Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali)

Congo-Kinshasa: War About Minerals Not Militias

7 December 2007


analysis

Kigali — The raging battle launched by DR Congo army aided by UN forces in the country may be seen internationally as targeting militias roaming the jungles of the area but now information coming through indicates otherwise, RNA reports.

Souces in the Kivu area just bordering Rwanda are reporting that the conflict does not seem to be what is actually on the ground.

At a meeting in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), with leaders of the Great Lake countries, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, said it was urgent to support the capacity of Congolese security forces to enable them to counter "negative forces" in the area, guerrilla gangs based in the east of the country which prolong instability.

Among these guerrillas - explicit mention was made of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, some of whose elements are blamed for the Genocide in Rwanda. The Congolese government also wants rebel General Laurent Nkunda reigned. But as it turns out from sources, the geography of the conflict is different.

"With regard to the Great Lakes crisis, the international community appears to have changed its course " the Catholic news service Agenzia Fidel qoutes a missionary source to have said but prefered not to be named for security reasons.

« However it should be remembered that the main cause of the fighting in East D. Congo are its natural resources.»

The missionary adds : « The blame is put on the 'negative forces', but who can explain why these men, wanted by international justice, and in an area where UN peacekeepers are present, are so well equipped? Their weapons are better than those of the regular army, they have medicines, new uniforms and boots, tins of food and powdered milk. Whose are the helicopters which fly over the area where these militia are to presumably supply them? Do they fly away empty or loaded with minerals?" the missionary wonders. »

Media reports from the battle zones indicate that government forces are having it the easier way as they over-run village after another. But what is noticable is that the media campaign by the army may be working - as frontline successes appear in major news media. General Laurent Nkunda's personnel also say the fighting is to their advantage.

"Government troops returned to Goma chanting victory, but we know they suffered heavy losses" said the missionary who is in the east of DR Congo. "Violence is reported only in north Kivu, southern Kivu is quiet."

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), thousands of people are in the midst of the bombing. Women are at risk of the rampaging militia and government forces, not forgeting the UN forces- as they are raped. Children are forced to fight and used as loot carriers.

"People in the affected area are fleeing their homes and the number of displaced persons in dramatic conditions increases every day. This is the rain season and in the mountain area of east Congo it is cold", the Agenzia Fidel source said.

Meanwhile, this morning, the American diplomat in Kigali Mr. Michael Arietti told reporters that Gen Nkunda must give up his arms or face the the war machine. The diplomat also rejected the long standing claim by Nkunda that he is fighting to protect his Banyamulenge community.

There is a government in Congo, Arietti said, that has the responsibility to ensure security for all its people - not Nkunda.

Read comments. Write your own.

More News on allAfrica.com

Copyright © 2007 Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.

AllAfrica - All the Time
Author: aambamakyemaaya
Fri Dec 7 21:21:57 2007

I told you about nkunda that guy is a very sick person how caqn just in a big country like Kongo which is not yours because it's true nkunda is not Kongolese for real he is not ,how can jump out nowhere and say I am protecting my people !!!!!! He must go where he belongs , to Rwanda which is his country not Kongo ,you have read what the missinary fidel agenzia said , It's not because of so called " forces negatives" but the naturels resources this fool nkunda is there to protect those guys who are digging out minerals and sending them to rwanda, how come the poor rwanda can be promulgued 1srt producer in the world of COLTAN; Now the representative of U.S IN KIGALI did not hide her tongue in her mouth , she said now the RDC has the ligitme goverment so nkunda does not need to pretend protecting so called banyamulenge his false tribu ,the only rdc goververnment has all responsabilities to do so , nkunda must lose his privilgees to put even his feet on the soil of the rdc. he must go ,he is there for his moister kagame and those whoare behind for illegal exploitation of thrdc resources to enrich themeselves. All who are behind those illegal exploitations must know that they are not the fisrt to do so ,belgium did that for 80 years but they did not take even .00000001% of what God of our ancestors has given to us . So RDC remaind the only country in the world which has 45% of global resources by itsef . It's better to cooperate with RDC DIPLOMATICALLY, HUMANLY TO REACH A COMPREHENSIVE CONSENTMENT DEALTO BE ABLE TO EXPLOITATE IT'S MINES.

tHE WORLD PUT THE EARSGUARDS NOT HEAR ALL CRIES FROM DESPARATE KONGOLESE WHO WERE FLEEING THE WAR OF INVASIONS FROM RWANDA BURUNDI UGANDA ETHIOPIA SOMALIAAND ERYTREA, JUST LEAVE PEOPLE BEHIND THAT HORROR WAR BECAUSE OF GETTING FREE COLTAN DIAMONDS GOLDS,COOPERSETC . NOW WHERE ARE WE THOSE WHO DID SO THEY ARE FREE ,AND 5000000 OF LVES OF SOULS ARE LOST WITHOUT THE WORLD SAY ANYTING WHILE YOU CALL YOURSELF CIVILISED WORLD EUROPECANADAAND USA WHAT A SHAME!!! NOW YOU KNOW THAT KAGAME AND OTHERS MANIPULATED YOU BY TELLING THE WORLD LIES, SO WHAT WILL BE YOUR REACTION TOHIS LIES? TODAY FDLR IS A GROUP OF TUTSIS AND HUTUS ALL NOW ARE CALLING RWANDESE NOT TO THINK ABOUT THEIR ETHNICITY TO FIGHT KAGAME NOW WHODOES NOT WANT THE OPPNENT IN RWANDA,SO THAT IS DEMOCRACY ,THAT IS THE GUY WHO WHO ONE UK REPRESENTATIVE LADY HE IS NICE GUY OR GENTLEMAN, PLEASE THE KONGO IS A VERY RICH COUNTRY SO ,TRY TO THREAT IT WITH CARE BECAUSE IF KONGO IS PEACEFUL THE WHOLE AFRICA WILL BE AND THEN THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE SO. WE NEED PEACE IN KONGO STOP SEND WEAPONS WHICH TAKE LIVES OF INNONTS PEOPLE ,WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPEN TO WTC THAT MADE AMRICA TO FEAR EXTERNAL EVIL , SO THAT WAS LITTLE TO WHAT THE KONGOLESE OF RDC LIVED. SO PLEASE STOP ALL BAD GUYS, ALSO MAI-MAI IS NOT FIGHTING KABILA GOVERNMENT ,HE FOUGHT ALL THE INVASIONS FROM OUTSIDE INTO KONGO BECAUSE THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT COULDN'T SEND THE ARMY IN THE EAST THE PATRIOTS PEOPLE DID A CAOLLITION OF DEFENDING THE SOUVEREGNITY OF THE COUNTRY THEN WHEN KAGAME'S ARMY COULDN'T OVERPASS THE MAI-MAI HE STARTED CALLING THEM NEGATIVE FORCES, EVEN KAGAME WAS FINANCING MUNDUNDU 40 THEY WERE RAPING,KILLING STILLING ALL THAT THEY CALL THEMESELVES MAI-MAI THAT WAS A KAGAME PLAN AND HIS ALLIES TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT YOU SEE THE INTERAHAMWE AND MAI-MAI STILL ACTIVE THEY ARE DOING BAD THING SO WE HAVE TO NEUTRALSE THEM BEFORE THEY COME TO ATTACK RWANDA ,EVERY WORD WAS AND STILL LIES.SO HELP THE RDC STOP THEM TO DESTROY A COUNTRY WHICH HAS ANYTHING FOR OUR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT. THANK YOU.


SELECT
SELECT

Most Active Stories: Conflict

Topics