lengthy excerpts of the acrimonious and rambling press briefing
President Paul Kagame held yesterday at Village Urugwiro, in the
Rwandan capital.
(Edwin Musoni's report, titled "Rwanda is not to blame for DRC's woes
– Kagame," can be found on this Page Address:
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15029&a=55011)
Kagame's cranky and threatening rant came about the same time as
construably contemptuous statements of his Foreign Minister Louise
Mishikiwabo, who was concluding 2-day diplomatic and security meetings
in Kinshasa, were triggering rancorous snarks in the media and the
streets in the Congolese capital.
According to Musoni, "President Paul Kagame yesterday expressed
frustration over continued allegations that Rwanda is aiding rebel
groups in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)."
In Kinshasa, in the meantime, what was (mis)construed as contemptuous
was Mishikiwabo's denial of any Rwandan involvement in the M23
insurgency in the Kivus, and her adamant insistence that the only
single paramount security threat in eastern Congo is the FDLR.
But what really set off the wrath of the Kinois media and public was
Mishikiwabo's attempt at "educating" them about the actual regional
role of Rwanda:
"The [Congolese public] opinion should educated and must understand
that Rwanda has for a long time been working for the pacification of
the [African] Great Lakes region."
Given the tepid response of the Congolese government to Mishikiwabo's
tall tale, the opinion in the streets is that Rwanda is hollering far
and wide that it is the fearsome regional imperial power proffering
diktats to the hopelessly kowtowing Congolese state.
And the sampling reporter Edwin Musoni gives of Kagame's arrogant
"pronunciamentoes" in his press conference reinforces that perception.
Below is a limited sample I extracted from Edwin Musoni's more
comprehensive sampling.
It's Kagame unplugged, raw, and unleashed upon the international
community and the DRC:
"They claim they like Congo, but they don't like the Congolese, if
they liked Congolese we wouldn't have these problems of raping and
killing every day."
"[The UN behaves] as if the problem of Congo has been caused by Rwanda
or should be Rwanda's responsibility."
"Our main focus is to continue to work with the DRC and have good
relations with the Congolese people so that we solve our problem that
remains there--which is FDLR and the genocidaires".
On Laurent Nkunda:
"In 2009 when we had issues in DRC, but under the false presentation
of the problem, we remained engaged. In fact we tried to be
helpful….we have a situation of Laurent Nkunda which we are still
stuck with, we have had to bear every responsibility for him and the
situation that created him hoping that it would help in dealing with
the eastern Congo problems, but also hoping that it would result into
a solution for our problem--the FDLR which is based there."
"It was like we were even buying cooperation of the Congolese and the
international community so that our problem can be dealt with."
Says Musoni:
"[Kagame] said MONUSCO knew exactly where the FDLR military commander,
Sylvestre Mudacumura's headquarters was in (in DRC), but 'ignores all
that and instead asks us about Ntaganda.'"
On Congolese Rwandophones:
"Rwanda is not responsible for Kinyarwanda speaking Congolese who
happen to be in DRC, live there and happen to be called the citizens
of DRC."
"Rwanda has no responsibility for this, somebody else has
responsibility for this. How they became Congolese citizens, I cannot
explain; it's none of my business, I don't know about it."
But writes Musoni:
"Revealing some of the previously unreported crimes, President Kagame
cited an incident where 50 former CNDP soldiers who were to be
integrated in the Congolese army, were transferred from the eastern to
north-western DRC and 'killed because of their identity.' He said the
incident has never been reported because of a 'conspiracy of
silence.'"
Edwin Musoni adds that Kagame gave this piece of his mind as his last
warning to the international community and the DRC: Leave me alone or
else:
"Kagame said that if the same baseless allegations against Rwanda
continue, Kigali will be forced to 'draw a line and say, If you don't
want us to take part in solving the problem and just blackmail us, we
don't respond to blackmails; we will just say, Forget about us.'"
Wow!
A word to the wise is enough!
***
PHOTO: "President Kagame addressing journalists in Kigali yesterday at
Village Urugwiro."
PHOTO CREDITS: newtimes.co.rw
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