In the past few years there has been little alleviation of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Massacres and violence continue with little sign of abating in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu.  The Congolese are fleeing their homes in search of refuge in neighboring countries and provinces, while women and girls remain the victims of strategic rape and sexual violence.  Even children continue to be abducted into the rebel forces of the FDLR, Mai Mai, and LRA.  And what is the UN’s response?  A withdrawal of 2,000 UN peacekeeping troops from the Congo.  

In May of this year, the UN passed Security Council Resolution 1925, which calls for the end of MONUC’s mandate on the 50th anniversary of Congo’s independence (June 30th 2010).  Although MONUC is ending in name, on July 1st the mission will become MONUSCO (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo).  Paired with this renaming is a new mandate requiring partnership with Joseph Kabila’s government and the continued protection of civilians.  One of the first steps to be undertaken in this stabilization mission is to decrease the 21,500 force by 2,000, allowing for a maximum of 19,815 military personnel.  

UN officials have met with Kabila a number of times in the past months.  Each time, the President has made his stance on MONUC extremely clear: he does not want them there.  In response to supposed state improvements and Kabila’s demands, Alain Le Roy, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, ultimately conceded to MONUC’s drawdown of troops.  This reduction in mission size is defended with the rationale that withdrawal will only occur in the West.  In this way, the UN is not turning a blind eye to the severe human rights abuses taking place in eastern Congo.  However, while the situation in the western state of Equateur is improving, peace in the West is not entirely guaranteed.  UN officials may have buckled to Kabila’s interests, but their conviction in the western region’s security is not entirely convincing: “…those troops will come from the western part of the country where peace and stability is almost there but not always but globally there,” stated Le Roy.

The reason for Kabila’s commitment to removing the UN peacekeeping force is not entirely clear.  Certainly there are institutional and economic motivations, but most telling may be the upcoming elections in October of 2011.  In the 2006 elections, where Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba were the main contenders, Kabila experienced a strong victory in the East of the country.  Similarly, Bemba garnered his support from the West.  Kabila’s coalition also won the majority in 5 eastern provinces (at the time of the elections there were 11 total provinces).  During these elections the UN was actively involved, particularly through providing technical assistance to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).  However, the current removal of oversight from an entire region where Kabila has a history of feeble political support is hardly reassuring.  Is the President’s pressure on the UN a manifestation of his preparation for the 2011 elections?  If so, there is considerable likelihood that the West will experience electoral corruption.

In 2010 the Congo greets the newly mandated MONUSCO.  Will Congolese also greet a new President in 2011?

By Stacey Diaz
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Representing opposition candidates in court in Rwanda is bound to draw the ire of President Paul Kagame, particularly with national elections coming up in August. In proof, American Attorney Peter Erlinder was arrested by Rwandan authorities on Friday, May 28th on charges of “genocide ideology” and remains in prison, having been denied bail earlier this week. Reports indicate that his health is declining and although the U.S. State Department has called for his “immediate release,” it seems unlikely that Rwanda will concede.

Erlinder, a professor at the William and Mitchell College of Law in Minnesota and the leading lawyer for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), was representing Ms. Victoire Ingabire, the United Democratic Forces’ (FDU) presidential candidate who has been accused of genocide ideology and collaborating with a terrorist group. She has publicly recognized a genocide against both Tutsi and Hutu in 1994, a position condemned by Kagame’s Tutsi-led regime. Disagreeing with the official position of the Rwandan government amounts to “genocide negationism,” a law commonly used to quell opposition and freedom of speech.

As the lead counsel for the ICTR, Erlinder has pushed for a thorough investigation of the events that occurred in 1994, including any crimes that may have been committed by Kagame and his party. He alleges that members of the current government took part in shooting down the plane that set off the genocide, which is no doubt the primary reason Erlinder has been imprisoned. In Oklahoma in April, Erlinder filed a lawsuit on behalf of the widows of the Rwandan and Burundian presidents who died in the plane, accusing Kagame of ordering their deaths.

On the whole, Erlinder has been an outspoken advocate for human rights and the advancement of democracy in Rwanda. He has done nothing but serve his duty as a lawyer appointed to the ICTR and should be released immediately. Numerous associations of lawyers – including the National Lawyers Guild – as well as advocates for peace and justice around the world, are calling for his release. Minnesota Representatives Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison introduced a resolution (H.Res. 1426) in the U.S. House on Tuesday, June 8th, calling on Kagame to allow Erlinder to return to the United States. Africa Action encourages constituents across the country to call their members and urge them to co-sponsor this critical and urgent piece of legislation.

The trend toward restricting human rights and free speech in Rwanda is troubling. With the crackdown on journalists and opposition candidates now extended to foreign nationals, it is our hope that a stronger critique of Rwanda will begin to emerge. Since the genocide, Rwanda has been an aid investment haven (ex: $1.034 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars since 2000 have been given to Rwanda), despite its role in pilfering mineral resources and sparking conflict in D.R. Congo. The Rwandan people deserve the opportunity to build a just and democratic society – an opportunity unlikely to be had if the current government continues jailing human rights defenders and opposition candidates.

Beth Tuckey
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