Congo: Rebel takeover of Goma a boost for Rwanda, a blow to UN’s credibility

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Published Tuesday, Nov. 20 2012, 10:16 AM EST

 

The rebel takeover of the key Congolese city of Goma has sparked fears for the future of one of Africa’s biggest and most war-torn countries.

 

In the short term, the victory by the M23 rebels could trigger a wave of human rights abuses in the city of a million people, where thousands of refugees are fleeing. There are widespread worries that the rebels could settle scores with reprisal attacks against their opponents in Goma.

 

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In the longer term, the rebel victory could destabilize and weaken the fragile government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, opening the door for a foreign carve-up of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich region that has attracted rebels and invaders for many years.

 

The rebels, unofficially headed by indicted war-crimes fugitive Bosco Ntaganda, walked into Goma almost unopposed today after the city was abandoned by Congo’s notoriously underpaid and unreliable army.

 

United Nations peacekeepers, which had deployed attack helicopters to strafe the rebels with cannons and rockets on Sunday in a futile attempt to slow their advance, appeared to give up and allow the rebels to take the city today. It’s the first time since 2003 that rebels have controlled the city.

 

Congolese soldiers were reported to be retreating southward after looting homes in Goma as they left.

 

The rebels have threatened to advance further in eastern Congo, targeting the other major city, Bukavu, to the south. It’s unclear if this threat is only rhetorical, but it raises concerns about the entire eastern region of the country. It also has the potential to ignite a broader war between Congo and neighboring Rwanda, which is reported to be a key source of support for the rebels.

 

The rebel takeover will mean a huge boost in regional power for Rwanda, which is believed to be providing financial and logistical help to the rebels, including sophisticated weapons such as night-vision equipment and heavy mortars.

 

The fall of Goma is a serious blow to the credibility of the UN peacekeeping force in Congo, and it could also jeopardize Congo’s national government in Kinshasa.

 

Protests have already erupted in Kinshasa today, with security forces firing shots in the air and tear gas to disperse several hundred people who were angry at the rebel takeover. Protestors also attacked the governing party’s headquarters in Kisangani, the country’s second-biggest city.

 

Congo’s president, Joseph Kabila, said he will withdraw Congo’s ambassador from Rwanda in protest at the situation.

 

The International Crisis Group, an independent think-tank, warned today that the rebel victory “could send shock waves” through eastern Congo and could “relaunch open warfare between the DRC and Rwanda.”

 

Jason Stearns, a leading Congo analyst, said the rebel advance in Goma may be intended to “nettle the government, underscore its ineptitude, and hope that it will collapse from within.”

 

The humiliating defeat of the UN and Congolese military forces in Goma will shine a spotlight on Rwanda’s involvement, yet the international community will have little choice but to ask Rwanda for help in controlling the rebels, Mr. Stearns said.

 

Other analysts said the rebel capture of Goma could complicate efforts to trace and control the flow of “conflict minerals” – also known as “blood minerals” – that help finance wars and atrocities in Congo. With its unofficial control of Goma, the Rwandan government could find it easier to smuggle minerals out of eastern Congo.

 

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in eastern Congo is growing worse as thousands of people flee their homes and some aid workers are withdrawn from Goma.

 

Oxfam estimated that up to 100,000 people could flee as a result of the rebel advances. A growing number of camps for displaced people are under threat as the fighting spreads, Oxfam said.

 

“The atmosphere in the city is tense, people are worried,” said Grace Tang, a Canadian who heads the Goma mission of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).

 

One camp, Kanyaruchinya, is now empty after 60,000 people fled in panic, MSF said. “Medical teams report thousands of new arrivals since yesterday with people desperate to be registered,” the agency said.

 

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said it is “deeply concerned” about the deteriorating situation in eastern Congo.

 

“The renewed conflict is putting children and their families at risk, leaving them exposed to physical harm and mental distress,” UNICEF said in a statement. “UNICEF is particularly concerned about the psychological trauma faced by children, in addition to the risk of cholera outbreaks following a recent upsurge of the disease among internally displaced people in Kanyaruchinya.”

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Today's winner Paul Kagame

 

[Macallinka]

horta are this rebel from Ruwanda ethnically ? they are very tall and look like Ruwandis am confused with these groups fighting in Congo.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

They are ethnic tutsis majority of them but there are also other nilotic people included the top general of the rebels General Sultani Makenga is a close relative of the President of Rwanda Paul kagame. The UN will pass a resolution in the next coming weeks to sanction Rwanda. But i don't think that will stop President paul kagame he is on a mission.

[Maarodi]

Xaaji Xunjuf;891355 wrote:

Today's winner Paul Kagame

and the losers, the people -- DRC: Fall of Goma puts 200,000 children at risk

[oba hiloowlow]

what is this about? is it the tutsi hutu game or something else? I am not well versed in this conflict

[GaraadMon]

oba hiloowlow;891404 wrote:

what is this about? is it the tutsi hutu game or something else? I am not well versed in this conflict

Congo is basically the dumping ground for much of Africa's conflicts. They have refugees from conflicts in Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda etc. They have their own issues which are made worse by armed groups from every bordering country hiding in their massive forests.

[oba hiloowlow]

dayuum

[Homunculus]

Rwandan needs to be punished severely for its expansionist ambition.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

The rebels are on the march

 

 

 

 

Joseph Kabila is feeling the heat