equality and dignity; without fear, and with equitable access to their country's many resources and opportunities.”

The Imbonerakure are targeting Tutsi communities and it would seem are predominantly a Hutu organisation.To quote Marrilion's Fish " You've played this scene before ".  


“The Security Council has a unique role for peace and security and for preventing conflicts worldwide. This is a crisis that is eminently preventable – everyone can see the risks. What is lacking is action,” underscored the independent experts. “Given the painful history of Burundi and the region, the long engagement of the United Nations in the country to re-build peace, the Security Council must be all the more alerted to the increasing potential of an escalation of massive violence,” the experts added.

And New Zealand as the current the president of the Security Council have failed enormously. We have failed our own legacy... even worse we have failed the trust the world mandated us with. 


“Burundians, who live in the world’s third poorest country must be spared another cycle of violence, with the misery and destruction that violence always leave on its wake. They look to the Security Council to live up to its unique role in the prevention of mass atrocities,” the experts urged.

I am ashamed to be a New Zealander today. John Key a new flag will not disassociate us from a genocide we did nothing to prevent. If our old brand has more honour than our new brand it would be better to abandon the exercise.

DR Congo / Uganda - " Three boats down from the candy, much to much to lose "

The BBC reports

Uganda Lake Albert boat disaster 'killed 251 refugees'

                                    Ugandan police divers helped in the search for survivors, and bodies

More than 250 people died in last Saturday's boat capsize on Lake Albert between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, a minister has said.

This is a sharp increase on the initial death toll, partly a result of the vessel carrying many more passengers than the official capacity of 80.

The boat was taking Congolese refugees in Uganda back to their home country.

These were refugees from the Kyangwali refugee  camp. These deaths can be attributed to crap boats, crap regulation and crap oversight by both the UN, DR Congo and Uganda but lets not forget that these people were refugees due to the Ugandan ADF rebels.  

Boat accidents are common in both countries because of poor safety standards and overloading.

That is no reason to accept the deaths. Clearly there has been a failure by both Uganda and the DR Congo authorities as well as by MONUSCO who have run Facebook puff pieces on how they have a maritime patrol division.   

Some Questions,

- Was the boat fit for purpose ? ie. Could it operate on Lake Albert safely under all the conditions it was foreseeable it would face.

- Was the boat in a seaworthy condition and was it operating under a safe ship management plan? An 80 passenger limit would suggest it was.

- What was the history of the boat ? In the Pacific Islands we have similar tragedies usually the vessels in question have reached the end of their economic life in either NZ or Australia and are dumped on the Pacific Islands where they sink and kill.

Congolese authorities have declared three days of national mourning for the victims of last Saturday's disaster - among whom were many children.

On Tuesday they made up more than half of the then death toll of 107. About 300 people are now thought to have been aboard.

A boat that is surveyed for 80 passengers will under the best circumstances have life boat, life jackets etc. for 80 people I very much doubt that this was the case but even if it was with 300 people on board this was a foreseeable disaster and official heads should role.

"It is with deep sorrow that we confirm to the nation the death of 251 of our compatriots who had boarded the boat from the Ugandan side of Lake Albert," said Congolese government spokesman Lambert Mende Omalanga, adding that "we have managed to have something like 50 people who have escaped."

Don't expect many women and children to be among those who survived.

Congolese authorities are helping to support survivors, while arranging funerals for the dead, he said.

Saturday's disaster happened just days after DR Congo launched a campaign to enforce the wearing of life jackets on all boats on its many waterways.

It is common for boats in both countries to have too few, if any, life jackets on board.

I am not saying that compulsory wearing of life jackets is a bad idea but it is a second class solution. What is needed is quite probably a new class of vessel designed for the Great Lakes region. The craft should be simple and the fittings should float you don't need GPS, flash electronics ... etc. Seaworthy simple modern ferries that are fit for purpose would fit the bill. 

