If Kagame doesn’t rein in Nkunda, we should tell him we won’t fund him.
Monday, 15 December 2008
When United Nations experts revealed in a recent report the links between the Rwandan government and the forces of Laurent Nkunda, the Tutsi warlord of Eastern Congo, the Dutch government cut its direct budget support for Rwanda in protest. Should Britain do the same?
Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s clever and combative president has been a favourite of Britain’s Africa ministers going back to Clare Short and Lynda Chalker before her. Rwanda’s government receives tens of millions in direct budget support from Britain. Tony Blair is its adviser. It is not hard to see why. The previous Rwandan government organised the 1994 genocide, so when Kagame overthrew it and set up a new government in Kigali he was seen as the good guy by the US and Britain. Their guilt over the decision to pull out the UN force in Rwanda as the genocide began reinforced their moral support for Kagame.
When his fighters pursued the remnants of the old Rwandan army into Congo, Britain and the US did not ask too many questions. Nor did they question when Kagame’s army and their Ugandan allies, turned that pursuit into a full-scale attack on their vast neighbour, Congo, that ended in the overthrow of Mobutu Sese Seko, the corrupt old Congolese dictator.
Kagame, a visionary leader and a formidable man of action, is warmly welcomed in London and Washington. For them, at last, here was an African leader who spoke their language of progress and could deliver. Rwanda’s education and health systems are good. Kagame says he wants to create a new Rwanda where Hutu and Tutsi allegiances would be forgotten. Britain is prepared to pay for that.
Kagame does not, however, believe in too much democracy. Parliamentary elections last September were described by the EU observer team as lacking in transparency. There was “an absence of real political opposition”. Kagame does not tolerate one.
But it is his behaviour in eastern Congo that causes most disquiet. Kagame argues that Rwanda will never be safe as long as the genocidaires – those who killed in 1994 – are on the loose in Congo. In 1998, when the government he installed in Congo began to support them and the rump of the old Rwandan army camped there, Kagame and the Ugandans invaded again. Britain and America kept quiet.
This time their intervention triggered a terrible war in which some say five million people have now died. They had all miscalculated the political reaction from other African rulers and the Congolese, who objected to what they saw as a Western-backed rogue state rampaging around the continent. The Rwandans and Ugandans were stopped but they set up local Congolese allies in the border zones. Most of these were Congolese Tutsis. And the genocidaires were able to recruit and rearm as well – sometimes with support from the Congolese army.
The war that had threatened to tear Congo apart has become limited to a vicious battle for the Kivus; eastern Congo and Uganda and Rwanda’s borderlands. The Tutsi population was now under threat, seen as a fifth column for the Rwandans. Its self styled protector in North Kivu is the flamboyant but murderous Laurent Nkunda, a Congolese Tutsi and once a member of Kagame’s army.
In November he carried out a massacre of some 150 people at Kiwanja. Kagame denies he is a Rwanda proxy but the UN report shows he uses Rwandan banks and has had direct support from the army. It also shows how Nkunda’s forces operate out of Rwandan territory and recruit soldiers from its army.
The argument that this is about protecting Congo’s Tutsi minority is undermined by Nkunda’s grab for the region’s wealth. Local people have been forced to mine gold, diamonds, casserite and other minerals that abound in Kivu and export them through Kigali, the Rwandan capital. What had begun as an apparently defensive military operation to protect Rwanda and Uganda from genocidal gangs in Congo seemed to be turning into a violent imperialism aimed more at looting the area than bringing peace.
On paper the solution is simple. The rump of fighters who carried out the genocide now operating in eastern Congo, and Nkunda’s forces must both disarm or be disarmed. The two states – and Uganda – must make this happen and make peace. There is no major issue between the states of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, but nor is there trust between them. Outsiders must help build that trust and Britain, a medium-sized player in the region, must not been seen as backing one side or the other. It is time to tell Kagame that if he does not rein in Nkunda, Britain will not fund his government.
The writer is Director of the Royal African Society
Comments
To solve the problem of Rwanda,Congo conflict,there should be a real politic ability.Efforts should be done by all the parts!I think that when the interest of the population will not be prior,war will continue. The consequence is negative to the Africa’s image!
The British policy is to subside the wars in Africa. Then, to reward the winner. This what the British did with Museveni, then Kagame, now it is Nkunda. If Nkunda wins his war against the RDC government, then Nkunda will be assured to get funding from the British tax payers for national budget support for several years to come. Just imagine how the British’s budget support has contributed to destabilise the whole African Great lakes Region.
