DR Congo
Nkunda vows to fight SADC peacekeepers
Monday 10 November 2008
South African nations say they are prepared to send peacekeeping troops to the DR Congo to bolster the country's armed forces in the face of rebel attacks. Renegade General Laurent Nkunda said he would fight back if the peacekeepers attacked him.
Special Report Conflict in North KivuMonday 10 November 2008
By AFP - Arnaud Zajtman (text) / Arnaud Zajtman - Marlène RABAUD - Olivier FARRY (video)Watch our Top Story: 'DR Congo faces catastrophe'
View our special report: 'Conflict in North Kivu'
GOMA - Congolese rebel chief Laurent Nkunda said on Monday
he would fight African peacekeeping troops if they attacked him,
as concerns grew that east Congo's conflict could suck in
neighbouring armies.
Leaders from Africa's southern and Great Lakes regions have
offered to send troops to try to help pacify east Democratic
Republic of Congo, where fighting between Nkunda's Tutsi rebels
and the army has uprooted hundreds of thousands of people.
Aid agencies in Congo's North Kivu province are struggling
to provide shelter, food and medical care for more than 200,000
refugees around the provincial capital Goma, but say tens of
thousands more are cut off in the bush. They warn of the risk of
cholera and measles epidemics in the camps.
African and Western governments are worried the recent
upsurge in fighting in North Kivu, which borders Rwanda and
Uganda, risks drawing in Congo's neighbours as occurred during a
previous 1998-2003 war. That war involved six African armies and
the conflict and its aftermath killed several million people.
Countries of the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) said after a regional summit in South Africa on Sunday
the group would send military advisers to help the government of
Congolese President Joseph Kabila.
SADC would send a peacekeeping force to east Congo "if and
when necessary", its executive secretary Tomaz Salamao said.
Nkunda, whose Tutsi fighters are battling Congo government
soldiers (FARDC) and their Rwandan Hutu rebel (FDLR) and Mai-Mai
militia allies, said he would welcome African peacekeepers if
they came as an impartial force to stabilise North Kivu.
But, speaking to Reuters by telephone from eastern Congo, he
added: "If they come in and fight alongside the FARDC and the
FDLR ... they will share the same shame as the DRC government.".
"If SADC engages like this, they will have made a mistake
... I am ready to fight them," Nkunda said.
Some military experts expressed doubts about how quickly a
SADC security force could be dispatched to east Congo and how
effective it would be against Nkunda's battle-hardened guerrilla
army of 4,000, and against other marauding armed factions.
"This is good rhetoric, but I'm not sure it will happen,"
said Henri Boshoff, a military analyst for the Institute for
Security Studies in Johannesburg, told Reuters.
The United Nations, which already has its largest
peacekeeping force in the world, 17,000 strong, in Congo, is
seeking up to 3,000 extra troops to reinforce its operations
there. It says its existing force is thinly stretched across a
country the size of Western Europe where armed groups abound.
It was not immediately clear whether the proposed African
peacekeepers would operate under the U.N. mandate or separately.
ROOTS IN RWANDAN GENOCIDE
The North Kivu conflict traces its origins back to Rwanda's
1994 genocide of Tutsis by Hutus which helped trigger the
1998-2003 Congo war. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing Nkunda,
who says he is defending Congolese Tutsis from attacks by FDLR
Rwandan Hutu rebels he says fight with the Congolese army.
Rwanda, which has twice invaded Congo before, officially to
fight Hutu rebels there, denies this and in turn accuses the
Congolese government of not acting to disarm the Hutu rebels.
Analysts say that to avert the risk of a wider regional war,
world and regional powers need to exert firm pressure on both
Congo and Rwanda to demobilise the rival rebel groups.
"The international community has already invested billions
of dollars to build and maintain peace in the Congo. To not
invest hugely in diplomatic terms right now would risk it all,"
Francois Grignon and Fabienne Hara, Africa program director and
vice president of International Crisis Group, wrote recently.
African Great Lakes leaders, including Rwandan President
Paul Kagame, called at a summit in Nairobi on Friday for a
ceasefire and a political settlement in North Kivu, but said
they could also send peacekeepers if required.
