DR Congo Armed Forces.

[ciceroji]

Originally Posted by bandundu

This report is crap, if Rwanda and Uganda want peace in Congo why on earth did they send their soldier (mascarading as M23) in Congo in the first place. the reality is even if Rwanda and Uganda want to have control over the eastern congo and will do whatever it takes to acheive this may it be through war or peace and fortunately for them the leadership in kinshasa is so weak

This comment made me go and check the auto of the article. Even though I think the B.S. propagetd here about Rwanda trying to Annex part of Congo is just that B.S. The same people here were shouting over the roof that m23 will never leave Goma, well now they just did. So after some research I found the author was fired in 2007 as editor of Rwanda's state owned newspaper. Here is more....
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/rw...come-in-rwanda

Gaaki Kigambo, a young Ugandan journalist, was fired as Sunday editor of The New Times of Rwanda earlier this year for apparently offending the country's president. This is his account of trying to leave Rwanda.

KIGALI–The city's sky is usually clear at 5:30 in the morning.

Yet this particular morning was different. Under cover of darkness, a certain young man wandered about inside his two-room house as he prepared to leave, for the very last time.

That man was me. After working as Sunday editor at The New Times, a fledgling state-owned newspaper in Rwanda, I had been fired for allegedly running an insulting – that is to say, insufficiently flattering – photograph of President Paul Kagame on our news pages.

Now, I was out of a job and feeling distinctly unwelcome, trying to return to my native Uganda – normally a simple enough matter, but in this case complicated by the fact that my bosses at the newspaper had never properly arranged my paperwork. Taking my leave would be yet another trial by fire.

A friend offered me a ride to the bus station. This would be my last ride out of a country where I'd spent nine months and 13 days.

Why did it have to end like this? The question occupied my mind for the 10-minute drive to the station. "I feel sad. I feel very sad," I said to my friend, fighting back tears.

At exactly 6 a.m., the bus drove out of the station. By 7:30 a.m. we were at the border crossing. I lined up to be cleared through immigration, but I didn't have the proper permits. The newspaper's management had always told me not to worry about lacking the proper work permit and visa for a non-Rwandan, and they had always dismissed my concerns. Sure enough, the immigration officer, a lanky light-skinned fellow, asked me why I still didn't have the permit, and held me back.

"You will have to go to Kigali," the border officer said crisply.

"Can I come around and explain my situation to you, please?" I said.

Not so fast. Three other buses arrived, their occupants cleared while I stood at the counter and watched, as they watched back wondering what I had done.

Two hours later I had my chance. I explained that The New Times had promised to secure my work permit when they'd hired me, but conveniently forgot their promise after firing me.

"I used a picture of the president which they were not comfortable with and as such I lost my job for it," I said. "Please help me."

"Do you have anything to show you've been working with them?" he asked.

I showed him a copy of the Sunday paper that had gotten me fired.

"Why did you use such a picture of our president? And why is he not big, at the centre?"

Meanwhile, the people standing on the other side of the counter craned their necks to see for themselves how I had apparently erred.

"There's nothing wrong with that picture. It's just that... ." I caught myself in time, before blurting out an impolitic complaint about paranoia in Rwanda.

Everyone's eyes were on me. After what seemed like an eternity, the border officer stamped my passport and I was free to go.

Relief poured like a heavy tropical rainfall. Eventually, he gave me back the offending newspaper, too.

Now, at least, I can tell my story. Other journalists aren't always so lucky.


My take is this guy KNOWS what he is talking about. Unlike the so called western analysts we love to listen on CNN, BBC etc...

[Broda-Man]

Everyone knows that game is rulling Rwanda with a iron fist. Try to go against him and you'll see what happens to you. An example is that journalist. But it seems that he was quite luckly not to be dead.