Western politician always make mistake about their choice of which president to back because of their obsessive behaviour of getting their interest. Now most african president had learnt the game they give what western want and so they can be free to kill anybody who try to challenge their power then change what democracy is about and their western partner will play the blind eyes about their politic. since genocide had given kagame power, kagame has drawn a theory of sacrifying his own people so he can gain sympathie from the international comunities then he can get what he wants. this system is inflicting hanger on people so people will loose control then will attack tutsi then kagame will get opportunity to have a cause he did that with Hutus and want to do that with congolese by raping women ,girls and killing all youngs boys to make congolese loose control like hutus did but unfortunately for him and nkunda congolese are not going to make that mistake
We are all – ALL – guilty, as Dr Heinz Kiosk would say. While it is undeniably tragic that the Tutsis are chopping up the Hutsis and the Hutus are chopping up the Tutus, the finger of blame must be pointed unequivocally at the neo-colonialist oppressors and their running dogs. A peace-keeping force made up of well-armed NuLabour baronesses and spin doctors must be sent to both North and South Kivu at the earliest possible moment. A hand-picked battalion of knife-wielding yardies from the nastier estates of Greater London would be a welcome addition to this fearsome expeditionary force. Perhaps a few dozen Gap Year kiddies from the Home Counties and a platoon or two of grief counsellors and diversity co-ordinators could accompany the gallant band. Is Marty Arty-Sari available to lead from the front? Which lucky, lucky EU taxpayers will have the privilege of footing the bill?
The Independent, Thank you for your independence. This is an excellent input into the British overseas politics and manoeuvres. Britain is run like a dictatorship regime. You cannot find in Britain an independent NGO or campaigning group which can question about British policy in Africa. This is because UK NGOs depend heavily on government funding. They have to keep quite to avoid any lost of funding. However, in France you will find pressure groups such as Survie which are openly opposed to the French policy in Africa. The French debate their policy in Africa. The French NGOs have even managed to influence Sarkozy to fine-tune the French policy in Africa. But the British are reinforcing their old hegemonic politics in Africa. They are fighting to be where the French have left.
It seems like the whole world is blind about the bloody war in eastern congo; it is also so surprising that people still don’t know who is behind Kagame’s powers. Of course Britain & the US are the planners of the whole war not only the one in eastern congo, but the one also that caused genocide in 1994 in Rwanda. The whole story about congolese tutsis is a fake coz Nkunda himself is a Rwandan never a congolese & to let you know the truth Tutsis are orginally only from Rwanda & Burundi, & wherever else you’ll find them they are there as settlers & no one likes them as they are all trouble makers. Its about time that US & Britain stop supporting their killing puppets so that innocent african people may enjoy their lives as everyone else in europe & north america do.
Well said dowden. And dont forget that britain illegally installed idi amin. And should therefore pay very sizeable reparations. Alex weir. Gaborone
Richard Dowden: Britain should cease its one-sided support of Rwanda I agree. I just read that the blunder in The Iraq war has cost not just USA but UK also a packet. What would you say to those blunders? Read the New York Times? People are buying in heaps as the mess splashed says the tarpapers’ have coughed up a lot of cash on the Iraq wars and Iraq wants UA to build Iraq the way it was? Discounts lure shoppers, but sales stay slow Clothing, particularly children’s wear, electronics are a bright spot While Ben Bernanke was teaching economics at Princeton University in late 1999, he admonished officials in Japan for doing too little to get their country out of its economic funk. Where are we going wrong? I thank you Firozali A. Mulla
I would like say one thing: Shame on Tony Blair, Shame on Tony Blair! Thank you mister Dowdwen for your analysis.
I am a hutu from the North of Rwanda. Kagame and RPF Killed all my family. I have never had the opportunity to mourn the dead members of my family. The French did not kill any Rwandans, Tutsi or hutu. We killed each other. Let’s not blame other people.
I am a hutu from the North of Rwanda. Kagame and RPF Killed all my family. I have never had the opportunity to mourn the dead members of my family. The French did not kill any Rwandans, Tutsi or hutu. We killed each other. Let’s not blame other people.
The Truth can be buried and stomped into the ground where none can see, yet eventually it will, like a seed, break through the surface once again far more potent than ever, and nothing can stop it. Truth can be suppressed for a “time”, yet it cannot be destroyed. ==> Wolverine
The Truth can be buried and stomped into the ground where none can see, yet eventually it will, like a seed, break through the surface once again far more potent than ever, and Nothing can stop it. Truth can be suppressed for a time, yet It cannot be destroyed => Wolverine
