UN should neutralise Congo’s negative forces, should not take sides with FARDC-FDLR coalition

Editor,I hate reining on this nice parade, but count me among the skeptics. As long as Kinshasa thinks Monusco is there to do its fighting and those who control Monusco have other agendas rather than peace and security for the people of the region, the Kampala dialogue will be strung out until time runs out. Then it will be back to the fighting, if it even stops in the meantime.

Sunday, September 08, 2013
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Chairman of ICGLR. The New Times / File.

Editor,I hate reining on this nice parade, but count me among the skeptics. As long as Kinshasa thinks Monusco is there to do its fighting and those who control Monusco have other agendas rather than peace and security for the people of the region, the Kampala dialogue will be strung out until time runs out. Then it will be back to the fighting, if it even stops in the meantime.And I can’t see this Monusco-FIB fighting their FDLR allies any time soon. They have their eyes set on reinforcing one side in a civil war but have no intention to do the same against foreign terrorist groups who have now become their brothers-in-arms through the FARDC.And lest we forget, the original purpose of UN forces in the DRC, which has now been subverted beyond recognition, was to neutralise Rwandan and Ugandan terrorist groups based there and thus take away any justification for the two countries to regularly invade their neighbour’s lawless east to deal with the security threat groups like the FDLR pose.Having got in, the UN rapidly changed its mandate and accommodated itself to the presence of those terror groups. It has now morphed into part of the problem as it seeks grounds for its own perpetuation.Mwene Kalinda, KigaliReaction to the story, "Return to talks, DRC, M23 told”, (The New Times, September 6)