Commenting on SADC's offer of troops, Rwandan Foreign
Minister Rosemary Museminali said: "There should be a ceasefire
and a political solution."
European foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday
also called for a political settlement.
Congo's government has asked neighbour Angola, which backed
it during the 1998-2003 war, for help. The appearance in North
Kivu of Portuguese-speaking soldiers on the government side has
fuelled speculation Angola may have already sent troops. But
Angola's Foreign Ministry denied this.
-
REPORT
"Laurent Nkunda's rebels, the CNDP, have reportedly executed civilians as well as combatants"
Vidéo
Pour aller plus loin
Pour aller plus loin



05/12/2008 06:11:11 Alert a moderator
stop war
By Anonyme -
what's wrong with africans presidents? this war is unneccessary. it is sad to see..my players go to civilians
05/12/2008 06:00:17 Alert a moderator
don't fight
By Anonyme -
stop fighting brothers...we are all human Tutsi hutus congo rwandan we should all put our forces together otherwise we will stay in poverty forever...stop fighting please...the communication is the only key..hutu should not be a tutsi's ennemi..a tutsi should not be hutus' ennemi..a congo should no be a rwandan's ennemi........communication is very important than hate we need peace right now.... we are loosing many people for nothing...
18/11/2008 08:23:33 Alert a moderator
Kagame and Kabila Puppets of the west
By Anonyme - DR Congo
The loosers in this war are the black people in Congo and Rwanda. We africans must wake up and understand that the west is playing us, one against the other for our resources. Why can't Rwandans and Congoleses work together to bring peace and development in the region? The young black people in african need to play a big role in our continent. Africa need good leadership. Our Leaders (both Kagame and Kabila) are not what africans need. We need a new kind of leaders in the continent, type of leaders who wont hold on to power and suppress democracy as most of them do in the continent, including both Kagame and Kabila. Guys let not waste time debating this senseless war. We can use this platform to come together. Our nations have suffered enough since colonisation. Why should we continue to allow the young WHITE people in those rich countries us? The made our forefathers slaves and now making us kill each other. When are we going to understand that. Guys please wake up. We dont need these type of african leaders helping the west kill us and make us more poor.
17/11/2008 00:47:08 Alert a moderator
The FDLR/Interahamwe Octopus
By Anonyme -
Nkunda claims he has his hopes in the Nairobi Summit. Basically because he is confident his bosses in Kigali will not let down until Kinshasa sits down with him. Oh, incidentally, he stated his interest is rather in discussing the DRC/China contract. At least, for the first time he admits to his phony excuse of protecting the Tutsi against the FDLR. Which is the official position of the Rwandan government with a twist: the FDLR is a threat to both the Congolese populations and Rwanda's security.
The problem is for Rwanda, the FDLR is not only synonymous with Interahamwe but also with Hutu. So any Kinyarwanda speaking person in the Congo who is not Tutsi becomes FDLR. Thus, the Banyabwisha notwithstanding, even the Hutus that the Kagame regime brought to Eastern DRC to work in the Coltan and Cassiterite mines during Rwanda's occupation of eastern Congo (1998-2003), whom Kagame actually left in the Kivu forests to fend for themselves and who are looting villages and raping women like the CNDP and FDLR militias, are... you guessed it... interahamwe! And the interahamwe octopus lives on.
During their 7 years of occupation of Eastern Congo, Rwanda cannot cite a single instance when they went after the FDLR. Rather they were more than happy to go after Congo's mineral resources, and even fight the Ugandan army for those minerals. In any case, why doesn't the Rwandan government make public a list of those people its intelligence has compiled for having partaken in the genocide. That sounds to me a more neighborly effective way of ridding the region of the genocidaires than sending Rwandan military to kill, maim, and rape innocent Congolese villagers. Unless the real reason is actually to perpetuate the chaos in DRC so the business of looting and plundering Congolese resources can keep on.
