Le Rwanda hostile à des drones de l'Onu dans l'Est du Congo | Reuters

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Le Rwanda hostile à des drones de l'Onu dans l'Est du Congo

mercredi 9 janvier 2013 02h41

 

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par Louis Charbonneau

NATIONS UNIES, 9 janvier (Reuters) - Le Rwanda s'est opposé mardi au projet des Nations unies d'utiliser des drones de surveillance dans l'est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) afin de renforcer les moyens d'action des casques bleus de la Monusco.

Kigali dit ne pas vouloir que l'Afrique devienne le laboratoire d'équipements pour des services de renseignement étrangers.

Le recours à ces appareils sans pilote a été exposé par Hervé Ladsous, secrétaire général adjoint de l'Onu chargé des opérations de maintien de la paix, lors d'une session à huis clos du Conseil de sécurité, a-t-on appris de sources diplomatiques.

L'idée n'est pas nouvelle: l'Onu demande de tels drones de surveillance depuis 2008.

La requête n'a jamais été acceptée, mais a été relancée ces dernières semaines avec la progression des rebelles du M23 dans la province du Nord-Kivu, dont les casques bleus de la mission de stabilisation de l'Onu au Congo n'ont pu enrayer l'avancée.

Le Rwanda, qui doit se défendre des accusations lancées par des experts de l'Onu selon lesquels les rebelles du M23 bénéficient de son soutien, a clairement estimé que la demande d'Hervé Ladsous était prématurée.

"Il n'est pas avisé d'utiliser un équipement sur lequel nous n'avons pas suffisamment d'informations", a dit à Reuters le numéro deux de la délégation rwandaise à l'Onu, Olivier Nduhungirehe.

"L'Afrique ne deviendra pas un laboratoire pour du matériel de surveillance étranger", a-t-il ajouté.

Le secrétaire général de l'Onu, Ban Ki-moon, doit remettre dans les prochaines semaines au Conseil de sécurité un rapport sur les moyens de renforcer la Monusco, dont les insuffisances ont été mises en lumière par la prise de Goma en novembre.

Les rebelles du M23 ont tenu la capitale du Nord-Kivu, à la frontière avec le Rwanda, pendant onze jours avant de s'en retirer.

De source diplomatique, on rapporte que les Rwandais ont prévenu le Conseil de sécurité que les casques bleus de la Monusco seraient considérés comme des "belligérants" s'ils déploient des drones dans l'Est congolais.

Olivier Nduhungirehe a précisé qu'il était vital de faire le jour sur les implications que de tels moyens aériens auraient sur la souveraineté territoriale des Etats de la région. (Henri-Pierre André pour le service français)

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Rwanda opposes use of drones by the UN in eastern Congo

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS | Wed Jan 9, 2013 4:02am EST

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By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Rwanda on Tuesday opposed the use of surveillance drones in eastern Congo as proposed by the United Nations until there is a full assessment of their use, saying it did not want Africa to become a laboratory for foreign intelligence devices.

Envoys said U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told the Security Council during a closed-door session that the U.N mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo plans to deploy three unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones, in the country's conflict-torn eastern provinces.

The United Nations has wanted surveillance drones for eastern Congo since 2008. Alan Doss, the former head of the U.N. peacekeeping force there at the time asked the Security Council for helicopters, drones and other items to improve real-time intelligence gathering.

The request was never met, but the idea generated new interest last year after M23 rebels began taking over large swathes of eastern Congo.

Rwanda, which has denied allegations by U.N. experts that it has been supporting M23, made clear it considered Ladsous' call for deploying drones premature.

"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."

The spokesman for the French U.N. mission, Brieuc Pont, said in a statement on France's Twitter feed: "MONUSCO needs additional, modern assets, including drones, to be better informed and more reactive."

Council diplomats said the United States, Britain and other council members were also supportive of the idea of using drones in eastern Congo.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to submit a report to the Security Council in the coming weeks recommending ways of improving the U.N. force in Congo, known as MONUSCO.