[Africa Love]

Rwandan soldiers joined forces with Congo rebels, UN told

Rwanda Defence Force units operated alongside M23 fighters in advance on Goma, sources tell inquiry, after Rwandan denials

More than 1,000 Rwandan soldiers crossed into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) offering "direct support" to rebels who captured a major city, according to sources quoted in a UN inquiry.

Uganda also helped the M23 militia with "logistics" as it fought a deadly and successful offensive against the Congolese army, the UN Group of Experts said in a letter to the security council.

The allegations deal a fresh blow to Rwanda after months of mounting evidence which, despite Kigali's point-blank denials, prompted Britain to suspend aid worth £21m last week.

The experts said Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) units operated alongside M23 fighters in the rebels' advance on the eastern commercial hub of Goma last month.

When M23 began its offensive on Goma "it benefited from direct RDF support during combat on the frontlines at the village of Kibumba, according to former RDF officers, FARDC [Congolese army] officers and local leaders," the experts stated.

The FARDC killed more than 40 rebels and RDF soldiers "many of whom wore RDF uniforms and carried weapons used by the RDF", they said. "When M23 progressed towards Goma on November 19, 2012, RDF units operated alongside M23 in combat at the airport and close to one of Goma's border posts into Rwanda."

Rwandan forces and rebels "together" took Goma, "marching through downtown dressed in a combination of RDF and new M23 uniforms".

Sources estimated that "well over" 1,000 RDF troops came from Rwanda to assist M23 in these operations, the letter said, and about 500 were inside Goma. On 20 November, the day Goma was captured, "a mixture of M23 and RDF troops clandestinely entered into Goma from the Rwandan town of Gisenyi through small streets situated between the town's two official border crossings".

Rwanda's General Emmanuel Ruvusha is said to have helped the M23 commander, Sultani Makenga, lead the attack. The experts were also informed that General Bosco Ntaganda – dubbed "The Terminator" and wanted by the international criminal court – led M23 troops operating near the Rwandan border at Kibumba and in the vicinity of Goma.

The rebels acquired camouflaged uniforms similar to those used by Rwandan forces. Former rebels told the experts "the aim of using nearly indistinguishable uniforms was to create confusion" when RDF units joined the rebels.

The document includes photos of several people it identifies as Rwandan troops on Congolese territory.

Uganda deployed troops near the Congolese border in late October to make sure M23 territory "was not left unprotected during the imminent offensive", the experts added, saying they witnessed the delivery of hundreds of boots to the rebels at the border town of Bunagana on 14 October.

The experts said their inquiry "strongly upholds" previous claims that neighbouring countries had provided significant backing to the rebels, who have been accused of widespread human rights abuses.

Rwanda, due to take up a seat on the UN security council next month, adamantly rejects previous allegations by the UN experts that it created, equipped, trained and directly commanded the M23 rebellion in Congo's North Kivu province. Accusations of Ugandan involvement have also been denied.

Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwanda's foreign minister, said on Tuesday: "Rwanda cannot continuously engage with factless accusations. We have serious issues to deal with. We don't need the distraction. We'll leave it to those who enjoy fiction."

Paul Kagame, the Rwandan president, tweeted: "The actual truth will alwz finally prevail. Pple need to support on-going efforts by ICGLR [International Conference on the Great Lakes Region] and stop blame-game#E.DRC."

The UN security council has passed a resolution that threatened action against "those providing external support" to M23, which draws most of its strength from Tutsi former rebels who had been integrated into Congo's national army but mutinied in April. It has already ordered sanctions against three M23 military commanders including Makenga.

Commentators said the UN allegations fit a pattern. Jason Stearns, a political analyst and former co-ordinator of the UN Group of Experts on Congo, said: "It's not a surprise as every major M23 offensive so far has received support from the Rwandan army. But it was very risky for Rwanda as it comes at the height of international criticism of its involvement in Congo."

Publicly, Kagame joined other leaders in urging M23 to pull out of Goma soon after it fell. Stearns said: "To an outsider it's ironic. They support M23 yet call for their withdrawal as well."