The actual  " bill " for the boats should be a priority aid project given the reliance on maritime transport of the region but why not do it smart. Get a good design and licence it to local manufactures with a naval architect overseeing the builds, make the financing through a suspensory loan arrangement  with real incentives to operators running vessels that are maintained well and operate within survey limits. By incentives I mean up to at least an 80% right off of the loan. Carrots are more effective than sticks.

'Deeply shocked'

On Monday, the UN high commissioner for refugees Antonio Guterres said he was deeply shocked by the disaster.

Yes... you were responsible Mr Guterres for those people and you failed. Your job was to get them home safely. I hope you have offered your resignation because your cavalier attitude to the repatriation of these people is yet another cause of this disaster. 

"My thoughts are with those who have lost dear ones, and the survivors,"he said in a statement.

"I am grateful to the government and other actors who have mounted a rescue-and-recovery operation and are assisting the survivors.''

The boat was one of two which left on Saturday from Uganda's Hoima district on the eastern side of the lake, which lies on the border with DR Congo.

The boats were carrying refugees who had been living at a camp in Uganda, and had decided to return to eastern DR Congo of their own accord, the UNHCR said.

The UNHCR had a responsibility to get them home. This was a UN failure let's not fail the people of the Eastern DR Congo again.

DR Congo: " Where do we go from here ? "

Rising Continent blogs:

Why Africans should support justice in DRC by acknowledging the Congolese genocide

By BK Kumbi

Last year friends such as Ugandan Josephine Apira and Rwandan comrades of a same struggle Ambrose Nzeyimana and Rene Claudel Mugenzi agreed to support a petition we as Congolese had written regarding the situation in the Great Lakes.

The petition is here I strongly recommend you support it. 

Since the focus of the document is on the Democratic Republic of Congo, many Rwandans feel not concerned though through the content of what we are asking for, namely the acknowledgment of the Congolese genocide as a prerequisite to any peace agreement [for the entire region], this necessarily impacts on Rwandans.

For that reason, Nzeyimana has in fact been actively involved in the preparatory team of the petition. Today we have personalities such US politician woman Cynthia Mckinney, or Clare Daly from Ireland who are supporting and calling for the signing of the petition.

As a Congolese it took me sometimes to stop from hating Rwandans. This only happened when I understood that this was what Kagame wanted. This liberation struggle is not only Congolese; it is Rwandan, Ugandan, and Burundian. It is African. Crimes that have been committed in the region are unspeakable. And truth must come out and be told loudly. Unless men and women like you and me stand up, this will be impossible. It is not the West which equips our murderers with ammunition which is going to help us.

We are Africans. It is our motherland, our lives and that of our children that we are defending. It is first and foremost to us to acknowledge this: that it is my father, my mother, my sister, my son, my daughter, and my African friend who have been killed. I acknowledge that what has been committed on the land of my ancestors is an abominable crime.

When Museveni started eliminating Baganda in the Luwero Triangle and Acholis in the north of Uganda, we [Africans including myself] looked away. [Unconsciously, my mind told me that this was none of my business].

When RPF and Interahamwe killed in Rwanda, the world claimed outrage, but did not do much [though this was in fact the strategy for the planners].

When RPF killed Hutu populations in the then Zaire forests, the international community even denied the occurrence.

Today Congolese are killed and it is total blindness from the rest of the world. We Africans have our common suffering. It must serve to an end.

We are not animals but men and women who deserve their fundamental rights to mourn their dead with dignity.

If presently we don’t understand that it is hand in hand that we have to fight, then dictators [and their sponsors] have in front of them many years to enjoy.

Please use your signing of the petition to acknowledge the dignity of your people and say that you are human beings characterized by peace.

Thank you for your support.

I have no comments to add BK has made her case and more than made it. Support this and help bring justice, freedom, equality all the buzz words yes but so much more.

