This brigade, consisting of nearly 3 069 peacekeepers, includes three infantry battalions, one artillery and one special forces and reconnaissance company who will  be responsible for neutralizing the armed groups,  including the M23, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the Allied Democratic Forces, the Alliance of Patriots for a free and sovereign Congo (APCLS), the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Mayi-Mayi.

Moreover, ‘’the Council will consider the continued presence of the Intervention Brigade in light of its performance and whether the DRC has made sufficient progress ​​in implementing its commitments under the PSC Framework [Framework Agreement for peace, security and cooperation in the DRC and the region] as well as the establishment and implementation of a national security sector reform roadmap for the creation of a Congolese “Rapid Reaction Force ” able to take over responsibility for achieving the objective of the Intervention Brigade,’’ reads the dispatch of the information Service of the UN.

Indeed, on February 24th, 11 countries in the region, including Rwanda and Uganda who according to a UN report support M23, signed the PSC Framework that commits them to protecting the territorial sovereignty of the DRC and to preserve peace and stability in the country.

The Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region, Mary Robinson, will be appointed by the Council to ‘’lead, coordinate and assess the implementation of national and regional commitments under the PSC Framework’’. She is also ‘’encouraged to lead a comprehensive political process that includes all relevant stakeholders to address the underlying root causes of the conflict’’.

‘’ The Secretary-General hopes that the strengthening of MONUSCO mandate, which also provides for the creation of an Intervention Brigade to address the problem of armed groups, will contribute to the restoration of state authority and long-term stability in the eastern DRC,’’ said his spokesman.

South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi will be contributing to the formation of the brigade.

“An opportunity for the Democratic Republic of Congo to enter a period of lasting peace”

The United Kingdom welcomed the adoption of resolution 2089 and thanked France ‘’for her leading role in reaching an agreement on this issue.’’

This resolution, adopted by unanimity, is “an opportunity for civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially women and girls, to go about their lives in safety. Renewing MONUSCO’s mandate, with the inclusion of a specialized brigade, would contribute to the broad vision of peace and stability in the DRC. Implementing the accord should result in a world where justice is done and seen as such. A world where women of Eastern DRC no longer need to fear sexual violence and children are protected against the effects of conflict. This resolution is an important step in this direction, “said the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the UN, Mark Lyall Grant.

Eugène-Richard Gasana, Rwanda’s UN envoy, said his delegation had voted in favour of the resolution because of its importance as an instrument for implementation of the Peace and Security Framework Agreement.

A turning point in the UN’s mission in the DRC

This is the first time that the Security Council endowed MONUSCO with an offensive mandate. Until now, the role of peacekeepers was essentially a defensive role aimed at the protection of civilians. Often, they would not have the right to draw unless they were attacked themselves.

In November 2012, the 17 000 peacekeepers of MONUSCO that cost about a billion dollars a year were accused of standing by and doing nothing when M23, which has been sowing terror in eastern DRC since April 2012, took over the city of Goma.

Origanal article in French by Laure Uwase

Translated by Jane Nishimwe

Jambonews.net

 Free without being free

ICTR - TPIR

On 25 February  2006, the acquittal of Ntagerura, former Minister of Transport and Communication, was now casting res judicata. His innocence was no longer a mere presumption, but now irrefutable.

On 18 December 2008 it was the turn of former Brigadier General Gratien Kabiligi to benefit from the acquittal of all charges against him.

“Having not found enough evidence against them, the Chamber acquits  Casimir Bizimungu and Jerome Bicamumpaka of all charges. The Chamber orders their immediate release and asks the Registry to make the necessary arrangements” declared  Judge Khalida Rachid Khan ICTR President, in September 2011.

However, despite the acquittal, the four former officials remain in the custody of the ICTR. They reside  in a “safe house” of the tribunal because, paradoxically, while the ICTR statutes require States to cooperate in searching and  arresting  accused persons, there is  no provision for people cleared from  all charges. As a result, they find themselves powerless to the unwillingness of States sought to host them on their soil so they can join their loved ones.

In December 2011, Khalida Rachid Khan — former President of the ICTR, addressed in a report to the UN Security Council  the “lack of a formal mechanism” biding  States to “accept those persons on their territories “. In its unanimously adopted resolution 2054 (2012), the UN Security Council    renewed  its call on all States to assist the tribunal  in its attempt to find host countries for the aquitted.

The aquitted ones, however, won’t give up and in a recently signed motion by Philippe Larochelle – a Canadian lawyer, he explained that a special Chamber  should  be created at the ICTR. The Chamber  would be responsible for filing applications to  different States likely to welcome them.

Looking at different international Conventions on Human Rights, the situation can be problematic and the UN which, has not included rules on the matter at  the creation of the ICTR, would have all advantage to looking into  this issue.