Rwanda would continue to deny meddling in its neighbour, he predicted, just as it did while secretly backing a rebel group there in 2009. "But as soon as a solution was available, they were lauded internationally for finding a constructive solution. That's the sort of magic they want to work here but they haven't found it yet."

Congolese soldiers regained control of Goma on Monday, though the rebels who occupied it for nearly two weeks continued to stake out positions just 3km away, threatening to move back in if the Congolese government fails to meet their demands. Officials said peace talks with the rebels would be held "in the next few days" in Uganda's capital, Kampala.

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said at least 130,000 people have been displaced and are living in camps in and around Goma. UN officials said a camp about 10 miles outside Goma had been raided by unidentified gunmen late on Friday. Several women were raped, and food and supplies stolen.

[Africa Love]

Interview: Peace talks to be held in Kampala

http://english.cntv.cn/program/afric...5/100193.shtml

[Anzadi]

Originally Posted by Africa Love

Interview: Peace talks to be held in Kampala

http://english.cntv.cn/program/afric...5/100193.shtml

am tired with all these condemnations without any change on the ground! people are still being bullied and Kagame is still unpunished!!!! Here another article!
Rwanda's Paul Kagame warned he may be charged with aiding war crimes

[Anzadi]

Originally Posted by Anzadi

am tired with all these condemnations without any change on the ground! people are still being bullied and Kagame is still unpunished!!!! Here another article!
Rwanda's Paul Kagame warned he may be charged with aiding war crimes

Sorry, here is the link for the guardian article

Rwanda's Paul Kagame warned he may be charged with aiding war crimes
www.guardian.co.uk

[BUTEMBO21]

General Amisi (Ground Forces General) is the Chairman of Football Club Vita Club. and a businessman.

How in the world can there be General who is a businessman and Chairman of a Football Club?

What kind of Commander in chief would allow such things?

Laughing is what i can do to such thing.

[Africa Love]

Eastern Congo rebels thrive on fear, chaos

To residents of eastern Congo, the M23 fighters who have taken control of their region are bandits, not rebels. A peace deal with the government is unlikely, and hope for justice is remote.

By Robyn Dixon

December 11, 2012

Los Angeles Times

RUTSHURU, Democratic Republic of Congo — The rebels materialized out of the moist, heavy air, startling the woman as she tended her crops in the lush volcanic hills near the Rwandan border.

They wanted a bag of salt. No salt, and they'd kill her.

"You just do what they say," said Solange, a widow struggling to support a family in the midst of war.

To people like her who live in eastern Congo's North Kivu province, the M23 fighters who have taken control of their region are bandits, not rebels. After they seized Solange's village of Rutshuru in July and plundered all her beans, she fled south to the provincial capital, Goma.

It would prove to be no refuge. The rebels and the violence followed her.

The awesome serenity of the cloud-swathed emerald hills, twittering with bird life, home to mountain gorillas, is almost deep enough to erase, for a moment, successive waves of gruesome violence.

The region, an important source of minerals used in laptops and cellphones, was swept up in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Since then, it has become the scene of one of the great tragedies of the last century: Wars fueled by a toxic blend of resource riches, ethnic hatred and interfering neighbors have killed 5 million people.

In recent years, the area settled into a fragile peace. But militias still drain the country's wealth. There now are fears that eastern Congo could spiral into another long and bloody conflict.

United Nations experts say Rwanda armed and commanded M23, which rebelled against the Congolese army in April, and directly supported the rebels' attack on Goma.

Rwanda has been accused of backing militias and fueling conflict in the region for years, but it denies interfering. It has a security interest because Hutu militias responsible for the 1994 genocide fled into eastern Congo, where they continue to mount attacks. And with few mineral resources of its own, Rwanda has a strong economic interest in the region.

