U.N. Group Recommends Sanctioning Rwandan Defense Minister

U.N. Group Recommends Sanctioning Rwandan Defense Minister
By Hayes Brown on Nov 17, 2012 at 9:00 am

Rwandan President Paul Kagame Addresses the U.N.

A United Nations Group of Experts (GoE) has suggested a new target for sanctions related to the ongoing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the Rwandan Minister of Defense. The experts offered Defense Minister James Kabarebe's name up for blacklisting due to his suspected role in arming and leading the M23 rebel group in the Congo, as detailed in a report earlier this year.
The GoE made its pitch to the United Nations Security Council committee responsible for sanctions on the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday. While no action was taken on that specific suggestion, the committee did decide to send forward the rebel leader Sultani Makenga to the full Council for potential repercussions. Among the punishments that the U.N. has at its disposal for individuals accused of breaching international peace and security are travel bans, freezing of financial assets, and even potential referral to the International Criminal Court.
Drama of being named aside, the question of whether the Security Council will take action against any Rwandan officials is a different story:
Diplomats said it was unlikely the council would find the consensus necessary to add any Rwandans to the U.N. blacklist.  
>"But the fact that the Group of Experts would make this recommendation will itself send a strong political message to Rwanda about the need to curtail support for M23 rebels," another diplomatic source said.
>The accusations against Kabarebe have prompted the United States, Sweden and the Netherlands to suspend some aid to Rwanda, which relies on donors for about 40 percent of its budget. In September the European Union froze further budgetary support to Rwanda.
Even a slim chance that a member of President Paul Kagame's cabinet be sanctioned puts Rwanda in an interesting position. Rwanda was elected last month to join the Security Council for a two-year term, starting in January. While no vote will likely come of the GoE's suggestion at this point, it does still lend itself to the potential that further revelations of the link between Rwanda and the M23 could spur a U.N. response. In that event, Rwandan diplomats would have their work cut out for them.
The situation has the potential to be awkward for for U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice as well. Rice, thought to be the front runner for the position of Secretary of State once Hillary Clinton departs, is particularly close with Kagame. Also, the United States has been accused of holding back the release of the initial GoE report that accused Rwanda of aiding the Congolese rebels, possibly at the behest of Rice.

UN troops on 'high alert' in DR Congo after deadly clash

UN troops on 'high alert' in DR Congo after deadly clash
By AFP | Saturday, November 17  2012 at  14:00 *  19  24  43
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Indian soldiers of the United Nations mission in Democratic Republic of Congo sit on the top of tanks at a military post in Kibati, some 10 km from Goma, and some 15 km from the frontline on August 13, 2012. The UN mission in DR Congo, known as MONUSCO, has some 17,000 troops, deployed mainly in the east, to protect local residents.   PHOTO | AFP
The United Nations on Friday put its peacekeepers on "high alert" in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as UN leader Ban Ki-moon again condemned outside help to rebels battling the government there.
Rapid reaction units among UN peacekeepers were moved to key areas around the provincial capital of Goma after battles between M23 rebels and government troops on Thursday reportedly left a large number of casualties.
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said that "quick reaction teams" had been sent to the Kivu provincial capital Goma and the city's airport following the latest clashes.
He added that peacekeepers in the UN mission, officially known as MONUSCO, had been put on "high alert" with attack helicopters also on standby.
Government troops held off an M23 rebels attack on Thursday at Kibumba, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) northeast of Goma, officials said.
"Unconfirmed reports indicate that the M23 sustained a high number of casualties in the clash," said Mr Nesirky.
An M23 spokesman denied government claims that more than 110 rebels were killed in the battle.
The UN sent the rapid reaction forces to a district between Kibumba and Goma while forces in the provincial capital were added to the "high alert" status in case of attacks on civilians.
The fighting was the most serious in the rebellion since July when the UN's attack helicopters were last put into action against M23.
Long-term threat
The M23 group broke away from the national army in April and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a report made public Friday that the rebels now pose a long term threat to the government.
"Reprisal attacks on civilians are intensifying, fuelling cycles of hatred and violence among different communities," Mr Ban said in the report.
UN experts have said Rwanda and Uganda back the rebels, bringing strong denials from the neighbouring governments.
The UN sanctions committee for DR Congo this week ordered a travel ban and assets freeze against M23 leader Sultani Makenga, a former army colonel. The US government has also ordered sanctions.
Diplomats said that other sanctions could follow. The sanctions experts this week called for Rwanda's defense minister, General James Kabarebe, to be added to the blacklist, diplomats said.
The 15-member Security Council is unlikely to agree to the move, the diplomats said, while other M23 figures would be sanctioned.
Without naming any countries, the UN leader again condemned help from other countries given to the M23 in his new report.
Mr Ban said he was "disturbed by continuing reports of external support to the M23.
"I welcome the strong condemnation by a number of member states of all forms of support to the M23 and other negative forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and call on all those responsible to immediately and permanently end this destabilizing assistance."
He said DR Congo's sovereignty had to be "fully respected" by neighbouring countries.
http://www.africareview.com//News/UN-troops-on-high-alert-in-DR-Congo/-/979180/1622584/-/m6popk/-/index.html?relative=true

