Slowly but Surely, The US is Isolating the Warmonger Regime of Kigali - GUEST BLOG

Slowly but Surely, the US is Isolating the Warmonger Regime of Kigali

By Rev. Innocent Justice

On October 3, 2013 the State department announced the sanctions against Rwanda due to its support of the M23 rebel group that uses child soldiers in its rebellion in Eastern DRC. During the announcement of sanctions, Marie Harf who is the spokesperson of the State Department said, "Our goal is to work with countries that have been listed to ensure that any involvement in child soldiers, any involvement in the recruitment of child soldiers, must stop. In this case, it was related to M23, and we will continue to have discussions with the Rwandan government on that issue." It’s no surprise now to see the US linking the Rwanda with the league of human right abuser countries (Burma, Central African Republic, Sudan and Syria) because it’s where Rwanda belongs.

Since the Rwandan Patriotic Front’s military victory in 1994, the Great Lakes region of Africa experienced endless wars waged by the regime of Paul Kagame. The United States trained the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) for almost two decades despite allegations of horrendous crimes committed by the RDF in Rwanda while they were rebels and DRC since 1996.  I was a refugee in Mugunga refugee camp when the RDF invaded the DRC in 1996. Despite the evidence we saw on the ground where the RDF was fighting along the with its creation of Tutsis rebels that was known as Alliance of Democratic Forces for Liberation of Congo (ADFL), the Kigali regime was arguing that it had no troops in the DRC. Since 1996 the Kigali regime created at least three proxies: the RCD, CNDP, and M23. All of these rebel proxies dominated by Tutsi extremists caused death of more than 7 million of Congolese and hundreds of thousands of the Rwandan Hutu refugees.

The generals from the RDF continued to wage wars against the DRC because they want control of its mineral resources. Furthermore, they knew that they could get away with any crime because of the relationship between the Rwandan regime and Washington. The RDF’s generals fought in three countries and claimed citizenship in all those countries. For instance, General James Kabarebe fought in Uganda with Yoweli Museven, he served in Uganda after the war, he became one of the key officers in Rwanda after they capture power in 1994, and eventually he was the chief of staff in DRC during the beginning of President Laurent Desire Kabila’s presidency.  This is one example, but other warlords such as General Bosco Ntaganda, Gen. Laurent Nkunda, and Gen. Sultan Makenga fought in two or three countries of the Great Lakes Region. These guys like to fight, they are ruthless and nothing will stop them unless the International Community will follow suit of the US and apply arms embargo to Rwanda and put in place other sanctions.

The RDF has used the Hutu rebels from the Force Democratique for Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) as a pretext to cause instability in the DRC. Furthermore, the poor Hutu refugees have been used as scapegoat by the regime of Kigali that sponsor different proxies, which loot and kill innocent civilians. The current regime of Kigali started as a rebellion that was known for using child soldiers known as Kadogo (http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/rwanda0403/rwanda0403-03.htm, Kagodo within the RPF Guerilla Army 1990-1994). It’s clear that the former Tutsi rebels left the life of jungle and Guerilla, but the jungle and guerilla behaviors are still vivid after almost two decades of their military victory.  I commend the US for the baby steps it’s taking in isolating and holding accountable the regime of Kigali, which is led by Paul Kagame a warlord who only understands the language of war and killing of his opponents.

Reverend Innocent N. Justice is a clergy in the United Methodist, a human Right Activist and the founder and President of Refugees Rescue Mission, Inc.