The U.N. force in Congo suffered a severe blow to its image in November after it failed to intervene when well-equipped M23 rebels seized control of the eastern Congolese city of Goma. The rebels withdrew after 11 days.

Congolese troops, aided by U.N. peacekeepers, have been battling M23 - who U.N. experts and Congolese officials say are backed by both Rwanda and Uganda - for nearly a year in the mineral-rich east of the country.

Diplomats said the Rwandan delegation informed the Security Council behind closed doors on Tuesday that MONUSCO would be a "belligerent" if it deployed drones in eastern Congo now.

Nduhungirehe explained this position, saying it was vital to know before deploying drones what the implications would be for individual countries' sovereignty. He said Rwanda had no problem with helicopters, night-vision equipment or other high-tech gadgetry for the U.N. peacekeeping force.

Other diplomats, including some from Europe, have also expressed reservations. They said there were unanswered questions about who would receive the information from the drones and how widely it would be disseminated. They expressed discomfort at the idea of the United Nations becoming an active gatherer of intelligence.

Russia and China are among the nations on the council that have concerns about the deployment of drones in eastern Congo, diplomats told Reuters.

Western diplomats from countries that support the deployment of drones say Rwanda's opposition is the first manifestation of the difficulties they expect to face over Congo while Rwanda is on the Security Council for the next two years.

(Editing by Christopher Wilson and Stacey Joyce)

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE90802720130109?irpc=932

Rwanda opposes use of drones by the UN in eastern Congo

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS | Wed Jan 9, 2013 4:02am EST

• SHARE THIS ARTICLE

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Rwanda on Tuesday opposed the use of surveillance drones in eastern Congo as proposed by the United Nations until there is a full assessment of their use, saying it did not want Africa to become a laboratory for foreign intelligence devices.

Envoys said U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told the Security Council during a closed-door session that the U.N mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo plans to deploy three unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones, in the country's conflict-torn eastern provinces.

The United Nations has wanted surveillance drones for eastern Congo since 2008. Alan Doss, the former head of the U.N. peacekeeping force there at the time asked the Security Council for helicopters, drones and other items to improve real-time intelligence gathering.

The request was never met, but the idea generated new interest last year after M23 rebels began taking over large swathes of eastern Congo.

Rwanda, which has denied allegations by U.N. experts that it has been supporting M23, made clear it considered Ladsous' call for deploying drones premature.

"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."

The spokesman for the French U.N. mission, Brieuc Pont, said in a statement on France's Twitter feed: "MONUSCO needs additional, modern assets, including drones, to be better informed and more reactive."

Council diplomats said the United States, Britain and other council members were also supportive of the idea of using drones in eastern Congo.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to submit a report to the Security Council in the coming weeks recommending ways of improving the U.N. force in Congo, known as MONUSCO.

The U.N. force in Congo suffered a severe blow to its image in November after it failed to intervene when well-equipped M23 rebels seized control of the eastern Congolese city of Goma. The rebels withdrew after 11 days.

Congolese troops, aided by U.N. peacekeepers, have been battling M23 - who U.N. experts and Congolese officials say are backed by both Rwanda and Uganda - for nearly a year in the mineral-rich east of the country.

Diplomats said the Rwandan delegation informed the Security Council behind closed doors on Tuesday that MONUSCO would be a "belligerent" if it deployed drones in eastern Congo now.

Nduhungirehe explained this position, saying it was vital to know before deploying drones what the implications would be for individual countries' sovereignty. He said Rwanda had no problem with helicopters, night-vision equipment or other high-tech gadgetry for the U.N. peacekeeping force.

Other diplomats, including some from Europe, have also expressed reservations. They said there were unanswered questions about who would receive the information from the drones and how widely it would be disseminated. They expressed discomfort at the idea of the United Nations becoming an active gatherer of intelligence.

Russia and China are among the nations on the council that have concerns about the deployment of drones in eastern Congo, diplomats told Reuters.

Western diplomats from countries that support the deployment of drones say Rwanda's opposition is the first manifestation of the difficulties they expect to face over Congo while Rwanda is on the Security Council for the next two years.