Among M23's reputed leaders is Bosco Ntaganda, a commander nicknamed the Terminator who was indicted in July by the International Criminal Court on suspicion of atrocities including murder, rape, sexual slavery and pillaging.

The M23 political leaders wear shiny silk suits, with labels like "High Class" left ostentatiously on the sleeve. They made Rutshuru their base, imposed compulsory weekend cleanup brigades for the entire population, planted grass around the administrative building and put up signs condemning corruption. They made the town look like a miniature copy of Rwanda, a country so tidy that all plastic bags are banned and seized at the border.

They also looted villages and killed an undetermined number of people.

Solange is 35 and belongs to the Nande tribe, the main ethnic group in North Kivu. Her husband was a government soldier who earned $55 a month before his death three years ago from malaria. They had no children.

On the farm, she grew cassava and beans to sell in the local market and always had plenty to eat. "Life was good," she said. After her husband's death, she had to support not only her family, including her parents and a younger sister with children, but her late husband's family too. In all, there were 15 mouths to feed.

M23 disrupted all that.

After fleeing to Goma, she stayed at a friend's house. She registered with an aid agency, hoping to get food assistance, but never received any.

"It's very difficult. Sometimes we don't have enough food," said Solange, who preferred not to use her last name out of concern for her safety.

Goma's idyllic lakeside setting could be a tourist haven in a parallel universe. But in this one, teenage boys and grimy men push heavy loads of water, wooden poles or potatoes. Women pound cassava leaves or fry tennis-ball-size lumps of dough in bubbling oil.

Solange didn't outrun M23 for long. The rebels seized Goma in November, looting, killing their enemies, raping women and then retreating after intense international pressure 11 days later, vowing to take the city back whenever they wanted. Peace talks between the Congolese government and rebels began Sunday, but a scheduled meeting Monday didn't take place because the rebels failed to attend.

A week after the rebels took Goma, there was a pro-M23 rally in the city, a ham-fisted propaganda stunt that fooled no one. The signs were mostly written by one person, and onlookers sneered that the participants were all maibobo — street boys. And it was a little embarrassing at the end of the march when participants like David Umbeni, a cleaner who smelled strongly of alcohol, loudly demanded their pay for taking part.

"They promised to give us two dollars, and now they're not giving it to us," he groused.

In Goma's empty marketplace, Regan Balume, a butcher, lovingly sliced pieces of beef stomach, heart and liver when a rare customer appeared. Like many here, he muttered a dark refrain that the rebels were not just bandits and looters, but also foreigners. Some fear there could be another genocide.

"I'm angry at these so-called liberators, who just came to lie to us," Balume said. "They should just go back to where they came from, Rwanda." Then, abruptly, agitation died, replaced with fear, and he fell silent, glancing sullenly at his feet. A plainclothes M23 official had materialized beside him.

That evening, Solange, who had nothing to eat and no money, did the only thing she could think of to get a few dollars for food: She went to a bar, hoping to meet a man who'd buy her a soda and give her some cash in exchange for sleeping with him.

But nothing happened at the bar, and she hurried home in the dark. "That's when the bandits caught me," she said, referring to M23 rebels.

She told the story later, in a doctor's office back in Rutshuru. Small and slight, she sat clutching a handbag to her body. She wore a black scarf on her head, the knot arranged above the hairline like a plump flower in bud.

There were five of them, she recalled. They also seized a passing boy and tied him up. The boy watched as they threw her onto the street and ripped at her clothes.

"One put a gun to my head," she said in a soft, clear voice. "They said to me if I cried, they'd kill me. They were saying, 'Let her die, let her die.' When one was finished, another would say, 'Have you finished? Let me do it too.' "

She fled after the attack, never knowing the fate of the boy.

Analysts fear that it will be hard to get a peace deal between the Congolese president, Joseph Kabila, and M23, and that there will be many more victims like Solange.

