Posts Tagged ‘DRC’

The US is ready to send drones to Congo as backup for UN

Drone

Newscast Media WASHINGTON, D.C.—Due to the extended conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo caused by M23 rebels, the US is now ready to send drones to the Great Lakes region of Africa to help UN peace-keeping forces maintain stability. This of course is making leaders of the countries within the region nervous because the unmanned aerial vehicles will also be equipped with surveillance capabilities.

The US wants to take a pragmatic approach by sending in drones which may not be limited to just Congo, but also used in other neighboring countries.

“It is not wise to use a device on which we don’t have enough information,” Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s deputy U.N. ambassador, told Reuters. “Africa shall not become a laboratory for intelligence devices from overseas.”

However, Brieuc Pont, who represents the French government disagrees, and in a tweet he was supportive of sending drones to DR Congo as shown below:

Brieuc Pont, supports drone use

This is news DR Congo’s Joseph Kabila will welcome, because the drones will deter invaders from encroaching on his mineral-rich nation. Yet Rwanda’s opposition to the drone idea is a sign that the Rwandan government feels it might be a target since it has been accused of supporting and arming the M23 rebels according to an article written by The Australian.

http://www.newscastmedia.com/drones-congo.htm

Hillary Clinton: M23 Rebels must abide by the Kampala Accords

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Newscast Media KAMPALA, Uganda—The month of November ends with a positive solution to the Democratic Republic of Congo crisis, that was welcomed by the White House and State Department. Life in eastern Congo is slowly returning to normal as the rebels fully withdraw from the region. The White House and State Department issued a strong statement condemning the action the rebels took to invade the DRC.

At the beginning of the week, when fighting intensified as rebels held the eastern cities of Goma and Sake captive, Newscast Media wrote a harsh admonition under the headline “Not enough Congolese have been killed for the U.S. to intervene”.

In that article written on November 26, this journalist said, “Hillary Clinton squandered several opportunities she had to mobilize a peace-keeping force that would secure the well-being of the Congolese people.”

For the part of the State Department, Hillary Clinton has since worked with the UN and African Union (AU) to secure a 4,000-strong force, that will be on stand-by to make sure that lasting peace in the region is realized.

Something we also wanted to see happen when the article was written, was a strong condemnation from the U.S. government against the invasion of Congo by the rebels.

Hillary Clinton, like a true soldier said on November 28: “The United States strongly condemns the “tactics of fear and intimidation” that have accompanied the conflict since a rebellion broke out in the region in April.”

“There is only one way forward for M23,” Clinton added. “They must meet their commitments under the Kampala Accords to cease their attacks, withdraw from Goma, and pull back to the July lines.”
Read full condemnation

The swift actions the U.S. government (State Department) and African Union have taken in the past 72 hours, satisfy the grievances Newscast Media had about the silence of the United States, while Africans were being slaughtered.

As much as we are passionate when criticizing policies we find troubling, it is only fair that we praise those who have been criticized, when they correct those same policies. We know Newscast Media gets some web traffic from the State Department.

As such, Newscast Media credits Hillary Clinton, the US government and the African Union (AU) for mobilizing a military unit of 4,000 to neutralize any threat that would destabilize the DRC region. More credit also goes to Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, for the role they played in delivering a peaceful solution.

This is certainly an excellent humanitarian gesture on behalf of Hillary Rodham Clinton, to the people of the Motherland—and a sign of redemption of lost opportunities, as she ends her tenure with the State Department.

Cicero, the greatest mind in classical antiquity said: “The greatest renown, and profoundest gratitude, is won by defending the oppressed. This consideration particularly applies when the oppression is coming from a formidable personage.” Cicero On The Good Life (page 147).

I’m sure Hillary will miss my constructive criticism when she leaves office in January 2013—but who knows? I might just catch up with her on the campaign trail…should she choose to run for the presidency in the year 2016.

http://newscastmedia.com/congo-security2.htm

Democratic Republic of Congo asks South Africa to intervene in East

DRC

Newscast Media PRETORIA—The Democratic Republic of Congo has asked South Africa to intervene in the eastern region where Rwanda and Uganda have been accused by a UN leaked report of supporting the rebels. Meeting his South African counterpart Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Congolese Foreign Minister Raymond Tshibanda relied on the close relationship both countries share to confront the challenges DR Congo faces.

“I am referring here to the security in the eastern DRC where we hope to arrive at specific results with the help of South Africa,” Tshibanda said in the South African capital Pretoria, without giving any more details.

Meanwhile, the M23 Movement, which is an extension of the M23 rebel group, has formed a semi autonomous administration structure in areas under their control in north Kivu province.

The UN on the other hand, said it will continue its work in the embattled country, as it helps fight and contain the Ebola outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) have deployed experts to support operational response, including establishment of a field laboratory and in the area of infection prevention and control in health care settings.

The tumultuous situation escalated in DR Congo after member states walked away from the Lusaka Agreement, that many thought would result in a cease-fire. Many Congolese refugees in the past decade have migrated to western Uganda, while others to the Central African Republic located between Uganda, Sudan and Chad.

http://newscastmedia.com/democratic-republic-of-congo.htm