(Editing by Christopher Wilson and Stacey Joyce)

Rwanda gets new UN Security Council seat, but standing takes a hit after rebel aid allegation

http://m.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/rwanda-gets-new-un-security-council-seat-but-standing-takes-a-hit-after-rebel-aid-allegation/2013/01/08/1873119c-5998-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html

Rwanda gets new UN Security Council seat, but standing takes a hit after rebel aid allegation

By Associated Press,  Published: TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 8:49 AM ET

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NAIROBI, Kenya — Rwanda has been hailed for years as a beacon of peace and economic growth in its post-genocide period, and on Jan. 1 it took a prestigious seat on the United Nations Security Council. But after years of accolades, international opinion of the tiny Central African country appears to be shifting.

At issue are allegations in a U.N. experts' report that Rwanda last year began aiding a Congo rebel group called M23 that is accused of rape, using child soldiers and conducting summary executions in eastern Congo. Rwanda denies the accusations.

Since President Bill Clinton failed to intervene in Rwanda's 1994 genocide — during which extremist Hutus killed more than 500,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus — the United States has been one of Rwanda's staunchest allies. That made it all the more noteworthy when President Barack Obama warned President Paul Kagame in December that Rwanda must stop supporting M23.

One month earlier Britain announced it was withholding some $34 million in aid to Rwanda because of the allegations over M23. And the U.S. suspended its military aid to Rwanda, albeit only $200,000.

Philippe Bolopion, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, wrote in an op-ed article in the New York Times late last month that Rwanda was able to win its two-year, rotating seat on the U.N. Security Council in an October vote despite the June U.N. report because of its friendship with the U. S.

Still, Bolopion believes the international view of Rwanda is changing.

"They got away with a lot in the past because of their own tragic history concerning the Rwandan genocide, where the international community failed to do anything," Bolopion told The Associated Press. "They've also used the fact that they are a rather efficient country when it comes to spending aid money. These two elements have allowed them to get away with a lot of things in the past. But their support of M23 has been blatant, and they are such an abusive group. The past few weeks and months the pressure on Rwanda has increased significantly."

Rwanda's leaders bristle at the suggestions they are helping M23. Kagame, in his Dec. 31 state of the nation speech, addressed the allegations.

"As you know there is a report based on falsehoods which some of our longtime partners have used as the basis to suspend development aid, in a manner that violates agreed principles of international development partnerships," Kagame said.

Kagame touted Rwanda's economic growth in 2012 — predicted to be 7.7 percent. But it would have grown even faster, he said, except for the global economic downturn, and "the consequence of conflict in a neighboring country that has been blamed on Rwanda when this is not true. We are not the cause of or contributing factor to this conflict, even those who claim this know it."

Just before Rwanda joined the Security Council, the council added M23 and two of its leaders to the international sanctions list, which many at U.N. headquarters viewed as a significant message to the Rwandan government.

Still, Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, noted this on Twitter: "Showing a sense of humor, UN Security Council names (hash)Rwanda to chair its Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention & Resolution in Africa."

Not everyone is souring on Rwanda, however. A book published in November called "Rwanda Inc." concludes that Rwanda "now stands as a beacon of economic rejuvenation and recovery" through self-reliance and self-determination. The authors say that Kagame's leadership reveals a comprehensive vision, exacting attention to detail and a drive for execution.

The book highlights glowing accolades of Rwanda's economic progress on its first pages from Clinton, the chairman of JPMorgan Chase, the chief executive of Starbucks and the president of Marriott International, businesses that may want to invest in Rwanda's growing economy. Still, the authors acknowledge the complicated — and changing — world view of Rwanda, especially concerning international standards of free speech and human rights.

Human Rights Watch has been calling on the Security Council for months to sanction the Rwandan officials the rights group believes is helping M23. But Bolopion says it's doubtful that will happen now that Rwanda sits on the council. Like the book "Rwanda Inc.," Bolopion says that Human Rights Watch recognizes the good Kagame has done economically.

"We just don't think it's an excuse for crushing dissent or arming rebels in neighboring countries," he said. "We recognize it but it doesn't change the point we're trying to make."