If there is a peace agreement, it will probably contain the same weaknesses of previous bargains, stitched together quickly, co-opting the enemy into the military, doling out positions, access to resources and other benefits to placate them.

"It could escalate into all-out war, or it could go back to skirmishes," said Jason Stearns, author of the blog Congo Siasa. "It's going to be extremely difficult to find a compromise between M23 and the Congolese government. It's about trusting Kabila.

"Everything we have been describing is a recipe for a mess, and M23 thrives on chaos."

Beneath the surface, analysts say, the rot deepens. Kabila's weak government on the other side of the country is disconnected and isolated from eastern Congo, with no ability to provide decent services or impose security. Corrupt military and venal government officials plunder the minerals and smuggle them into Rwanda and Uganda.

People like Solange expect little from the government. She'd like justice. But she sees no reason to expect it.

[Broda-Man]

General Francois Olenga, deja a l"oeuvre a Minova!

http://www.youtube.com/v/wKfG36fygAI&***********

[Broda-Man]

There's the same video that passed on RTNC INSTITUTIONS that was much longer. showed every speech of the General. But I can't find it. If anyone has it. Please, share.

[Anzadi]

Please, this US Senate video needs to be watched! But I am so anoyed with empty promisses without any results on the ground!! I repeat: as long as Susan Rice lives and Barack Obama is in power, there will NEVER be peace in Eastern Congo because those two just remain blind in continuing to back the criminal KAGAME! Seriously, 5 million people have died and no serious involvement?!?!?! That's 5 times the Rwandan Genocide!! Please someone humour me or I'll die!

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/EasternCo

[bandundu]

Interesting article from a new york times blogger





Reflections from a Safe Distance


I don’t like Rwanda. I never have. It’s taken me a long time to admit that, but I’m finally comfortable with it. Of the forty or so countries that I have been to, Rwanda may be the only one that I didn’t like. To be fair, it is the only country outside the United States where I have ever spent more than three months, and that kind of proximity and intimacy allowed me to get to know the country from many different angles, including the ugly underbelly.


It has nothing to do with living without the creature comforts of hot showers, sleeping in different beds every night, or constantly being eaten by bugs. Working in global health for the last ten years, I’ve long since become accustomed to living with a different standard than in the United States, and it never really bothered me to begin with. In fact, living in Rwanda is much easier than places like Honduras, where there is a constant worry for personal safety, or Haiti, where you can’t rent a decent air conditioned hotel room no matter how much money you have. Rwanda, especially Kigali, is “developing country lite”, a good place to get your feet wet in global health and development work that offers proximity to the poor with most of the comforts of home.


Something about Rwanda struck me as off from when I first arrived, a constant unease, a feeling like wearing an overly starched shirt. There was an immediate sensation of being in Pleasantville, a perfect place on the surface with a dark soul. I initially shrugged it off as a remnant of the genocide, a ghost from the past that still haunted the present. Later, I started chasing the dark spirits down the corridors of the hospital, but they always stayed just out of reach. As more national attention focused on the cancer treatment projects I worked on, the spirits stopped hiding in the shadows, and then eventually started pursuing me. Whispers among friends quickly climbed up the chain of command, loyal soldiers reporting to their superiors any sentiments that crossed the party line.


I like the Rwandan people--honest, generous, and loyal-- but there was a heavy emphasis placed on race, albeit under the surface; more than any other country of dark-skinned people, Rwanda made me feel odd, like an animal in a zoo. No matter where I went, Rwandans fully stopped whatever they were doing, stared as I walked by, and without fail, said, “Mzungu” (white person or foreigner). The contrast in skin color was just as great in Haiti and Uganda, but only rarely had I ever been stared at, or greeted with the equivalent of “mzungu.” There was little, if any, malice behind the singling out of foreigners in Rwanda, and maybe they were simply more open about their acknowledgement of the differences between us, staring instead of casting sidelong glances, but it was constant, making me feel less welcome, less like they believed in our common humanity.