14/11/2008 15:19:10 Alert a moderator
Innocent victims
By Anonyme - Rwanda
The Tutsi soldier can only give you his world that the Congolese civilians who died were not a deliberate target, they will never be. War is ugly and will always involve innocent people dying. Separating civilians from militias in the chaos of internal conflicts is much harder than you think. That's why we usually encourage civilians to leave when we anticipate battle in their villages.
14/11/2008 12:43:25 Alert a moderator
Congo doesn't need FDLR
By Anonyme - anonyme
Please can anyone explain to Congolese that they'll never win any war with FDLR on their side.
Reason:
1) They(FDLR) lost war in Rwanda and heroes who beat them are still around
2) They have no cause
3) They live in hiding(forests of Congo) because international community are looking for them
4) They are not soldiers, they are militia meaning their training is based on hate and genocide ideology instead of defending a country
Advice to Congolese:
1) your country is rich that means you can hire any army in the world and come and train your ill disciplined army. You don't need to steak to those losers(FDLR).
2) No one will ever listen to Congo gvt because they have chosen to be on wrong side.
3) meet with Nkunda and hear his fear and what he wants at the end of the day is Congolese. Remember that in January a Kenyan(Obama) will be the most powerful man in the world. All Africa is celebrating but Congolese can not accept a Tutsi to live peaceful in Congo. Should the white americans kick out Obama? Congolese please come back to your senses. That's why you're loosing the war because your cause is wrong.
4) Allow Rwanda to go in Congo and finish off FDLR.
eg: in late 90s Gvt of Sudan decided to allow Uganda to go and remove LRA(ugandan rebels) from Sudan soil because of the same accusations Rwanda and Congo are experiencing. The day the announcement was made, all rebels flee to Congo. there hasn't been any accusation since then.
5) Kabila will never give you peace because he understand that Rwanda helped him be in power therefore he'll do anything to disturb Rwanda. If you don't support Nkunda then you should look within your political class and find someone who has no connection with Rwanda or FDLR and support him. You can achieve this by marching in Kinshasa. Honestly it's sad to see your fellow Africans dying.
God bless you
14/11/2008 03:29:05 Alert a moderator
Zimbabweans and Angolans again...
By Anonyme - Rwanda
So Mugabe's boys are really in North Kivu... right near Rwanda territory. Boy...these guys really have short memory! They have already forgotten Mbuji Mayi!! They were encircled by Rwandan fighters and the old proud Mugabe had to send envoys to obtain safe passage for his troops, leaving all their weapon on the ground.
And obviously no-one has explained to the Angolans that North Kivu is not Kitona. The Angolan army had to send thousands of troops supported by tanks and fighter aircrafts from Kabinda to surprise a few hundred Rwandans from the rear but they still lost dozens of theirs. And here they are, ...near Rwanda this time. Things definitely don't look good in Kivu
13/11/2008 21:47:26 Alert a moderator
End Nkunda's terrorism Now!!!
By Anonyme - France
If Nkunda wants to protect Tutsi as he claims, he should move to Rwandan where they belong. Congo is for Congolese. If you claim you are Tutsi then you should go back to Rwanda. Congolese will never tolerate terrorism. Kabila has offered to mediate between RPF and FDLR all in vain. Go solve your problems in your tiny impoverished country. Leave Congo alone. As for the FDLR. they have twice taken arms in support of Kabila, protecting Congo against foreign invasion. This is fact and the enemy of your enemy is your friend. We have no problem with the FDLR as long as they don't kill congolese. after all north Kivu's population is 40% Hutu.
13/11/2008 21:46:54 Alert a moderator
End Nkunda's terrorism Now!!!
By Anonyme - France
If Nkunda wants to protect Tutsi as he claims, he should move to Rwandan where they belong. Congo is for Congolese. If you claim you are Tutsi then you should go back to Rwanda. Congolese will never tolerate terrorism. Kabila has offered to mediate between RPF and FDLR all in vain. Go solve your problems in your tiny impoverished country. Leave Congo alone. As for the FDLR. they have twice taken arms in support of Kabila, protecting Congo against foreign invasion. This is fact and the enemy of your enemy is your friend. We have no problem with the FDLR as long as they don't kill congolese. after all north Kivu's population is 40% Hutu.
