Editor, It may not seem so to many in light of the thousands of words that have been written about the latest leaked report of the so-called experts, but I have a distinct feeling this entire United Nations’ process is collapsing under the weight of its own incoherent assertions.
Editor, It may not seem so to many in light of the thousands of words that have been written about the latest leaked report of the so-called experts, but I have a distinct feeling this entire United Nations’ process is collapsing under the weight of its own incoherent assertions.It does not help the cause of the likes of Human Rights Watch and the Leloups that they could not simply ignore the extensive, grave and multifaceted crimes of the Congolese state against its citizens or its close involvement with the FDLR genocidaires and terrorits, as that would have covered them in even more ridicule.An attempt to draw the sting from that unavoidable coverage (given the massive nature of such seriously appalling crimes by FARDC forces which had already been covered in the world press) by focusing the report overwhelmingly on alleged crimes (though without presenting any evidence beyond mere assertions or unsubstantiated hearsay) of the M23 rebels and purported support from some unidentified Rwandan officials fails to achieve that goal.In trying to focus the lion’s share of the report on alleged but unsubstantiated violations by the M23 instead of on the widespread and extremely serious proven crimes (wholesale rapes, killings, looting, trafficking of all sorts) of the FARDC, the group has once again brought itself into such disrepute that even their stenographers in the Western media, with the notable exception of their Man Friday in Reuters at the UN in New York, were too queasy to give the leak much play.In trying to overplay an empty hand, our group of make-believe experts are fast turning themselves into laughing-stock.Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwanda’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, is absolutely spot on in her Twitter post on this issue: "Rwanda should refuse to be drawn into discussing alleged findings of this manipulated report from the fevered minds of so-called experts.”Mwene Kalinda, Kigali, RwandaReaction to Pan Butamire’s opinion, "The leaks are back!”, (The New Times, July 5)