DR Congo: Two crossed dead Frenchmen, emblazoned on a mound of dead Frenchmen

Chimp Reports ( Uganda ) reports

France Moves To Preserve Influence, Fuels Insecurity In Great Lakes

By Diana S. Katabarwa 

                                                                                                  Herve Ladsous
When the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2098 on 28th March 2013, for an offensive force to neutralize and disarm Congolese as well as foreign rebel groups in East DRC, this presented France with an opportunity to take decisive measures to safeguard its political and economic interests as well as cultural influence in the Great Lakes region. 

I think Diana S. Katabarwa might be insane. The French contribution to this " offensive force " that is the Intervention ( Africa ) Brigade is of course so extensive that they have no troops involved, no military advisors involved, in fact nothing at all, other than a seat on the UN Security Council that authorised the Intervention Brigade. The question then becomes how did those devious French cheese eaters manage to manipulate the UN security council into such an action ? 

The French were subtle so incredibly subtle the world missed their diplomatic play totally, no where will you find it reported that the French somehow manipulated International Conference for the Great Lakes Region into demanding that an intervention force be deployed in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

" The ICGLR summit asked the rebels to withdraw from “current positions to the ground of tactical importance not less than 20km from Goma town within 2 days (from Saturday).”

The Kampala summit also resolved that a composite force comprising one company of a proposed neutral force, one company of Congolese army (FARDC) and one company of M23 be deployed at Goma airport, and also asked the UN Stabilisation Mission in Congo (Monusco) to “occupy and provide security in the neutral zone between Goma and the new areas occupied by M23”."

How did the French know at this early point before even the ICGLR asked for the Intervention Brigade to come under the auspices of the UN and be integrated into the MONUSCO command structure that here was their opportunity to recolonise Africa ? Even better those subtle French, managed to get Uganda and Rwanda to propose what was eventually to become the Brigade . 

French policy in the Great Lakes has always been ‘the end justifies the means’ which explains why in 1994 France continued to support the Rwandan army even as the genocide unfolded and bodies were piling on streets, in churches and stadiums.

France was not oblivious to what was going on at that time but regarded its support for the genocidal regime as a necessity to stop the advance of the English speaking Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) ‘’invaders’’ from overrunning what France considered as its territory and posing a threat to French influence, language and culture.

OK  Time for a quick history lesson. Germany colonised Rwanda in 1884 followed by Belgium in 1916 and Rwanda achieved independence in 1962. Now I might be a bit dim but I had no idea that both Germany and Belgium were actually part of France during the colonial period. I also was unaware that post 1962 the Rwandan state seeded authority to France. Or let me put it another way, Katabarwa is talking shit.

The French and Anglo Saxon rivalry for influence in post-colonial Africa coupled with France’s delusions of grandeur drove France to prop up a regime that massacred one million people in Rwanda in 1994.

Quite a few. The whole bloody world was guilty of looking the other way during the Rwandan Genocide. There is no excuse for it but lets not make it Frances exclusive responsibility. Abdicating our responsibility means it can happen again, and we only need to look across the Rwandan border to see the evidence of that.  

This rivalry for influence recently came to a head again in North Kivu Province of East DRC where France in the guise of MONUSCO took decisive measures to protect its interests.

What rivalry ? The Anglos Saxons to use an antiquated term are not really interested. 

After M23’s withdrawal from Goma in December 2012, despite the presence of MONUSCO on ground, Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Mayi Mayi Shetani militias and Janvier Karairi’s militias moved into positions in and around Goma, Mudja, Rusayo, Kanyati, Ishasha, Nyamilima, Kisharu and Vishumbi to reinforce the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC).

This development did not go unnoticed by the locals but for some reason received no mention whatsoever from the international media, human rights groups or NGOs on ground.

Actually I suspect it did go unnoticed by the locals I sure as hell didn't see any evidence of that. 

In April 2013 the UN Intervention Brigade arrived in North Kivu accompanied by 30 French military experts. Shortly after, rockets were fired from the FARDC/FDLR controlled area into Rwandan territory.