13/11/2008 21:46:13 Alert a moderator
End Nkunda's terrorism Now!!!
By Anonyme -
If Nkunda wants to protect Tutsi as he claims, he should move to Rwandan where they belong. Congo is for Congolese. If you claim you are Tutsi then you should go back to Rwanda. Congolese will never tolerate terrorism. Kabila has offered to mediate between RPF and FDLR all in vain. Go solve your problems in your tiny impoverished country. Leave Congo alone. As for the FDLR. they have twice taken arms in support of Kabila, protecting Congo against foreign invasion. This is fact and the enemy of your enemy is your friend. We have no problem with the FDLR as long as they don't kill congolese. after all north Kivu's population is 40% Hutu.
13/11/2008 21:35:46 Alert a moderator
justice now
By Anonyme -
The tutsi soldier should help us find the mass graves of innocent congolese?
13/11/2008 19:16:38 Alert a moderator
Civilians...
By Anonyme - Rwanda
I happen to be a Rwandan soldier. I'm supposed to be a Tutsi and I hate it when civilians like you who have never seen a man falling in battle take pride in laughing at victims of war. We will fight when and where we need to. We will defeat those who attack us, but we take no pleasure in doing that. Are you aware that the vast majority of our soldiers are Hutus you stupid civilian?
13/11/2008 17:50:14 Alert a moderator
nkunda is fighting on hos own
By Anonyme - rwanda
Nkunda doesnt need rwandan help to defeat the HUTU militias and the gov't troops,,,,they are a bunch ill-disciplined gangs of criminals who wouldn't organise a force to fight even the 4000-5000 Nkunda troops........it wouldn't take a day for RWANDAN COMMANDOES to get to Kisangani if they wanted to..........no wonder Kabila is desperately seeking help from Angola n Zimbabwe.................man if i were HUTU.....i'd be so devastated......n would always ask God.......WHY ME???????
13/11/2008 15:23:03 Alert a moderator
drc
By Anonyme -
rwanda is doing its best to deceive international community in drc.
13/11/2008 14:20:23 Alert a moderator
U.S./U.K. Allies Grab Congo Riches and Millions Die
By Anonyme - UK/London
U.S./U.K. Allies Grab Congo Riches and Millions Die
2001-03 UN Expert Reports
by Prof. Peter Erlinder
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10815
12/11/2008 10:38:07 Alert a moderator
congo
By Anonyme joseph walker - sherborne dorset
Peace keepers cosmetic bullshit,hasnt not decreased the atrocities ,the only thing amazing is the prats who talk unending crap.ps if you dont have the mandate to take any action ,you only deluding yourselves or so used to living in bullshit you can see the wood from the trees.
12/11/2008 09:45:31 Alert a moderator
guerre a' l'est du congo
By no name - no country
La guerre au congo est un vaste conflit qui prendre fin lorsque la communaute' internationale comprendre le souci de congolais de voir leur centimetre de territoire a' jamais demeurrer congolais et relie' a' un futur commun du nord au sud de l'est a' l'ouest.La situation que nous vivons presentement au Kivu est le resultat des accords non-mis en oeuvre entre Laurent Desire Kabila et l'alliances armees de force de grand lacs conduites a' l'epoque par Museveni,Kagame,Jean Bosco Madoadoa.....et qui consister a' annexer le Grand Kivu au Rwanda apres la chute de Mobutu...le 1 Aout 1998,Laurent Kabila aura une reunion importante avec ses lieutenants(commandands)...MAJOR MBUMBA,ZABULONE,COLONEL KAPEND EDDY et mon PERE....Les documents existent et restent secrets.....a' suivre.
12/11/2008 05:47:24 Alert a moderator
France and European Union, do all you can to bring JUSTICE!
By Sammy - Uganda
We're now thousands of refugees in Uganda from DRC, may be the arrest of NAKABUYE will also save us from these TUTSI attacking our county, we thank God because the thruth is soon coming out!!! France we are waiting, we are watching, please take courrage, do your work.