Translated by BeHarmony

Original french article by Laure Uwase

Jambonews.net

Police investigate scene of the attack Souce: Kigaliwire.com

20 people were injured on the evening of Tuesday, January 3 in a grenade attack near an outdoor market of vegetables and fruits being at Nyabisindu in Gasabo District, close to the Stade Amahoro Kigali.

Among the 20 injured, two of them would have died in the meantime, according to a diplomatic source who nevertheless remains to be confirmed by the police, we are told the correspondent on the spot from Reuters, Graham Holliday on his Twitter account.

One witness some of the victims have lost their legs and arms in the explosion. Reuter’s correspondent says himself that he went to the hospital in Kigali Kibagabaga and saw several people without limbs.

The spokesman of the police, Theos Badege told Reuters that a single grenade was responsible for this tragedy.

This sad start to the year in Kigali, follows several other attacks including the July 12, 2011 Kanembe who had 21 serious and four injured over 10 others were held in 2010, especially when the country was preparing to the presidential election in August 2010, including February 19, March 4, May 16 (double attack) and 13 July 2010.

The Rwandan government was then accused two former high-ranking officers, now in exile in South Africa and opponents of the Kigali regime, General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa and Colonel Patrick Karegeya, of plotting the first two sets of attacks.

Rwandan authorities had then announced in early March 2010 arrest of an opponent in Burundi Rwanda – who had broken with the RPF and denouncing the crimes, corruption and anti-democratic tendencies of the regime – Deo Mushayidi accused by Kigali to also among the sponsors of grenade attacks

General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, former Chief of Staff and ambassador to India, was then denied the accusations saying that the allegations were that the sole purpose of discrediting the opposition. A few months later he was the victim of an assassination attempt for which the authorities in Kigali are singled out.
The Rwanda National Congress (RNC), the party which is a member of the General Nyamwasa had for his part in a press release dated March 2, 2011 accused President Paul Kagame of being the author of the attacks. According to this party, these attacks were perpetrated in order to allow Kagame to kill and imprison critics on the grounds that it is responsible for the grenade attacks. Thus, these attacks would Kagame gave a “perfect opportunityto purge and to prosecute” political opponents “such as Ingabire, Master Bernard Ntaganda, Deo Mushayidi, General Kayumba Nyamwasa, Colonel Patrick Karegeya, Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa, Dr. Gerald Gahima and Paul Rusesabagina. ”

By Laure Uwase

Translated by The Africa Global Village

Friends of the Congo

Since 1996, a conflict, that until now has caused 6 million deaths, has taken hold of the DR Congo. Systematic rape of tens or even hundreds of thousands of women took place and is still taking place every day as a strategy of war.

All this happens in the general indifference and under the indifferent gaze of the international community who, on the contrary, seems to support those responsible for these crimes and rapes.

 But why, do we ask ourselves? The answer is simple: “Everybody wants a piece of Congo.” Indeed, because the main reason remains that the DRC, with its particular cobalt, gold and copper or it’s diamond, is extremely rich in mineral resources and is thus for 125 years, a victim of its own wealth.

 « Neighbors loot and kill while they are watched by the International Community.»

 By destabilizing the Congolese community and its government, neighboring countries and the world powers can loot the mineral resources as they see fit. “When we invade your country, your women are raped, children are violated, we morally control your mind.”

 This is reflected in the short film entitled “The conflict in Congo: the truth revealed”, produced by the American Friends of the Congo. This short film is the short version of a documentary that is to be released in the near future.

 According to the short film, the countries responsible for the war in Congo -a war that, according to the UN, is the deadliest since World War II- are among others Rwanda, Uganda, the United States and Great Britain.

  « Since 1885, DRC is trapped in the middle of a geostrategic battle »

 Destabilization of the Congo dates back to the Berlin Conference of 1885,when the Belgian King Leopold II was recognized by all the world powers the personal property of the territory that had been established by the latter as the Congo.

In order to gather his fortune, the Belgian King turned the Congolese people into slaves who had to extract the ivory and rubber, and, later on, other natural resources that the Belgians had discovered. This situation lasted until 1908, year in which the Congo ceased to be the personal property of Leopold II and became…a Belgian colony. This colonialism lasted until June 30, 1960.

 The elected, but not much appreciated by the Belgians for his nationalism, Patrice Emery Lumumba, became the prime minister of the independent Congo on June 23, 1960. A year later he was assassinated. In this regard, it should be remembered that a complaint against the Belgian State and several Belgian personalities was filed on June 23 by the family of Lumumba in order to clarify the role of Belgium in Lumumba’s execution.

 Mobutu Sese Seko – desribed as a dictator- took power from 1965 to 1997. After his death, he was followed by the dictator Laurent Kabila and the latter, victim of an assassination was succeeded by his son Joseph Kabila Junior also called a dictator. According to Pashi Claver, Director of the Congo Forum, DR Congo is now a police state. “There is no freedom of press and people get killed.”

 It should be noted that these dictators have benefited and still benefit of a broad support from the international community.

