Interviews – en

By Samuel Burke, Claire Calzonetti & Juliet Fuisz, CNN

Rwanda's president, Paul Kagame, has been a darling of the West ever since he led his country out of the terrible 1994 genocide that left up to one million people dead.

by Francesco Mancini , Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Steve Hege is the former coordinator of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which in November 2012 presented a report to the UN Security Council that contained overwhelming evidence of Rwanda and Uganda's support of the M23 rebel group.

Interviewee: Jason Stearns, Director, Rift Valley Institute, Usalama Project
Interviewer: Christopher Alessi, Online Editor/Writer

Just before the M23 left Goma this morning, I spoke with Bertrand Bisimwa, their spokesperson. This is a transcription and a translation from French.

— excerpts on DRC
document

Another report by the United Nations’ group of experts on the DR Congo was recently leaked to the press causing a media and diplomatic frenzy.

The highlight of the findings is that the governments of Rwanda and Uganda support armed rebels fighting the DR Congo government.

The most significant aspect of these recent reports is President Kabila’s conspicuous diplomatic offensive to portray Uganda and Rwanda as villains and the consequent aid cuts to Rwanda. Some background is necessary.

Out of the woods. In an unprecedented move, the Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila invited nine Ugandan journalists, drawn mostly from the broadcast media, for a chat in Kinshasa. In a 36-minutes interview at the palatial River Congo-side Palais De Le Nation, overlooking Congo Brazaville, Mr Kabila rejected the notion that his government has a diminished state authority in eastern part of the DRC, and said it’s Rwanda, the region’s “bad boy”, together with Uganda stirring up things through M23 rebels. The President made no opening remarks, choosing instead to take only questions. Our Senior Reporter TABU BUTAGIRA was in Kinshasa and reproduces a slightly edited version of the interview.

Interview

New York — The verified Twitter account of the Rwandan president, @PaulKagame, suddenly came to life on October 10 after a five-month silence. The 15 late-night posts were a mixture of defensiveness – “we will not be deterred by anyone” – and defiance, calling criticisms of his government’s actions “fabricated, misinterpreted or exaggerated.”

This is a long interview –almost 20 pages. But it is worth reading it. Paul Kagame talks about Kabila –their tense relationship. He also talks about M23, FDLR, CNDP, Bosco Ntaganda, Laurent Nkundabatware, DRC, Rwanda, the eroding geostrategic dividend from the International Community and United Nations. Many much more…..

Enjoy your week end.

Who in the Congolese establishment caused the latest international uproar over alleged Rwanda link to M23 rebels?

What is the role of President Kabila?

Why in the first place did it all happen so fast? Is the Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) comparable to the Belgian army?

You will be surprised after reading the latest interview from Rwanda's Defense Minister, General James Kabarebe.

In an interview with Belgian journalist Colette Braeckman, the General tells about the Rwandan verson of the facts. The interview is originally in French.