Kampala, Uganda, Sunday, December 9, 2012)
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A donnybrook broke out at the start of the talks between the DRC and
the Rwandan proxy outfit of M23 on Sunday, December 9.
In contention was the rant delivered to the media by François
Rucogoza, M23 secretary general, to the effect that there's "bad
governance" in the DRC and that the country lacks "visionary
leadership."
Rucogoza also accused the DRC government of resorting to "ethnic
hatred," carrying out the "massacre" of 46 ex-CNDP officers at Dungu
(Orientale Province), and of harboring and maintaining armed groups
fighting against the governments of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda--namely
the Burundian FNL, the Rwandan FDLR, and the Ugandan ADF-NALU and LRA!
DRC Foreign Affairs Minister Raymond Tshibanda, who is heading the
group of Congolese negotiators deemed this rant discourteous and laced
with untruths--pointing out that M23 had committed unspeakable crimes
in North Kivu. He threatened to quit the talks if he didn't have the
opportunit to address those "untruths" at the same venue by today,
Monday.
What could be expected of highway bandits who keep moving the goal
posts of their claims and demands since the inception of their crime
spree?
At any rate, these whimsical reasons for plunging the entire "region
into a coma of violence," according to Belgian journalist Colette
Braeckman, set a "dangerous precedent" that could backfire one day on
M23 backers:
"[I]f Kinshasa representatives could be compelled to discuss political
stakes with the spokespersons of a group that has been deemed
'negative force' and has in its ranks numerous war criminals, why in
the future couldn't Rwanda be impelled to open up an 'inter-Rwandan
dialogue' with its own 'negative forces,' the spokespersons of the
FDLR, who have just demonstrated, in recent attacks, their nuisance
capacity?
"And couldn't President Museveni be forced to discuss governance and
anti-corruption fight with his own rebels, the ADF-NALU or even the
atrocious Joseph Kony?"
There lies maybe the silver lining of this whole mess.
--(With Radio Okapi &
blog.lesoir.be/colette-braeckman/2012/12/06/kampala-comment-parler-du-non-dit/)
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PHOTO CREDITS: Innocent Olenga / Radio Okapi