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Rwanda-Congo: Kagame returns to Eastern Congo

When I started writing this piece, before deciding if I should use Paul Kagame or Rwanda in the title, I had several thoughts about how the Rwandan president was unrepresentative of his country. All these ventures in the Democratic Republic of Congo are for self-preservation.

For sometime, I have had many discussions with a varied number of people on how Paul Kagame was not Rwanda or either if he could objectively speak for Rwandans though he does at the moment, and has been for the last eighteen years.

But I settled for Paul Kagame, because when he makes unpopular decisions like attacking the Democratic Republic of Congo, since he does not ask prior advice from any national institutions.

It�s unfortunate that his actions end up being seen as originating from Rwanda as a legal entity, internationally considered as such among other nations, though Rwandans at any level don�t have any input in them.

We all know how he has imposed himself to Rwandans through blood, and continue to maintain himself in power through constant persecution, oppression, cases of disappearances of his citizens, assassinations and other practices that�characterize�dictatorships.

So he is back in Eastern Congo. That�s at least what�Radio Okapi�online news outlet is telling us.

�Soldiers of the Rwandan Defense Forces would�ve entered in DRC on Wednesday December 12th, 2012 via two bordering posts of Kasizi and Kanyanja, North of Goma, in the Nyiragongo territory. � According to local sources, Rwandans were initially seen on the morning of Tuesday December 11th, 2012. They arrived in ten trucks with�ammunition�and other war�equipment��.[translation]

The Kampala negotiations between the Kabila government and M23 are still ongoing. Rwandan forces returning to DRC would apparently have two main motives: one of being in a stronger political position to pressure the other party to the talks into accepting the rebels� conditions, as did Museveni back in 1985 [Nairobi Agreement] or Kagame in 1993 [Arusha Accords]; two, preempting�the arrival of the neutral forces in Goma which will consist of different SADC countries including Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

The Rwandan president by returning to Eastern Congo does not seem to care about any condemnation from the international community, namely the UN whose experts have shown, at several occasions, evidence of his continuous interference in the DRC�s affairs.

He seems ready to flex muscles with anyone who sees differently his determination to hold firmly a fraction of the DRC.

During this week�s hearing at the US Congress on the Congolese crisis,�Mr Steve Hege, former member of the UN team of experts on the DRC rightly highlighted Paul Kagame�s resolve to have his hands on Eastern Kivu.

But the expert seemed to suggest that any solution of the ongoing crisis had to take into consideration that fortitude on the part of the Rwandan leader, and even tacitly accommodate it.

Of course, many of us who oppose global imperialism would not be supportive of a regional one whether or not it is coming from Rwanda or any other country of the Great Lakes region.

In my view, the Rwandan president has irremediably been inconsiderate of international laws regarding how neighbouring countries co-exist, that the time has come for him to get the sanctions that his regime deserves.

Source: Rising Continent

December 14, 2012   No Comments

Congo Was �Killed� By The West � Kagame

President Paul Kagame has described the volatile Democratic�Republic of Congo(DRC) as a �dead body� of a state �killed� by�the west.

The Rwanda President has been under fire for reportedly arming and recruiting combatants to back up the M23, a charge he denies.

Addressing government officials, media, diplomatic community and civil society during the 10th National Dialogue in Kigali on Thursday, Kagame reiterated his determination to fend off criticism that he is to blame for the humanitarian and security crisis in Kivu that has left thousands of Congolese in refugee camps.
�These so-called famous reports (UN Reports on Congo) are pre-written. The so-called experts are hired to go and confirm their bosses� wrong perceptions. They have no facts,� charged Kagame.
The President was visibly angry.
�You should see the faces of those who want to rewrite our history. Don’t be afraid of them. You must rise up and fight for your dignity,� he added.
Speaking in Kinyarwanda, Kagame emphasized there was no �easier way of getting valuable things.�
Kagame raised eyebrows in the Parliament�Building�when he said some elements in�the west�were �laying traps to jeopardize our security.�
�Some people out there do want to see you self reliant. It’s not easy but we shall get there.�
He condemned African journalists� behavior of authoring negative articles about Africa �to win prizes from�the west,� arguing �we should not behave like those who look down upon us; we have to fight and refuse to accept this attitude.�
He added: �The west�doesn�t want you to have a good profile. Why should we agree to be herded? We’re not cattle or sheep.�

HUMAN RIGHTS

In what appeared as a move to expose the hypocrisy of�the west, Kagame spilled some secrets before his audience.
�Those people out there will come and tell you, �oh, there are no human rights in Rwanda.� Then after sometime they will come back and say, �oh, even if human rights are abused we don�t mind as long as you do what we want,� said Kagame, sending the audience into rib-cracking laughter.
The President presented challenges faced by Africa, including acceptance of neo-colonial attitudes perpetrated by western imperialists.
�Africans, why do we accept to be treated in this manner? Some people give us wrong labels. Why should Rwanda accept this?� he charged.
He said �these bad people invent stories, spread lies before media and then come here to preach to us human rights and democracy, adding, �If�decisionmakers are bad people, the situation becomes dangerous.�
He further said no country whatsoever �can accept this injustice meted on us every day,� emphasizing, �Rwandans must be angry at this kind of situation.�
The Rwandan leader said �we must be seen to have sufficient anger at this injustice; we must fight for self reliance.�
In a sarcastic tone, Kagame said he had his own problems and was not willing to shoulder other countries� burdens.
�If you want me to solve my neighbours’ problems, then pay me,� he said.
Kagame noted the $1bn-a-year UN peacekeeping�project�by MONUSCO had failed to save Congo.
�You cannot spend a lot of money and after failing you come here and say solve this Congo problem.�
He pledged to �keep refusing these accusations.�
Kagame said Rwandans must not look like they are accepting allegations that their government is bankrolling M23 operations.
�You Rwandans, why allow these accusations (Congo)? Do you have a problem? Why allow this?
For how long shall we be accused of everything? What’s wrong with you? Why allow being pushed all over?�
The President added: �Somebody killed Congo and brought the corpse to our doorstep. They are now�calling�for our punishment. Later they come and say �we know you did not kill Congo but please do what we want.�
He said pushing for self reliance and dignity is good but comes with a cost.
�Some people want to push you down. Self reliance comes with dignity, something you have to fight for,� he concluded.

Chimpreports.com-Uganda News|

December 14, 2012   No Comments