Does anyone remember the Mapping Report, which was finally published on October 1st, 2010 but had unfortunately to be covered with dust since?
The report tracked crimes committed during a period of 10 years starting from 1993 to 2003 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It accused Rwanda for having committed crimes of genocide nature if they were brought in front of a court. Victims had been hutu refugees and congolese populations.
Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza
This time, the report referring to the case of involvement of Rwanda in the destabilisation of Burundi was transmitted on January 15th, 2016 to the UN Security Council by Gaston Gramajo, coordinator of the Group of UN Experts on DRC extended pursuant Sc resolution 2198 (2015).
Reading this new report, one clearly observes that FARDC are strongly infiltrated by forces (probably working indirectly with Rwanda and Uganda) which are fighting the presence of Malawians and Tanzanians in the Force Intervention Brigade consisting of these two nationalities and South Africans.
In 2013, M23 Rwanda-heavily backed rebel group was defeated with the help of that force.Since then there has been relative peace in the Kivu provinces of Eastern Congo. Total stability is far from being achieved.
As for specifically the situation related to Burundi, 18 Burundian combatants who were met in South Kivu province told the experts that they had been recruited in Mahama camp inside Rwanda.
They had been given two months of military training by Rwandan instructors. Equipped with false DRC identity cards, they were told that their mission was to remove Pierre Nkurunziza government from power.
For more than 20 years, ample evidence has shown that Rwanda and at some extent Uganda were destabilizing factors in the Great Lakes region since the early 90s. But because these two countries are strong allies of US, any finger pointing towards the crimes they commit against civilians seem vain. Will the victims remain indefinitely at the mercy of their killers? That is the main question.