Rwandans follow orders and procedures to a fault, even if the rules contradict their own self-interest. On some level, the consistency was comforting, knowing that every form must have every box checked, that deadlines would be strictly adhered to. Frequently, however, the inflexibility was maddening and interfered with the care given to patients, as adherence to the procedures and rules trumped a patient’s life. As a doctor, I could not stand to watch patients die because of regulations, and my big mouth repeatedly landed me in trouble for speaking my mind.


Rwanda is the darling of the international donor community—progressive, organized, and largely devoid of corruption, and most members of the government genuinely care for their people. On the other hand, the government does not tolerate dissent, to the point of paranoia, and they can be capricious in decision making. Writing that sentence, I’m afraid for my friends with whom I worked that are still in the country, and genuinely worried that the government might react negatively to the organization I worked for. They are obsessed with the outward perception of their performance, and dissonance is not tolerated in Rwandan culture on any level. The Rwandan government doctors statistics on health indicators to impress their donors, and since they generally rank low on the corruption scale, the statistics are often accepted by donors as fact. The New York Times and Boston Globe have called them out for the practice along with their authoritarian ways, but they have stuck by their inflated figures, and little has changed.


Recently, rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, supported financially and militarily by the Rwandan government, restarted a campaign of raping and pillaging, largely over disputes of who controls the rights to the diamond and gold mines in the border region. The Rwandan government denies any responsibility, but the international community has condemned their actions and withdrawn some of the financial aid that makes up half of the Rwandan government’s budget. As the foreign funding disappeared, the health budgets were cut, resulting in doctor and nurse shortages in the rural areas. Rather than pull back their support for the rebels, the Rwandan government doubled down and started a “solidarity fund” to replace the funds through domestic sources. Officials at hospitals and businesses strongly suggested, stopping just short of an order, that everyone in the country donate ten percent of their annual salary, more than a month’s paycheck, to the fund. The government held charity auctions with the rich and powerful of Rwanda, each trying to demonstrate their patriotic zeal, but really hoping to secure their company’s access to business, none of which gets passed without government approval.


Rwanda is in significantly better shape than many of their neighbors because of the singularity of purpose of the government, but at what cost. Big Brother’s presence, thick in the air, and the permanent unease that enveloped me for eighteen months in Rwanda has melted away, having traded it for feelings of constant insecurity in Haiti. It is entirely possible that I will never be welcome back in Rwanda if the wrong person reads this diatribe, and I’m finally at peace with that.


For more info on the politics of Rwanda:

[Mulopwe]

Lu pour vous.

Mulopwe


Nord-Kivu: des troupes rwandaises signalées à Nyiragongo occupé par le M23


Des militaires de l’armée rwandaise (Rwanda Defense Force), seraient entrés en RDC mercredi 12 décembre, via les deux postes frontaliers de Kasizi et Kanyanja, au Nord de Goma, dans le territoire de Nyiragongo (Nord-Kivu). Ce territoire est actuellement occupé par les rebelles du M23. Les habitants de cette entité se disent inquiets de la présence de l’armée rwandaise dans leur territoire.Selon des sources locales, les Rwandais ont d’abord été aperçus mardi 11 décembre dans la matinée. Ils seraient arrivés dans une dizaine de camions avec des munitions et autres effets de guerre à partir du poste frontalier de Kasizi, dans le groupement de Kibumba, précisent les mêmes sources.
Mercredi, cinq autres véhicules chargés de soldats de la RDF seraient arrivés dans la matinée à Kibati, à une dizaine de Km au Nord de Goma, ajoutent-elles.
Une quarantaine d’hommes en tenue militaire et lourdement armés auraient aussi assiégé la localité de Mudja, avant de s’en retirer vers une destination inconnue, ont ajouté des sources locales à Kibati.
Interrogé, un des responsables du Mécanisme conjoint de vérification des frontières affirme que sa structure ne peut vérifier ces allégations que sur demande de la Conférence internationale sur la région des Grands lacs (CIRGL).
De son côté, la société civile du Nord-Kivu confirme ces informations. Omar Kavota, porte-parole de cette organisation citoyenne précise que des habitants de Mudja et Rusayo, pris de panique, ont quitté leurs habitations, trouvant refuge, les uns, à Goma et, les autres dans des camps des déplacés autour de cette ville.

