The Observer (Kampala)
5 November 2008
editorial
The Democratic Republic of Congo is once again burning.
Hordes of helpless refugees, including mainly children and women, have fled deeper into the countryside or into the neighbouring countries as rebels led by renegade General Laurent Nkunda routed government soldiers in North Kivu.
It is estimated that more than 900,000 people have been displaced by the latest fighting. The Congolese who have endured untold poverty and disease as a result of endless insecurity and a distant government, now have to suffer more.
The latest escalation is a direct result of the failure of DR Congo president, Joseph Kabila, and rebel leader General Nkunda to honour the peace agreement reached in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2007, as well as other diplomatic initiatives in 2008. The price of this clash of egos is the human catastrophe we are experiencing, the latest in Africa's long list.
Long before the Nairobi peace agreement, there was the Lusaka Peace Accords of the late 1990s which effectively ended the war that had sucked into Congolese territory almost half a dozen African countries. This settlement too, which provided for the disarming of militias using Congo as a base to destablilise neighbouring countries, was not implemented to the fullest. The result of this omission is now more carnage.
It is encouraging that world powers, particularly the European Union, appear keen on finding a solution to this problem. Pressure must be brought to bear on the Kinshasa government and the rebels to stop this madness. And the African Union, working together with neighbouring countries, must step in and work towards a permanent solution.
Congo should not be left to degenerate into a situation similar to the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
Africa doesn't need another Somalia either. Recently, different regional economic blocs (SADC, COMESA, and EAC) met in Uganda and agreed to expedite the formation of a trade free area across Africa. Noble as the idea sounds, reality is that trade cannot thrive on the continent amidst such anarchy. Even investors eyeing other African countries will stop and think twice if a major African country like Congo is on fire. There is no military solution to this conflict. Only dialogue will end it. Let the talking begin.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 The Observer. 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.
Nkunda will eventulayy be arrested or killed, either way everyone in SADC agree that he is a bad apple that need tobe got rid of.
Unless you are willing to arrest all the Tutsi in the Congo, Nkunda will be easily replaced. Now, if you are willing to face the facts on the ground; you'll have no choice but to deal with the FDLR issue as this is the only key to peace in the Kivu. In lieu of the aforementioned fact, Kabila will never defeat the Tutsi millitarily. They have over 600yrs of millitary experience in the region(check ur History)and no army in the region can face their resilience.
Historian
We know the history of the Tutsi people, the most recent being 1994. Such history being so dramatic and often times regretable does not mean that it warrant the savagely that we are witnessing now, what other group of people in Africa would attract such loath, well it is not a good thing and I wish they couls choose a better way to lead their lives.
If a tribe has such a military might, why is the FDLR still a problem? Rwanda has invaded Congo officially twice (1997 & 2003) and occupied the Eastern part of Congo. Why didn't they solve the FDLR issue? Why is Nkunda not using his military to help crush the FDLR? The truth is that all these rwandese people(Nkunda and FDLR) have the same objective, loot and extend the boundaries of Rwanda into Congo. Congo army might be weak now but true Congolese people will not let Rwandans reign in their country forever. An end to this is coming soon.
I am not Congolese but may heart go to all the Congolese who are caught in this, this is repeat of the Angolan war where the major powers uses Rwanda to force Kabilas government not to deal with China and also no renegotiate the mining constracts. It is the British war, remember Tony Blair is the advisor to Rwandan government, but I know once Obama gets to office He will not accept this British colonial hangovers, the British empire is long dead but its Ghosts are still haunting us. Nkunda is its creation.
I had predict the arrest of the thug Nkunda last year and I do think that my predictions were correct, not he should be hunged on a tree, and let to the hawks of the air gouge this eyes off, may he be cursed the rest of his life, my the blood he spilled haunt him the rest of his short life, may his children died and whatever that he had bored in his fatal adventures, God keep the Congolese peace from now on.
claude_rutsinzi what are you up to? You have the gut to defend your fellow warlords here? What minorities are you talking about? Who is killing them? When? How? Have you heard of the AMANI peace prcess? And what do you say about that? What are those agreements you want Kabila to honour? Is it to let Kivu become under Rwanda?
What solution do you want for the Tutsi? All you guys can say is you are the minority and that exactly your AYSLUM SEEKING argument in the west. They grant you asylum on that basis alone and you think you can kill innocent people simple because you are minority tutsi?
Why are the minority ruling Rwanda? Any answer to that? Who in the Congo is against the Tutsi? Why not work with the DRC Government to tackle those issues if you are really interested in a co-relationship and co-existence betweens tribes.
Give me a break, you lover of guns and BLOOD
Kabila holds the key to the room where the solution lies. Mr Kabila will be badly judge by histoey if he carries on with his arrongence and persecution of the minorities in Congo. He should wise up, no army is going to bring the everlasting peace in Congo. He needs to talk to Nkunda hear his grievencies after all Tutsi are the minoritie according to many, in the country almost the size of the Western Europe. My message to you Mr Kabila learn to act like a gentlemen; honour your agreements, respect other leaders, be humble.