12/11/2008 05:47:00 Alert a moderator
Logic
By Paatrick - USA
Interesting video. Fascinating logic on the journalist part too: 1.You ask a question to a guy in English; 2.Guy answers in English; 3. Therefore we have evidence that he doesn't speak french or swahili 3. Therefore is not Congolese, 4. Guess where he is from ... (Suivez mon regard! ). cqfd !!!!
12/11/2008 02:28:20 Alert a moderator
UN accuse the RDC governement army
By rosette kassini - london, uk
congratulation to the UN accusing the governement army while it (UN) is encouraging the genoocide of congolese population by supportinh the terroriste nkunda. congratulations also to the international media such as france 24, bbc, and so on by covering and honoring the terrorite nkunda. how the international community can close there eyes on the congolese genocide by rwandese everybody knows that nkunda is not congolese. to make it look right and to justify the action of nkunda the international community make the world beleive that nkunda is congoles. how let play ignorance as long nkunda is defending the international community interrest just congratulation to the international community
12/11/2008 02:28:17 Alert a moderator
UN accuse the RDC governement army
By rosette kassini - london, uk
congratulation to the UN accusing the governement army while it (UN) is encouraging the genoocide of congolese population by supportinh the terroriste nkunda. congratulations also to the international media such as france 24, bbc, and so on by covering and honoring the terrorite nkunda. how the international community can close there eyes on the congolese genocide by rwandese everybody knows that nkunda is not congolese. to make it look right and to justify the action of nkunda the international community make the world beleive that nkunda is congoles. how let play ignorance as long nkunda is defending the international community interrest just congratulation to the international community
11/11/2008 14:14:07 Alert a moderator
Regime change in Rwanda - Now
By Anonyme - London
The DRCongo must create an army of allies (Angola, Namibia, France, etc...) and change the murderous regime in Rwanda.
Kagame is responsible for the 1994 genocide, because he killed Habiyarimana, which triggered the war.
Now Kagame is constantly invading Congo to plunder its resources.
For example, 80 to 90% of all the Coltan from Congo is illegally smuggled to and sold in Kigali, Rwanda. Kagame is only interested in stealing from Congo.
The DRC and its allies have the right to topple this criminal regime in Rwanda, in order to secure its own future.
11/11/2008 13:37:23 Alert a moderator
Kagame's soldiers are fighting in RDC
By Anonyme - UK/London
This is the same scenario as during the invasion of Rwanda by Kagame with support from Museveni of Uganda. The invasion was supported by Uganda. The infiltration of Kagame's soldiers into Rwanda were known and seen by UN and UN did not do anything. The international community was aware of this.
What Kagame has been saying is true lies that he does not support Nkunda. This was the same that Museveni was saying during the invasion of Rwanda. Museveni, Britain and Kagame were saying that it was a civil war between Rwandan themselves and that Uganda had nothing to do with that civil war
11/11/2008 13:27:29 Alert a moderator
The infiltration of Kagame's soldiers into Rwanda
By Anonyme - UK/London
This is the same scenario as during the invasion of Rwanda by Kagame with support from Museveni of Uganda. The invasion was supported by Uganda. The infiltration of Kagame's soldiers into Rwanda were known and seen by UN and UN did not do anything. The international community was aware of this.
What Kagame has been saying is true lies that he does not support Nkunda. This was the same that Museveni was saying during the invasion of Rwanda. Museveni, Britain and Kagame were saying that it was a civil war between Rwandan themselves and that Uganda had nothing to do with that civil war.
11/11/2008 10:46:27 Alert a moderator
Deadly chaos in DR-Congo
By Charles Smyth - Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Any neighbouring countries that get involved directly or indirectly with returning the DR-Congo to a state of deadly chaos must be suspended from the UN and their leaderships face ICC indictments. It would also be worthwhile to deploy special forces such as Blackwater and Aegis Defence in order to implement a policy of extra judicial termination on Laurent Nkunda and the key elements of his rebel cohort.
Furthermore the 17,000 strong UN deployment should be stood down, since their deployment is only subsidising the region's combatants' ability to continue the conflict at too much expense to the EU, at this time of economic emergency.
11/11/2008 05:49:22 Alert a moderator
The Tutsi are children of God too.
By KOFFI - Daytona beach Florida ,USA.