Lire sur radiookapi.net:

[Broda-Man]

Not a surprise.

[Mulopwe]

Lu pour vous.

Mulopwe


Goma, le 15 décembre

Alors que je me prépare normalement à m’envoler lundi soir vers la Belgique (via Kigali-, la ville de Goma est plongée dans l’angoisse d’être réattaquée.
J’ai consacré beaucoup de temps à concocter un plan pour aller rencontrer sur le terrain les rebelles du M23 et en même temps, m’assurer d’un min. de sécurité. D’où mon silence cette semaine...
Très clairement, il ya a de l’électricité dans l’air, des camions rwandais passent chaque nuit la frontière pour amener des renforts de troupes sur les collines environnant Goma, toujours plus près. Violant les accords conclus, le M23 nargue tt le monde et n’est plus qu’à 3 kms de la ville.
Tandis que dans le centre, les rebelles sont infiltrés partout jusque dans la MONUSCO, et occupent des maisons dans deux quartiers périphériques, prenant la ville en tenaille.
S’agit-il d’une partie de musculation pour faire pression sur les négociations en cours dans la capitale ougandaise ? Certainement, mais il y a pire, craignent les militaires comme les onusiens.
Goma est situé à la frontière rwandaise. Le régime de ce pays, principal soutien aux rebelles M23, aurait commandité des FDLR (extrémistes hutus, dont certains génocidaires), qui se sont réfugiés dans l’Est du Congo, pour semer des troubles au Rwanda et sans doute, justifier ainsi ses incursions pour les traquer et la guerre menée actuellement. Scénario tristement habituel !

Vu le contexte et malgré le RV pris avec les chefs rebelles, j’ai donc renoncé à aller hier, comme prévu, dans leur tanière à Bunagana (frontière ougandaise), via le territoire de Rutshuru.
Je me suis contentée de partir jusqu’au pied de leurs positions sur les collines surplombant Goma (Munigi). C’est de là qu’ils pourraient tirer des mortiers sur la ville ou y pénétrer. J’avais trouvé une astuce en partant avec un véhicule de militaires sud africains rejoignant leur base, exactement sous les campements rebelles (distance de 300 m environ). Incroyable !
Mais les militaires sud af ne voulaient pas que je fasse des photos des rebelles croisés en route et refusaient de dépasser cette ligne rouge, ce qui est tt à fait compréhensible dans leur chef.

Je suis donc rentrée à Goma et repartie aussitôt, grâce au culot de deux personnes haut placées à la Monusco et surtout de l’une d’elles, qui n’a pas froid aux yeux, adore braver les interdits et les risques ! Nous avons foncé jusqu’à Kibumba, un bastion rebelle, où résiderait leur grand patron, Bosco Ntaganda, recherché pour crimes de guerre par la CPI. Tout le long de la route, nous avons croisé les M23 lourdement armés, surveillant les mouvements, interceptant voitures, camions, motos.. pour les rançonner. Clic.. clac.. photos... avec pas mal de flous, suite aux secousses de la route... et de la photographe, qui tremblait en voyant les balles engagées dans le canon de leurs armes. Une fois, ils nous ont arrêtés, nous sommes sortis .. « relax », tt sourire. Notre conductrice s’est extasiée devant le bébé d’un des militaires très nerveux « quel beau bébé ! ». je n’en menais pas large, nous étions encerclés par eux.
Quelle audace, cette femme, accompagnée d’un agent du renseignement ! Chut.. confidentiel !
Le pire, c’est qu’elle était ouvertement prorebelles, proKagame, proTutsis... allant juqu’à prôner une annexion au Rwanda !