I have been unable to confirm a French presence. It would seem rather unlikely however I would be less surprised if they were observers. 

FDLR had experienced a new surge in confidence similar to that of 1994 when they cheered as the first French troops arrived in Zone Turquoise which was presumably established to stop the genocide but instead ended up providing safe passage into Zaire for Interahamwe and ex-FAR (former Rwandan army) as they fled from the RPF advance.

If I was part of the FDLR I would be feeling anything but confident. They must know it will be there turn next and unlike M23 they have no where to run.

On 30 July MONUSCO gave “negative elements’’ (read M23) 48 hours to disarm. Following the ultimatum, out of over 25 armed groups in East DRC, M23 was singled out and attacked by the joint forces of the UN Intervention Brigade, FARDC and FDLR.

So M23 were unaware that despite bombing Goma and Rwandan territory they were going to be attacked. That is worth a Darwin award.

Belgian Foreign Minister Reynders visited Joseph Kabila on 22nd August 2013 and advised the DRC government not to integrate the M23 into the national army 

Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) that had only a few weeks earlier sent over 60,000 Congolese fleeing into Uganda was of no immediate concern to the UN Brigade. Neither was FDLR that has terrorized Eastern DRC for the last 18 years. 

" Immediate " is the operative word. Rwandan troops massing on the border. M23 firing into Rwandan territory in an attempt to start a full scale war. I wasn't in the least surprised.

The 48 hour ultimatum and attack on M23 was the method employed by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations to thwart UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon, Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Mary Robinson and US Secretary of State John Kerry’s preference for a political resolution to the conflict which if attained would give the Anglo Saxons an upper hand in East DRC. France regards the DRC as its territory. 

Really. This is getting a bit hysterical. I am assuming the author wants an Anglo Saxon influence.

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations is headed by Herve Ladsous who was deputy head of the French UN Mission in 1994. He defended the Habyarimana regime prior to the genocide and after the genocide he was instrumental in organizing for the establishment of Zone Turquoise which provided an escape route for the mass murderers. 

Eighteen years later, Harve Ladsous is once again in position to influence decisions at the UN regarding security matters in the Great Lakes region and to take measures to safeguard France’s influence and interests. France has perfected the art of presenting its interests disguised as solutions to local problems, the most recent such ‘’solution’’ being to neutralize the M23.

Yes.... Frances greatest foreign policy goal isn't the Central African Republic where it was the colonial power it is M23's elimination. Delusions of grandeur ? 

" KAMPALA (Reuters) - South African soldiers gathered in Uganda on Thursday for a "new mission" to the Central African Republic (CAR), where 13 of their comrades were killed in a rebel coup at the weekend, South African media and a senior Ugandan officer said.

"The intention of the South Africans is to reorganize themselves and then redeploy massively in CAR and topple these rebels. They were humiliated and they want to avenge," the officer told Reuters, asking not to be named."

The South African Army deployed to CAR to prevent a rebel takeover. They did so when it became apparent that France was not interested in any intervention other than the protection of French interests and citizens.

Harve Ladsous, current Chief of UN Peacekeeping operations defended Habyarimana’s government in 1994 

The idea of a strong and organized local force emerging with the potential to stem the exploitation of Congolese resources that has been going on for decades is not in the interests of Belgium and France who have been beneficiaries from colonial times to the present day.


Those bloody Belgians.

DR Congo: This American ' road map ' to peace won't work without some new cartography.

All Africa reports

Congo-Kinshasa: Bringing Peace to the Congo - a Blueprint for Special Envoy Feingold

                                        Congolese allies protest M23 in front of the White House by Joseph Mbangu

The clashes in the eastern Congo over the past week have once again brought into sharp focus the enduring conflict between the M23 rebels and the Congolese military as well as the role of the recently-deployed United Nations intervention brigade. As the new United States special envoy for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Senator Russ Feingold, embarks on his first trip to the region, it is imperative that he takes steps now to engage in the economic and commercial issues that are at the heart of the conflict.