When you have a government, specially democratically elected as Joseph Kabila is claiming , you have to be there for all your people and to protect them.... Not to protect one or few Ethnics group and don't care about the rest. The Tutsi have been suffering for long enough ... KABILA need to send a message to his hutu friends that the need to stop the massacre on tutsi or he will send them home to Rwanda... Kabila does not have to send those hutu back necessarily, because the help his father to kick out THE DICTATOR MONBUTU...so Kabila must do his job by sending a strong message to the HUTU and FDLR and the Mai mai ... to stop what the are doing to the Tutsi .... Until Nkunda feel that the gov is now protecting everybody ...he will never have a permanent cease fire .... the Guy is ready to negotiate, and seing how he is committed to his people he is ready to die for the Tutsi ...THIS QUESTION IS FOR YOU ....HOW DO YOU FEEL IF YOUR PEOPLE ARE BEING MASSACRE ...?????? HAPPY OR ANGRY???
10/11/2008 01:34:42 Alert a moderator
DRC should call in military assistance to crush terrorists
By Anonyme - Brussels
The Anglo-American backed terrorists who have been seeding instability in Eastern Congo have been allowed to remain untouched for too long now. The DRC's government -- in charge of a sovereign nation that legitimately owns the resources of its country -- should not hesitate to call in the help of Angola or even France to defend the integrity of its territory.
These terrorist rebels, backed by Rwanda, must be crushed at all costs. If necessary, Angola should help create a buffer between Rwanda/Uganda and the DRC, by military means. Angola has the forces and the means.
The DRC should not count on the impotent UN, which is, after all controlled by the "international community", that is, including by the UK and the US, who do not want to help the DRC.
As a way of detail: the Spanish chief of the MONUC recently wanted to arrest the terrorist Nkunda. But the US and the UK blocked the proposal and didn't approve the mandate. Enough said.
09/11/2008 14:28:33 Alert a moderator
the price
By Anonyme - usa
The war is over in angola, ivory cost, liberia, sierra leone but not in congo for their hospitality in welcoming tutsi and hutus refugees this how they are now paid ! Kagame the west which supports you is not your friend, remember 1994 they sat and watch 800.000 tutsi killed just like they are watching 5000.000 congolese killed. you think now you are strong just like Mobutu fought he was when the west was behind him. think twice mr kagame
09/11/2008 12:02:53 Alert a moderator
Why Kabila should not meet Nkunda.
By Blandine - USA
First of all, Kabila is an elected president of DRC. Nkunda is a terrorist trained in rwanda by Kagame and backed up as DRC rebel by Rwandan government in a mission of killing congolese and stilling congolese resources. NKunda Abatoire has never been a Soldier in the Congolese Army. He was in the Rwandan
RPF(Front Patriotique Rwandais) movement. He came in congo with Bizima Karahamuheto, James Kabarebe and Deogracias Bugera's Invasion in DRC. For the second time, during his assault of Drc's eastern Town of Bukavu. Nkunda, if his is congolese or not, he must be condamned as terrorist. He has killed more millions of congolese. He declare himself protecting his Tutsi brothers in Congo against Interahamwe rwandan who took refuge in DRC after the 1994 genocide in rwanda. Why is Nkunda killing now Congolese? Why is he not hunting his Rwadan Interahamwe? For what treason reason is he asking to meet the DRC president? Why is he stilling and shipping to rwanda the congolese resources? Congo may not be able to solve its forged war by now but some day it will. If not done by DRC, maybe God will strike on their behalf. The world has blinded themselves for not seeing what is going on in DRC. This Hitler movement of rwanda & NKUNDA Abatoire must end. Rwanda first producer of Gold but they have no Gold in Rwanda. Rwanda first producer of Coffee but they have only 5% of coffee plantation and congo have the the rest of 95% . They now sell Diamond but diamond do not exist in Rwanda. First producer of Coltan, Casterrite and more but they don't have any of those in rwanda. Someone, someday, will pay the cost. Kabila to meet Nkunda is the same as telling George W Bush or Barack Obama to meet with Bin Laden. is'nt that crazy?