Plus loin, dans notre folle épopée, nous nous sommes arrêtés, au milieu des rebelles, achetant des légumes pour tromper leur vigilance. Stress max ! Nous avons aussi croisé certains d’entre eux, aux côtés d’agents du Parc des Virunga, en train de racketter un camion de passagers ou d’imposer de monter à bord. Délicat de vérifier .. mais photos !
La région est magnifique : décor de volcans, les mille collines du Rwanda, flamboyants en fleurs en cette saison des pluies. Tant de beauté cachant autant d’horreur !
Alors que nous admirions au passage le volcan Nyirangongo, nous avons aperçu une nouvelle position des rebelles. Debout, leurs silhouettes armées se détachaient sur la ligne de crête. Frissons... alors que déjà le soleil se couchait, le couvre-feu bientôt dépassé.
Oui, les M23 renforcent leurs positions. Des camions passent la frontière la nuit et déversent des soldats rwandais (dans les rangs rebelles).
Inutile de vous dire que j’étais heureuse de retrouver la poussière de Goma, malgré tout !

Ce samedi, plus question de retourner là bas car la menace se fait de plus en plus sensible, par ce côté précisément.
Hier soir, le N°2 de la police congolaise a été assassiné dans le quartier de Ndosho, dont de nombreuses maisons sont occupées par les rebelles. La police congolaise est la seule à pouvoir assurer la défense de la ville. En vertu des accords pris pour permettre les négociations en cours à Kampala, les militaires n’ont pas été autorisés à se déployer en ville, comme d’usage. De plus, ils sont limités à un seul bataillon, soit 800 soldats en tout et pour tout, pour défendre une localité d’environ un million d’habitants ! Oublions la Monusco.

Ce soir, je viens d’être prévenue que 3 bataillons de militaires rwandais venaient encore de franchir la frontière, et étaient cette fois, carrément au centre ville, du côté de l’hôtel Ihuzi, pour ceux qui connaissent. Le Rwanda met la pression max sur les négociateurs.

Tristes nuits surtout pour les déplacés les habitants vivant dans des cases de planches ou abris de fortune, livrés tantôt aux exactions des rebelles, tantôt à d’autres groupes armés, voire aux soldats eux-mêmes (hier, ils ont rafflé aux déplacés les vivres et bâches que ceux-ci venaient de recevoir) et aux pillards de tous poils. Rappelons que 1200 évadés de prison courent toujours. La situation est confuse et l’insécurité à son comble, dans Goma !

A bientôt cette fois, et de vive voix !

[Broda-Man]

Mulopwe thanks for your contribution. Can you also post the source? Is that like a blog, an e-mail ...?

[Mulopwe]

Originally Posted by Broda-Man

Mulopwe thanks for your contribution. Can you also post the source? Is that like a blog, an e-mail ...?

@Broda-Man

E-mail , he works for UN .

Thanks,

Mulopwe

[Broda-Man]

Originally Posted by Mulopwe

@Broda-Man

E-mail , he works for UN .

Thanks,

Mulopwe

You are WC. That does not sound good at all. I just read an article that talks about 6 000 FDLR forces regrouping in E-DRC according to a leaked Monusco report. Is the offensive going towards Kigali or will it stay in the Kivu? Big question. But personally, I don't think they be moving towards Kigali. It might just be an excuses by Kigali to entre Congo, officially.

I'll post the article.

[Broda-Man]

Actually forget about what I said earlier. I just realised that the article is from News Of Rwanda. So, in terms of truth I don't really know what is real in what they said.
Let me know if you want the link.

[iakobos]

Originally Posted by Mulopwe

E-mail , he works for UN

It is a SHE....as far as that text can be trusted in any way.