Imvo n'Imvano: Ibarwa Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza yandikiye Paul Kagame

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U.N. Congo committee asked to sanction Rwanda minister

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By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS | Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:36pm GMT

(Reuters) - An expert panel has urged a U.N. Security Council committee to impose sanctions on Rwanda's defence minister and other Rwandan officials the panel linked to a bloody insurgency in the Democratic Republic of Congo, U.N. Diplomats said on Friday.

They said the U.N. Group of Experts on the Congo had recommended imposing sanctions on Defense Minister James Kabarebe and others during a closed meeting of the Council's Congo sanctions committee on Monday.

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Other diplomats said it was unlikely the committee would impose the sanctions, but that proposing them would send a strong message to Rwanda, as well as neighbouring Uganda, that support for the M23 rebels was unacceptable.

A confidential report by the experts group earlier said Kabarebe was commanding an insurgency in eastern Congo that is being armed by Rwanda and Uganda, both of which have also sent troops to support deadly attacks.

Rwanda and Uganda vehemently deny the allegations, though some Security Council diplomats say the Rwandan denials are not credible.

At Monday's committee meeting, the experts "recommended designating the Rwandan defence minister and several other Rwandan officials," a diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "The committee took no action on that recommendation but did decide to designate M23 leader (Sultani) Makenga."

Other council diplomats confirmed the envoy's remarks. Diplomats said it was unlikely the council would find the consensus necessary to add any Rwandans to the U.N. blacklist.

"But the fact that the Group of Experts would make this recommendation will itself send a strong political message to Rwanda about the need to curtail support for M23 rebels," another diplomatic source said.

An official at the Rwandan U.N. mission reached by telephone had no immediate comment.

The accusations against Kabarebe have prompted the United States, Sweden and the Netherlands to suspend some aid to Rwanda, which relies on donors for about 40 percent of its budget. In September the European Union froze further budgetary support to Rwanda.

Eastern Congo has been swept by violence since the beginning of the year after hundreds of soldiers defected and launched M23, which says it wants to overthrow President Joseph Kabila.

More than 760,000 people have fled their homes since.

One diplomat said the sanctions committee would likely add a few more names from M23 to the U.N. blacklist, which would subject them an international travel ban and assets freeze.

Rwanda will join the 15-member U.N. Security Council for a two-year term beginning in January. Council diplomats say that it will probably be difficult to achieve consensus on Congo in 2013 and 2014 because of Rwanda's presence.

Bosco Ntaganda, a former Congolese general wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, controls the rebellion on the ground in eastern Congo, while M23 leader Makenga is in charge of operations and coordination with allied armed groups, the experts' report said.

Both Ntaganda and Makenga receive direct military orders from Rwandan army Chief of Defense staff General Charles Kayonga, who act on instructions from Kabarebe, it said.

Uganda threatened to withdraw troops from peacekeeping missions in Somalia and elsewhere over the experts' report but has made no moves to do so.

The Congolese government said on Wednesday a leading army mutineer allied to the M23 rebellion in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo had surrendered, claiming this as a major blow to the insurgents.

(Reporting By Louis Charbonneau; editing by David Storey)

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Congo: 151 rebels killed in clash with army

Associated Press – 16 hrs ago

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KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Two army officers and 151 rebels were killed in a battle in eastern Congo, officials said Friday, in what the U.N. called the worst clash between the M23 group and the military since July.

Rebels attacked army positions Thursday and suffered heavy losses in the fighting that ensued, the governor of North Kivu province, Julien Paluku told The Associated Press by phone. Paluku said the Red Cross had been sent into villages to take out bodies to prevent the spread of disease.

The M23 was created after officers from the Congolese army defected in April and May and launched a rebellion to demand better pay, armaments and amnesty from war crimes.

The army spokesman in northern Kivu, Col. Olivier Hamuli, said that two army officers were killed and seven were wounded in the fighting in the Kibumba area, 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Goma, the capital.

The spokesman of the M23, Col. Vianney Kazarama, denied the heavy casualties, saying that only two rebels were wounded.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo said it was the worst battle since July. At U.N. headquarters in New York, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said there are indications that between 1,500 to 2,500 people may have fled the area as a result of the fighting.

The U.N. Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is on high alert and has deployed quick reaction teams. The Mission's attack helicopters are also on standby.

http://news.yahoo.com/congo-151-rebels-killed-clash-army-135553850.html