Source: The Citizen
President Paul Kagame
The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)-a rebel faction that has been in Eastern Congo for twenty years -has changed its stance, saying the faction's fighters and top leaders prefer dying in the bush to returning to Rwanda, where they believe they would all be killed, The Citizen has learnt.
The rebel faction this week told a joint assessment team, which also included officials from Tanzania that firstly, it wanted to establish whether its fighters who voluntarily returned to Rwanda were still alive or not, before it could allow more militias and their top leaders to go there.
This is a fresh stand by the rebel faction, which overrules the earlier conditions it gave last month to the Rwandese regime, Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), African Union (AU) and the international community.
According to impeccable sources within the Tanzania and DRC security agencies, FDLR made it clear during this week that should the UN intervention brigade decide to attack the Hutu rebels as demanded by Rwanda and the international community, about 200,000 civilians would die.
This, according to security sources who are part of the team that assessed the disarmament progress, is because Hutu rebels say they would use human shields against any attacks by the UN intervention forces led by Tanzania and South Africa.
FDLR rebels have been living together with the Congolese for two decades, since they were pushed out of Rwanda after 1994 genocide.
Today, it's estimated that thousands of Congolese live with FDLR rebels, have intermarried or are partners in businesses-a situation that security experts from SADC say many complicate a military offensive.
Kigali has been calling for a military offensive against FDLR, which has been operating freely in eastern Congo for two decades, but Tanzania, South Africa and DRC maintain that no military action should be taken until the deadline expires-a stance supported by SADC. The deadline for the voluntary disarmament of FDLR fighters is December this year, according to details gathered by The Citizen.
Both SADC and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) want the deadline to elapse before military action is taken.
DRC wants the FDLR fighters who want to surrender to do so now or face military action after expiry of the deadline. The DRC government wants FDLR fighters who surrender to be repatriated to a transit camp in Kisangani, about 900km from South and North Kivu areas where the rebels are based.
Contradicting their earlier demands
In September this year, through their letter, a copy of which The Citizen obtained, FDLR outlined fresh conditions for what it calls lasting peace solutions in the eastern DRC.
It says between 2001 and 2002, when its fighters disarmed to pave the way for peace in war-torn DRC, the former combatants were attacked, killed and others forcibly repatriated to Rwanda.
All this, claims FDLR in the letter signed by Major General Byiringiro Victor, who is the president of the rebel faction, happened under the watch of UN peacekeeping forces (Monusco) and Congolese and Rwan dese military officers.
Alarmed by what transpired in the past, FDLR has issued key conditions that should be fulfilled if Rwanda, DRC and the international community want lasting peace in eastern Congo.
First, the rebel faction wants SADC to be actively involved in the whole peace process by being at the forefront of the efforts.
Secondly, it wants SADC and AU, on its behalf, to persuade the European Union, United States of America, United Kingdom and Canada to support the peace process in eastern Congo.
The third condition, according to the letter, is for SADC and AU to use their respective diplomatic and strategic positions to persuade the US and the UN Security Council to put more pressure on Rwanda's President Paul Kagame to accept political dialogue between his government and the Hutu rebels.
But, this week, Rwanda's foreign affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo, said that the international community should act upon its promise and immediately disarm or "eradicate" the FDLR, a terrorist outfit responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that is now based in the DR Congo.
According to Rwanda's New Times newspaper, Ms Mushikiwabo said that it was baffling that FDLR had managed to exist for over 20 years, yet the United Nations Security Council and western powers acknowledge that genocide is an international crime that must not be tolerated.
"I cannot recall a time when anyone said that FDLR is a bunch of good guys that we should preserve them. Everybody says that they should be eradicated and that they should disarm, but this has been the speech for many years. I would hope that the FDLR is not seen as an issue for Rwanda but as an international problem," she was quoted by The New Times as remarking.
Early this month, the UN Security Council reiterated that a "swift neutralisation" of the FDLR is a prerequisite to bringing stability and protecting civilians in DR Congo and the Great Lakes region.
October 2 marked the half-way point of the six-month timeframe for the voluntary surrender of the FDLR as set out by the joint ICGLR-SADC meeting of ministers of defence on July 2.
Mushikiwabo said that Rwanda as a country cannot singlehandedly wage military action against the FDLR, because of complex regional and international politics.
The Rwandese government drafted a policy to repatriate and reintegrate members of FDLR and so far, government figures show that over 11,000 of them have returned, many of whom were active rebels in FLDR ranks.
"Those who do not want to repatriate and reintegrate, there has always been one option and that is military action. Therefore, we ask countries to abide by the resolutions they have voted and supported, and to honor the decisions made by various regional and international organisations." the minister said.
Ningependa kuona reaction ya TPDF na SADF pale Rwanda akisubuthu kuingiza majeshi DRC! Najua Kenya na Uganda wapo nyuma yake na sidhani kama wana guts za kuingiza pua kule!The rebel faction this week told a joint assessment team, which also included officials from Tanzania that firstly, it wanted to establish whether its fighters who voluntarily returned to Rwanda were still alive or not, before it could allow more militias and their top leaders to go there.
Mkuu Geza Ulole niliwahi kusema waliokuwa wanajeshi wa FDRL waliorejea Rwanda wamekuwa wakiuwawa au kutoweka katika mazingira ya kutatanisha.Mfano kuna miili zaidi ya watu 40 ilitupwa ziwa Rweru inasemekana walikuwa raia wa Rwanda.Jambo lingine kubwa ni Tanzania,South Afrika na Congo hazipo tayari kuwapiga FDRL hii ni kwasababu Rwanda imekuwa na msimamo mbaya na hizi nchi matokeo yake serekali ya Kigali imejikuta katika wakati mgumu hasa ukizingatia nchi hizo hizo zilishiriki kuitwanga M23 ambayo ilikuwa ikiungwa mkono na Rwanda.Kati mazingira haya Kagame amejikuta akiwekwa katika wakati mgumu na kukosa ushawishi katika eneo la mgogoro kwakuwa M23 haipo tena Congo.
Ningependa kuona reaction ya TPDF na SADF pale Rwanda akisubuthu kuingiza majeshi DRC! Najua Kenya na Uganda wapo nyuma yake na sidhani kama wana guts za kuingiza pua kule!
Source: The Citizen
Why FDLR rebels want to die in Congo - News - thecitizen.co.tz
MY TAKE
I see signs of a dirty conflict between FDRL, DRC, TZ and SA in one side, and RW+COW in the other side! As neither SA nor TZ nor DRC want to fight FDRL
Mkuu Geza Ulole sidhani kama Kenyatta ni mjinga kiasi hicho anajua uwezo wa TPDF,anajua KDF ina mzigo wa kupambana na magaidi kule Somalia,anajua biashara baina ya Kenya na Tanzania ilivyokubwa,anajua CORD wangeitumia hiyo fursa kumtosa moja kwa moja.
Museveni kamwe hawezi kuingia katika mgogoro na Tanzania,tena kama umemfuatilia M7 kila walipokuwa wakifanya vikao vya CoW akimaliza lazima anakimbilia Dar kutuliza mzuka wa Tanzania.
Rwanda itabaki pekee yake na Kagame anajua siku akikumbana na hasira za TPDF ndio utakuwa mwisho wake.