Kelley Carter
16 October 2009
12:20 p.m.
In April, DR of Congo troops killed 50 people in a makeshift refugee camp by beating and shooting. They then abducted 40 women, of the 10 that survived there are reports of gang rape, and severe injuries, like having parts of their breasts cut off. These troops were the newly integrated rebels from the Tutsi movement in Rwanda. They were pursuing Hutu Rebels that have been in the region since they fled Rwanda to escape the Tutsi rebellion. The attack prompted Hutus to kill 96 people in a neighboring village. The DR Congo’s Information Minister claims they did not know about the killings until recently. They also claim they cannot fire the Tutsi military leader in charge with out facing repercussions that could be worse that the crimes h committed. One UN expert states that the peacekeeping force in the Congo has become a party to the conflict since they provide so many supplies and even pay, without demanding certain standards.
I think it was possibly the worst decision in history to put an entire Tutsi Rebel force in charge of pursuing Hutu rebels, much less headed by a Tutsi commander. Anyone who has seen Hotel Rwanda, or not had their ears closed for a decade should realize that a charging a Tutsi with eradicating Hutus is going to lead to human rights offences. While I generally feel somewhat secure about the UN’s abilities I think the problem has gone much further than it ever should have. The UN shouldn’t have needed massacres to push it (not quite far enough) towards realizing the DR Congo needs more than supplies. Simply having a Tutsi force in which the members in recent history have actually been battling the same Hutu rebels in Rwanda tells me that this conflict is already escalating into an ethnic conflict of Tutsis against Hutus.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8310287.stm
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