The US has for the first time appointed a special envoy, Russ
Feingold, to help resolve the crisis in the commodities-rich area. He
is due in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, for the meeting of 11 countries
in the region, along with representatives of the EU, UN and African
Union.
A western diplomat familiar with the talks said it was “a time of
intense diplomatic effort – things were very dangerous towards the end
of last week”.
However, Rwanda, which several western and African countries believe
is supporting the so-called M23 rebellion in the DRC, is maintaining a
hard line that is likely to reinforce the diplomatic impasse.
“I think the best way out for [Congo] is for colonials to stay away
from this crisis,” Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwanda’s foreign minister, told
the Financial Times before Thursday’s meeting. “All Rwanda wants is
trouble to remain in Congo and not cross our border.”
The region, which in the 1990s was the epicentre of a series of deadly
wars involving several African countries, is once more dangerously
polarised, pitting those who support Congo against those who support
Rwanda.
Rwanda, which has an impressive military capability in spite of its
tiny geographical size, has threatened to attack its much larger,
chaotic neighbour after dozens of shells landed last week in its
territory during fighting between M23 rebels and a special new UN
combat force made up of regional players, including Tanzania.
The leaders of the M23, who last year overran the regional capital
Goma, are drawn from a previous Rwanda-backed rebel group that took
over swaths of eastern Congo, in which Rwanda has ethnic, economic and
security interests. A flawed peace deal in 2009, from which the rebels
take their name, has since disintegrated.
Eastern Congo has seen two regional wars – including the deadly
1998-2003 “Great Africa war” that was launched by Rwanda and drew in
several neighbours – and has since been plagued by domestic and proxy
rebel forces.
“It is 1998 [again] to the extent that the region is divided,” said
Jason Stearns, an expert on Congo.
Tanzania and South Africa, both of which have sour relations with
Rwanda, have sent troops to the new UN force that last week fought the
M23 rebels and whose presence has threatened to draw Rwanda into open
warfare.
“Rwanda will respond [if attacked] . . . it does not matter from which
group,” Ms Mushikiwabo said in response to UN accusations that it was
the M23 who shelled Rwanda.
Bernard Membe, foreign minister of Tanzania, whose troops comprise
much of the UN’s 3,000-strong brigade, said UN forces “would take
care” of anyone attacking Congo. “Nobody can dare to do that, there is
no way that can happen,” he told the FT.
General James Kabarebe, Rwanda’s defence minister, who is accused by
UN investigators of secretly creating and leading the M23, confirmed
in an interview that his army was deployed along the Congolese border
as a defence against “dangerous provocations”.
He said the UN should instead target the Democratic Forces for the
Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), another rebel group that Rwanda says
poses a greater threat. FDLR fighters led or sympathised with the
perpetrators of the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed 800,000 people.
Rwanda also accuses Congo’s army of working with the FDLR. “That’s
where we have a problem – it’s like going back to 1998,” said Gen
Kabarebe, who helped depose Congo dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and once
ran Congo’s army.
International diplomats believe the threat posed by the FDLR is “not
as severe as [the Rwandans] say it is”, said one western diplomat, but
suggest a UN operation against the group would “call [Rwanda’s]
bluff”.
James Mugume, head of Uganda’s diplomatic service, told the FT that
regional powers were trying to “get back on track with our two-pronged
[peace] strategy”. But western and regional diplomats say stalled
Kampala talks between Congo and the M23 should be abandoned because
they do not include Rwanda, which they see as an essential partner in
any lasting deal. Rwanda denies any links to the M23.
“[Rwanda] should be and must be [involved],” said Mr Membe. “Only when
there is negotiation between the parties to the conflict will we know
that our job is done.”
