KIGALI - New information has emerged that a clandestine partnership of sharing intelligence existed between the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and FDLR rebels even deeper than earlier thought.

A former FDLR insider yesterday said there has been a long time relationship between the UN mission in the DRC (MONUC) and FDLR leadership both in Congo jungles and European capitals.

The insider who is privy to the dealings both within FDLR and MONUC told The New Times that FDLR leader Ignace Murwanashyaka maintains communication with MONUC officers in Kinshasa.

"MONUC was actually sharing intelligence with us [FDLR] to thwart any efforts by Congo and Rwanda in fighting us,” the insider who preferred anonymity said. 

"There’s concrete evidence that links Murwanashyaka, MONUC headquarters in Kinshasa and the FDLR field Commanders particularly in 2008 as they were discussing the 4+4 bilateral meetings between DRC and Rwanda,” the insider said.

"There are telephone calls and emails linking some people inside MONUC headquarters in Kinshasa and FDLR leaders in Europe and even Commanders in eastern Congo – they exchanged communiqués of the 5th December 2008 on the bilateral meeting in Goma which was finalizing plans for the joint operation.”

Murwanashyaka, the political leader of FDLR lives in Germany while his Secretary General Calixte Mbarushimana lives in France.

The source said it was strange that the numerous UN reports on DR Congo have only concentrated their ‘punches’ of Congo’s neighbours and other rebel outfits but have failed to expose this flow of intelligence between FDLR and MONUC.

"This communication between MONUC and FDLR has been there for a long time and has been going unnoticed - or one should say ignored.”

News about the likelihood of officials within MONUC allegedly scheming and facilitating the FDLR initially surfaced last week, with Christian Manahl – MONUC’s coordinator in eastern DRC being implicated in a plot of bringing medical doctors to a ailing FDLR commander Maj. Gen. Sylvestre Mudacumura.

This was just days after Alain Le Roy, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations at the UN, while in Kigali, stressed the need to exert pressure of the rag tag rebel group and also pressured European countries to act on leaders of the FDLR.

Manahl, who it is alleged has been holding secret meetings with the FDLR both in the DRC as well as in Europe and leaking all strategies devised against the rebels, was in Le Roy’s recent delegation to Kigali.

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