I am having a huge amount of difficulty swallowing this as I imagine many of the Congolese people. But lets start with a little bit of accuracy. Senator Russ Feingold, is no longer a US senator, another point worth bearing in mind is that this conflict I agree is on one level very much about economic and commercial interests and to date Rwanda has been ruthlessly exploiting the resources of the Eastern DR Congo with until very recently the if not the direct support, then at least a tacit approval of the United States.

To be successful in the herculean task of helping end the world's deadliest war since World War II, Feingold would do well to learn from one of the most effective U.S. special envoy missions of our time, George Mitchell, during his tenure as President Bill Clinton's envoy to Northern Ireland. While many people remember Mitchell as having brokered peace in Northern Ireland, few recall his strategic approach: to focus on economics first, in order to build trust and lay the foundation for tackling the tough security issues.

I actually agree with an economic approach and think despite the historical revisionism that I feel is implied the authors are on the right track. So we have an idea but as yet no mechanism. If we want to rebuild security and I mean physical and economic then the west must be prepared to invest in the people of the region at a micro level. I am no Northern Ireland expert but I imagine the Irish investment was made at a macro level because however hard  " The Troubles " were, there is absolutely no comparison to be made between Northern Ireland and the Eastern DR Congo. The issues of education, infrastructure and  just the ability of the Congolese government to interact with its citizens are far more complex. Add in that the British and Irish governments were both actively supporting the process and we have a very different situation. ( The Government of Rwanda is doing all it can to derail the process ). 

A decade after his tenure, Mitchell described the key to achieving sustainable peace in Northern Ireland: "I stress the economy. ... These and other conflict situations... all have an important economic underpinning. I've come to believe that you have to deal with political and security measures, but you have to include economics right at the very top. You need economic growth, you need job creation, you need opportunity for people... if you want to reduce the likelihood of conflict. That isn't guaranteed stability... but without it, it's very difficult to obtain."

Agreed, but it is verging on the insulting for the authors to prescribe this cure and then treat it as job done. Mitchell is describing Ireland not the DR Congo. His prescription needs to be adapted to local conditions. 

A critical part of Clinton and Mitchell's strategic vision for the Northern Ireland peace process was economics, and they stuck by it patiently until it bore fruit. It was predicated on creating jobs, revenue and commercial opportunities in order to reduce violent tension between the two sides and incentives for peace and alternatives to conflict. Despite the violence at the time, Mitchell organized a White House investment conference on Northern Ireland in 1995, building on the recommendations of business leaders from Northern Ireland, Ireland, and the U.S., who believed there was far greater economic potential from peace than from war. The conference sparked the first meeting between Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and Northern Ireland Secretary of State Patrick Mayhew, senior leaders from the opposing sides of the conflict.

The senior players in the Great Lakes Region have met many times. It is fine to say that Gerry Adams met with Patrick Mayhew but remember that Kabila and Kagame not to mention Museveni meet several times a year. It is also worth remembering Rwanda's absolute refusal to meet with the FDLR and abuse of Tanzanian President Kikwete. I have no doubt that the region has far more to gain through peace but it is an option Rwanda refuses to entertain.  

“Those who think that Rwanda today should sit down at the negotiating table with FDLR simply don’t know what they are talking about,” she said adding that it is unfortunate that the rebel group has sympathisers in the region, including President Kikwete himself, should he not retract his comments.

The U.S. then contributed $100 million to a development fund for Northern Ireland and businesses set up cooperative bodies to facilitate cross-border trade, job creation, and infrastructure improvements.

There is a similar major opportunity with the war in eastern Congo today, and Special Envoy Feingold should follow the Clinton-Mitchell playbook.

I disagree, the situation on the ground is far different. In Ireland there was hatred but there was also business, effective courts and taxation authorities, checks and balances and no ingrained culture of corruption. The approach as I have said must be at a micro level. Obama / Feingold need to rewrite the Clinton / Mitchell playbook. 