 The invasion of 1996 to 2002

 In 1996, Hutu civilian refugees were present in numbers in Congo after fleeing Rwanda in an attempt to escape the massacres that took place in Rwanda.

The current crisis began when, under the pretext that among civilians were hiding Interahamwe militia who had participated in the 1994 genocide and were thus a threat to the security of Rwanda. Paul Kagame and his army invaded the DR Congo and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Hutu refugees, according to experts and several reports, including the Mapping report of the UN.

 In the short film, Howard French of the New York Times and Associate Professor at the School of Journalism at Columbia University, states that “those Hutus were not combatants, they were not armed persons. They were elderly, women, children, sick people, who were killed in a systematic and reasoned way. And the United Nations were aware almost in real time. ”

 According to Anneke van Woudenberg of Human Rights Watch, the reason for this laissez-faire is the fact that the United Nations and the United States felt guilty for not having provided enough effort to stop the genocide in Rwanda. This guilt has, during the presidency of Bill Clinton, according to Dan Fahey, PhD student at the University of Berkeley in California, resulted in “an extremely favorable policy in Rwanda that has allowed the new Rwandan government to do what he wanted in Rwanda and Congo in all impunity.”

 However, this support can not only be reduced to a mere “moral obligation”. In fact according to the documentary, The United States is also driven by economic and political motivations.

 Since the invasion of 1996, the United States and their Rwandan and Ugandan allies are so far responsible for the deaths of millions of Congolese, affirms the documentary.

 What is incomprehensible is that all this is happening in the heart of Africa and everyone remains silent.

 ”Imagine that 6 million people are killed in Europe, and that we remain silent” said Maurice Cary, Executive Director of Friends of the Congo.

 As Yaa-leng-Ngema asks himself, author of “Genocide in the Congo (Zaire)”, “Will we have to wait twenty more years before someone does something to stop this holocaust?”

Watch the video:

Translated by Harmonie Uwizera

Original french version by Laure Uwase

Jambonews.net

Ambrose Nzeyimana, Margaret Ali(Universal Peace Federation), Prudentienne,Lord King of Bromwich (member of House of Lords),Noble Marara and Olivier Harelimana

The Rwandan Organisation PAX(Peace in the African Great Lakes Region), held a conference about the launch of a truth and reconciliation commission project on Rwanda on the 30^th June in London.

As said during the conference, the project will be made by all Rwandans that have been brought together by Pax. It will also be extended in other countries worldwide.

Lord King of Bromwich opened the meeting by thanking PAX for having developed the initiative of creating a platform of discussions on issues of reconciliation; he strongly reiterated the importance of going through reconciliation for countries which have known severe cross-community and civil conflicts.

Margaret Ali of Universal Peace Federation emphasised the importance of giving space people from all sides of conflict to share their pains between each other, in order to create strong foundation that reconciliation efforts would be built on. She further recommended PAX methodology as having all elements of that would ensure success in achieving its reconciliation objectives.

Noble Marara, a former RPF soldier, mentioned that the true reconciliation of Rwandan people would not be reached until the current Rwandan government acknowledge the atrocities and severe human rights violence that were committed against Hutu community. He stressed the importance of recognising all crimes and all victims to receive justice and rights to mourn their loved ones.

A message sent by Gerald Karangwa Semushi representative of Highly Inclusive Inter Rwandan Dialogue (HIIRD) Initiative enumerated consultation meetings that they have organized for Rwandans and their representatives at the community and political levels around Europe and North America. He informed the conference that those meetings have reached to decisions of organising a Highly Inclusive Inter Rwandan Dialogue, which will pave the way of a sustainable reconciled, democratic and peaceful Rwanda.

Members of Rwandan community who represented others including representatives of RNC, RPP-Imvura, FDU Inkingi, Rwandan refugee community, PAX

Olivier Harelimana of the Action Group for Peace and Justice in Rwanda (AGPJR) analysed all tools and methodologies that are currently being used by the Rwandan government in reconciliation efforts and demonstrated that they have actually achieved the contrary of what they were supposed to achieve. Population has become much more divided as result of those tools. He recommended that good intention in implementing those tools can transform the current trend of negative outcomes.

Ambrose Nzeyimana of Organising for Africa (OfA) in his exposé analyzed reconciliation processes that other countries that have experienced civil conflicts developed and applied sometime successfully. He captured important learning that can be applied to the Rwanda case. He concluded arguing that a genuine Truth and Reconciliation commission adapted to Rwandan realities and applying learning from other countries would be the best mechanism that would guarantee creation of a truly reconciled Rwanda.

The Rwandan Government was invited but did not reply.

After contributions of views and questions from audience, Prudentienne Seward, Pax Chairperson and Co-founder, concluded that PAX’s past activities learning and achievements including this conference oblige PAX to take its actions at the next level and initiate a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She invited conference’s participants to join her organization and support such project at all stages from its development, implementation until its evaluation.

Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, the chairwoman of FDU Inkingi