Thursday, May 2, 2013

What South African troops want in DRC?

 

http://greatlakesvoice.com/what-south-african-troops-want-in-drc/

What South African troops want in DRC?

By  editor On 2 May, 2013 At
03:43 PM | Categorized As  News
| With
Marcel Museminari, dives into the murky waters under which UNSC Resolution
2098 was signed, and why it is a recipe for war rather than peace and
stability.

 


The UN Security Council resolution 2098 signed unanimously March 28, 2013 by
UNSC members including Rwanda created an “Intervention Brigade” consisting
inter alia of three infantry battalions, one artillery and one Special force
and Reconnaissance Company with headquarters in Goma, under direct command
of the MONUSCO Force Commander.” The troop contributing countries from SADC
namely Republic Of South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique are gearing
up for deployment end of April latest.

The mandate of the Brigade is to “carry out targeted offensive operations…
either unilaterally or jointly with the FARDC, in a robust, highly mobile
and versatile manner … and to disarm them…” That is what the text is, but
reality and intentions are different and underlying history of looting and
government corruption in D.R Congo and South Africa, are what will determine
the outcomes.

Taking South Africa for example, it is now public knowledge that Jacob
Zuma’s men died for blood diamonds in Bangui. Thirteen South African
National Defence force troops died in Bangui while 27 were wounded during
the Rebel force Seleca’s attack on the capital March this year. The ANC has
gagged the discussion in parliament declaring it a security issue not to be
discussed, and calling those who question the mandate of the SANDF then ‘as
pissing on the graves” of the soldiers who lost their lives in CAR. South
Africa is now debating a stringent secrecy law to make such information as
battlefield losses a no-go area.

ANC has always dealt with Interahamwe fundraiser Fabien Singaye

What many have not pieced together is that ANC business interests were
intertwined with Interahamwe, especially Fabien Singaye, a former Rwandan
spy and known member of Akazu, Habyarimana kitchen cabinet who served as
Bozize’s personal adviser until the latter’s ouster recently.

Singaye is alleged to have played a central role in the purchase of Central
Africa Republic uranium assets by UraMin, a company with a number of South
Africa links. President Paul Kagame at the historical February 8, 2013 RPF
special party caucus made caustic remarks about this Interahamwe adviser to
deposed CAR president François Bozize. Kagame was commenting on the
injustice meted out to Rwanda for supposedly supporting Congolese rebel
outfit M23.

Just as in the C.A.R, in D.R Congo as well, artisanal diamond mining is done
mostly by Interahamwe, whose communities are dotted around the mining
centers. Companies that front for ANC party bigwigs had wanted to monopolize
mining in CAR and will now have a mandate to do likewise in D.R Congo, this
time with a UNSC banner.

The lure of arms deals and diamonds – and possibly other mineral resources –
sucked the ANC into the Central African Republic. This is very much the
reason ANC and SANDF are going into D.R Congo albeit under UNSC Resolution
2098 sponsored by among other countries France itself no stranger to arms
and mineral deals.

French Connection

France sponsored resolution 2098. Why was France hell bent on a resolution
against M23 who posed no significant threat to the capital Kinshasa instead
of focusing on Bangui where the Seleca rebels had overthrown a legitimate
government? Simple, the takings in CAR were dwindling.

French Uranium Company AREVA was main shareholder in UraMin that owned
Bakouma mine in C.A.R. The way the deal was handled ties the French and
ANC neatly to the Interahamwe Fabien Singaye, heretofore a powerbroker and
business adviser for Bozize.

The story of this shift from Bangui to Goma is one that also involves
Belgium and France. Influential Belgian businessman Georges Forrest who once
managed Congolese mining concern Gecamines has been the man that largely
linked everything between Bangui, Brazzaville, Kinshasa Paris and Pretoria
and Brussels. So versatile, Georges Forrest the Belgian has been French
Honorary Consul in Lubumbashi, DRC but has also kept up with Kinshasa
through Mobutu, Laurent Kabila and now Joseph Kabila. This makes the
intervention UN brigade a front for international mining concerns.

Rwanda signed resolution with hands tied

While the UN security council seat by Rwanda was supposed to rule in its
favour considering the enemies of Rwanda amassing at its border, including
South Africa hosting dissident General Kayumba Nyamwasa, Rwanda could only
but sign the resolution. Rwanda’s representative Ambassador Gasana in his
remarks said they had signed resolution 2098 among other things so that
‘hopefully, the Council would finally be able to “free itself from past
perceptions”- read alleged links and support to M23 rebels. Just a few days
before Rwanda assumed the presidency of the UNSC it could not be seen to
ruffle any feathers.

How Kabila bought Zuma’s support

Apart from what is reported in South African press of Zuma protecting oil
interest in Eastern DRC -( it is reported President Jacob Zuma’s nephew
Khulubuse has extensive business-interests in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo) – Kabila signed last year, dozens of treaties with South Africa
practically selling the country to Pretoria and the only demand was ‘find
and exterminate M23.”

Kabila signed 30 cooperation agreements with South Africa and what he asked
above all was that they help him to get rid of M23. The oil in Lake Albert
where Uganda has struck oil in commercial amounts is also a top priority.
Seismological studies by a British company are about to be concluded in the
same territory where M23 has established its fiefdoms. Western mining
interests are being hurt by insecurity caused by armed groups. The
brigade’s mandate is practically to clear the area for the bulldozers and
oil rigs.

Bribery galore

From the last year when the discussion of a SADC intervention force started
Tanzanian forces were raring to go and it was not all about humanitarianism.
It was said from the onset that Joseph Kabila had guaranteed the USD 20
million needed for the deployment. Corruption of some elements in the
Tanzanian government cannot be ruled out. Kabila has splashed money on
anyone ready to get M23 out of his hair.

So wide spread was the influence of money from Kinshasa that Joseph Kabila
managed to penetrate the US Senate with Bishops purporting to belong to
civil society groups to plead his case.

The brigade could degenerate into a mercenary force

The brigade’s mandate allows it inter alia to “carry out targeted offensive
operations… either unilaterally or jointly with the FARDC …” making it legal
to do Kabila’s bidding, including choosing targets. This makes the brigade
much like a mercenary force. You can bet SANDF and Tanzanian People’s
Defence Forces will not touch Interahamwe any time soon, and will only give
leverage to the likes of Singaye, Georges Forester, the ANC business wing
and the French who want to want to divide up the spoils in DRC whatever the
humanitarian costs.

Marcel Museminari is the Managing Editor of Business Daily-Rwanda.

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