There are critical security issues that must be dealt with, such as ensuring that the new UN Intervention Brigade contributes to the solution rather than exacerbates it. But the potential benefits to all parties of an economically prosperous eastern Congo would provide a major incentive for constructive negotiations, and commercial and economic issues can and should be addressed concurrently.

What a load of drivel. The authors obviously have no concept of the role of, or the situation faced by not only the Intervention Brigade ( Africa Brigade ) but MONUSCO as a whole. The role of the Africa Brigade is to stop the depredations of armed groups principally M23 and the FDLR, but a variety of others as well. That will necessarily exacerbate the situation with Rwanda for example. But it should happen regardless and the world should be making it very clear to Rwanda the price of sabotaging the efforts of the Intervention Brigade. I would hope the other international organisation such as the Commonwealth and Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie are involved in applying pressure to the regional players to force compliance.

For too many years, elites in Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda have exploited eastern Congo's mineral wealth, prolonging the war. But calculations are starting to change. Armed groups' profits from three out of four conflict minerals are down by an estimated 65 percent. Ten percent of the mines in the region have been validated as conflict-free and regional governments have signed up to a comprehensive minerals certification process. In a major development, local business leaders who had previously trafficked minerals for weapons for armed groups, last year refused to support the M23 rebels. As John Kanyoni, a leading exporter of minerals from North Kivu, said, "As long as there is conflict there, no one [internationally] will be purchasing minerals." In short, significant progress has been made in the commercial and economic sphere despite the conflict.

In short, no there has not. Yes there has been progress in reducing the amount of illegal minerals exported but that did nothing to slow down the flow of arms. One could argue it increased them in fact. Where did M23 develop an ability to conduct night operations ? Who gave them night vision equipment ? Not selling minerals means that the wealth is not realised today but there is no new wealth being created to replace the mineral receipts, and there is now no trickle down from the illegal exports.  

Feingold can take advantage of this momentum in three ways. Firstly, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has already announced an unprecedented U.S. $1 billion initiative for new projects that would help provide a "peace dividend" for the region. The U.S. should work with the World Bank to accelerate the implementation of the package. Priority should be given to investments in roads, agriculture and energy projects, and small and medium enterprises.

I agree. This can only be done at a macro level and these projects take time and are very prone to corruption, backhanders and embezzlement. We are dealing with kleptocracies so we need to have some checks and balances in place to make sure that not only we, but more importantly the people of the The Great Lakes Region also see the results of this investment.  

Second, Feingold should help speed up the mineral certification process in the region, so that Congo and neighboring countries, especially Rwanda and Uganda, can begin selling "peace minerals," people on the ground can benefit commercially, and companies can source from the region in good conscience, in fulfillment of the Dodd-Frank legislation, which discourages American companies from trading in conflict minerals. Some Congolese miners have already seen wages double at conflict-free mines, but this must be replicated at other mines.

Rwanda has minerals to sell ? Well that is good news that geologists will be pleased to hear, although I suspect that they will be somewhat mystified to learn about it. The minerals the authors refer to were stolen from the Eastern DR Congo. Could I suggest they have a look at the dramatic fall in Rwandan mineral receipts since the embargo and their expulsion from the Eastern DR Congo. 

Feingold should also urge Presidents Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda to enhance the credibility of the Regional Certification Mechanism of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, so that it provides proper verification of conflict-free minerals by the end of 2013. A transparent, certifiably conflict-free mineral sector will help to attract more investment and unlock wealth-creation opportunities that are sustainable, peace-generating and contribute to greater regional trade.

I hope Feingold has something very potent to urge with. Something like a warrant from the Hague. This is dreamland stuff far removed from the realpolitik of the region. Feingold should certainly emphasis economic opportunities but not for Rwanda to export minerals they don't have.