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Rwanda gets new UN Security Council seat, but standing takes a hit after rebel aid allegation

http://m.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/rwanda-gets-new-un-security-council-seat-but-standing-takes-a-hit-after-rebel-aid-allegation/2013/01/08/1873119c-5998-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html

Rwanda gets new UN Security Council seat, but standing takes a hit after rebel aid allegation

By Associated Press,  Published: TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 8:49 AM ET

---

     Aa  

---

NAIROBI, Kenya — Rwanda has been hailed for years as a beacon of peace and economic growth in its post-genocide period, and on Jan. 1 it took a prestigious seat on the United Nations Security Council. But after years of accolades, international opinion of the tiny Central African country appears to be shifting.

At issue are allegations in a U.N. experts' report that Rwanda last year began aiding a Congo rebel group called M23 that is accused of rape, using child soldiers and conducting summary executions in eastern Congo. Rwanda denies the accusations.

Since President Bill Clinton failed to intervene in Rwanda's 1994 genocide — during which extremist Hutus killed more than 500,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus — the United States has been one of Rwanda's staunchest allies. That made it all the more noteworthy when President Barack Obama warned President Paul Kagame in December that Rwanda must stop supporting M23.

One month earlier Britain announced it was withholding some $34 million in aid to Rwanda because of the allegations over M23. And the U.S. suspended its military aid to Rwanda, albeit only $200,000.

Philippe Bolopion, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, wrote in an op-ed article in the New York Times late last month that Rwanda was able to win its two-year, rotating seat on the U.N. Security Council in an October vote despite the June U.N. report because of its friendship with the U. S.

Still, Bolopion believes the international view of Rwanda is changing.

"They got away with a lot in the past because of their own tragic history concerning the Rwandan genocide, where the international community failed to do anything," Bolopion told The Associated Press. "They've also used the fact that they are a rather efficient country when it comes to spending aid money. These two elements have allowed them to get away with a lot of things in the past. But their support of M23 has been blatant, and they are such an abusive group. The past few weeks and months the pressure on Rwanda has increased significantly."

Rwanda's leaders bristle at the suggestions they are helping M23. Kagame, in his Dec. 31 state of the nation speech, addressed the allegations.

"As you know there is a report based on falsehoods which some of our longtime partners have used as the basis to suspend development aid, in a manner that violates agreed principles of international development partnerships," Kagame said.

Kagame touted Rwanda's economic growth in 2012 — predicted to be 7.7 percent. But it would have grown even faster, he said, except for the global economic downturn, and "the consequence of conflict in a neighboring country that has been blamed on Rwanda when this is not true. We are not the cause of or contributing factor to this conflict, even those who claim this know it."

Just before Rwanda joined the Security Council, the council added M23 and two of its leaders to the international sanctions list, which many at U.N. headquarters viewed as a significant message to the Rwandan government.

Still, Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, noted this on Twitter: "Showing a sense of humor, UN Security Council names (hash)Rwanda to chair its Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention & Resolution in Africa."

Not everyone is souring on Rwanda, however. A book published in November called "Rwanda Inc." concludes that Rwanda "now stands as a beacon of economic rejuvenation and recovery" through self-reliance and self-determination. The authors say that Kagame's leadership reveals a comprehensive vision, exacting attention to detail and a drive for execution.

The book highlights glowing accolades of Rwanda's economic progress on its first pages from Clinton, the chairman of JPMorgan Chase, the chief executive of Starbucks and the president of Marriott International, businesses that may want to invest in Rwanda's growing economy. Still, the authors acknowledge the complicated — and changing — world view of Rwanda, especially concerning international standards of free speech and human rights.

Human Rights Watch has been calling on the Security Council for months to sanction the Rwandan officials the rights group believes is helping M23. But Bolopion says it's doubtful that will happen now that Rwanda sits on the council. Like the book "Rwanda Inc.," Bolopion says that Human Rights Watch recognizes the good Kagame has done economically.

"We just don't think it's an excuse for crushing dissent or arming rebels in neighboring countries," he said. "We recognize it but it doesn't change the point we're trying to make."

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.