FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@enoughproject.org
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Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo and Washington, D.C. -- Recent reports by Human Rights Watch and the United Nations have uncovered a scandal in central Africa: that Rwanda has allegedly been aiding and abetting the M-23 rebellion in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo with recruits, weapons, and ammunition. If proven true, these allegations are in violation of several international laws and agreements.
In response to these allegations, the Enough Project released this statement:
The Enough Project calls on the United States and United Kingdom, which have been Rwanda’s most prominent allies and robust international donors, to recognize the recent reports’ allegations and immediately launch a transparent international investigation into Rwanda’s involvement in the conflict in eastern Congo. Based on the outcomes of that investigation, the U.S, U.K., and other donors should review their current policy on aid structures and support to Kigali to send a clear signal that manipulation of security and political structures in eastern Congo is unacceptable.
This should be combined with a new focus on how to bring the Rwandan Hutu militia FDLR to an end, thus removing Rwanda's main stated reason for its continuing security interest in eastern Congo.
For years, the U.S. and other donor countries have overlooked Rwanda's interventions in eastern Congo, focusing instead on positive gains in development policy and economic growth within Rwanda without asking questions about how those economic gains have been generated. However, these most recent allegations of Rwanda's efforts to maintain a foothold in the Kivus cannot be ignored.
Yesterday’s statement from the U.S. Department of State on the situation in eastern Congo fails to address the gravity of the allegations against Rwanda. Further, the statement shows no indication of the U.S. taking additional steps to investigate, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer-funded initiatives to mitigate the conflict and ongoing humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo.
Read the full blog post published by the Enough Project Team.
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Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, the Enough Project focuses on crises in Sudan, eastern Congo, and areas of Africa affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. For more information, please visit www.enoughproject.org.