Finally, Senator Feingold should work with the U.S. Public-Private Alliance on Responsible Minerals Trade to organize an investment conference that brings together potential investors with leaders from the Great Lakes region to identify opportunities for conflict-free, transparent investment. A successful investment conference would be a win-win-win for people living in eastern Congo, companies looking to invest, and regional governments seeking legitimate revenue streams to replace foreign aid.

That idea has potential for the DR Congo alone. If this is an exercise in reducing foreign aid then at least be honest about it and lets call it western greed and selfishness. We need to increase the amount of aid and the accountability for that aid not reduce it. We need to get that aid to the people, first to provide them with security then to rebuild, then to reestablish their lives and finally to build up the regions economies.

There have been many U.S. envoys appointed over the years to tackle the seemingly impossible conflict in Congo, but Feingold now has a unique opportunity to leave a lasting legacy. If he can draw on the successful lessons of George Mitchell, incorporating the economic agenda from the beginning, Feingold can help the Great Lakes region join the other countries in Africa that have begun to experience impressive economic growth and opportunity.

I agree that he ( Feingold ) along with quite a few others working on the issues associated with the Great Lakes Region can make a real difference this time. Here is again the rub, America has contributed hugely to the situation in the DR Congo. It is little wonder previous envoys have failed, they were meant to and like the authors of this article they were either too blind or too loyal to Washington to do the job properly. I have no doubt this is an American ' shift the blame ' propaganda piece. America can be part of the solution and Feingold is probably the right man for the job, but to be part of that solution America needs to acknowledge its complicity in the past and its ability to collaborate with others for the good of the people of the region, not the regions political leaders or American corporate greed. 

Witney Schneidman is Senior International Advisor on Africa at Covington & Burling LLP, a Nonresident Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs. Sasha Lezhnev is Senior Policy Advisor at the Enough Project and author of Crafting Peace: Strategies to Deal with Warlords in Collapsing States.

Both should know a damn site better than to have produced this half useful roadmap, to use the American vernacular. It is at least a start I will concede. 

Rwanda: Something good for once.

New Times ( Rwanda ) reports

Magical tricycle turns around fortunes for Rubavu disabled

                                                Emerthe Nyirabagenzi on her tricycle at the Rwanda-DR Congo border. 

True to the adage that disability is not inability, an association of persons living with disabilities in Rubavu District has not only crafted employment for the disabled, but gone an extra mile to even employ the able-bodied.

They have become main players in the cross-border trade between Rwanda and DR Congo, mainly at ‘Petit Barierre’, which is arguably Rwanda’s busiest entry point.

Through their cooperative, COTTRARU, the 109 men and woman ferry tonnes of merchandise between the two towns of Gisenyi on the Rwandan side and Goma in DR Congo every day, using customised tricycles.

They acquired the lucrative contract to do the work through a competitive bidding process.

What a fantastic story. 

Marie Gorette Ntakirutimana, 28, contracted polio when she was three. She grew up in a hopeless life, where even her own family did not treat her the same way her siblings were treated.

“I couldn’t move, I would stay at home just seated. I was the house keeper, my brothers and sisters went to school but my parents couldn’t let me, they said a disabled person was unable to study,” says Ntakirutimana.

She would lead this same life as a social reject, with no friends to speak of, until she was in her late teens.

The sooner that polio joins  smallpox and rinderpest as an eliminated disease the better, from last Saturday's New Zealand Herald. 

" Somalia is suffering an "explosive" outbreak of polio and now has more cases than the rest of the world combined, an official said Friday.

Vaccine-wielding health workers face a daunting challenge: accessing areas of Somalia controlled by al-Qaida-linked militants, where 7 of 10 children aren't fully immunized.

Polio is mostly considered eliminated globally except mainly in three countries where it is considered endemic: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. India marked a major success in February 2012 by being removed from the World Health Organization's list of countries plagued by the disease.

Somalia now has 105 cases, figures released Friday show, and another 10 cases have been confirmed across the border in a Kenyan refugee camp filled with Somalis. Globally there have been 181 cases of polio this year, including those in Somalia and Kenya."

Coop breakthrough

The mother of three says she got her breakthrough in 2003 after she heard of an association of people with disabilities in Rubavu, which she eagerly joined.

“Immediately after I joined, I felt I had finally got the solace I had lacked during my entire childhood. We were all required to have a tricycle, which I did not have. I went back home and asked my parents to give me money but they initially refused,” she says.

Ntakirutimana said one of her colleagues then offered her his tricycle, on a rental arrangement.

“After some time, I learnt it was my right as a child to get support from my parents. I confronted them and asked to be given a piece of land as inheritance. They were understanding and gave me a piece of land, which I later sold and used the proceeds to buy the tricycle at Rwf60,000. It is now my source of livelihood,” Ntakirutimana said.

Good on her. Rwf 60,000 is about $110 NZ and if she is earning Rwf 7000 that works out to about $13 NZ per day. That is a great return on investment. I have on this blog constantly argued that we need to support the people of the Great Lakes Region and this is just the sort of venture that we should be looking at. It wouldn't take a lot of money to turn around the fortunes of the region.

“My life changed since I joined this business. I am now able to feed myself, I got a husband and it wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have this job. We now have three children and thanks to the money I get, they are well fed, clothed and are going to school,” she said.

The woman whose job generates at least Rwf7,000 per day shares the job with more than 100 members of the cooperative.

She said over time, she managed to save up and is now a proud owner of a house worth Rwf4 million, and she sums up her story with the counsel; “To other disabled persons, sitting at home and giving up on oneself should not happen, with determination we can make it instead of resorting to begging.”

Marie, you just made my day. I get so sick of blogging about the bastards that run and ruin peoples lives in the Great Lakes. Kagame and Kabila you could learn from this story. I hope you both read it and reflect on what your jobs are meant to be about.

Other members

Emmanuel Mukiza used to manage a saloon in Kigali before the house in which they operated was demolished to pave way for development.

 “Even before managing the saloon I lived a deplorable life, depending on family members, having no education and with other sorts of problems that are shared by other people with disabilities,” Mukiza said.

“I can now earn more than Rwf 15,000 per day,” he adds.

Mukiza, who contracted polio when he was in Primary Three, says he went through a lot of pain, having spent three years in hospital where he received treatment with hope of ever getting back on his legs, which was never to happen.

The minting machine

The tricycle carries between 500 and 800 kilogrammes and the merchandise they transport include cement, sorghum and beans.

“Begging is a bad habit and not advisable. We were few when we began but we kept welcoming other members and now we are over 100, the government should also help those still begging to leave the street and create cooperatives like we did,” says Mukiza.

Exactly. And if they won't ( a forgone conclusion I would suggest ) then we need to. We need to responsibility for the deplorable situation in the Great Lakes Region. That doesn't mean handing over a few million dollars in aid to regions strong men  corrupt evil bastards.

The cooperative also has members who were handicapped in the service of the nation, mainly former soldiers.

“I was incapacitated physically when I was shot in the left leg. I couldn’t do anything for years until I joined this cooperative,” said Safari Ketu.

Official support

According to Innocent Ndagijimana, the president of COTTRARU, the cooperative has received more wheelchairs from government, which they will distribute to other people with disabilities.

He said Rubavu District, the National Youth Council and the National Council for Persons with Disabilities have all periodically supported them.

“Through their support, we managed to buy more wheel chairs, we wish to encourage other districts to also help improve the welfare of the disabled,” says Ndagijimana.

He said for people with disabilities who are unable to buy their own tricycles, the cooperatives extends to the utility to them on loan.

Wouldn't it be great to have a website / blog that is run like the fantastic one at Virunga National Park  that could spot these opportunities publicise them and allow the people of the world a way to make a difference. 

This sprung to mind as I was reading this story.

“It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” 
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl