Sources close to MONUSCO have informed AfroAmerica Network that the military leaders of the Democratic Forces of Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) have been recently engaged in negotiations with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). According to the same sources, the advanced negotiations provide for the relocation of FDLR headquarters from the Walikale-Masisi area to the Maniema province in exchange for cash and other material advantages. In all, close to 1,500 FDLR troops will be relocated. No word on what will happen to the remaining 4,500 troops.
Meanwhile, the Rwandan government, through the Prosecutor General, Martin Ngoga, has come out in the Rwandan media to answer several critics that pointed out that the Government has been misleading the population and the media by falsely alleging the US State Department and the UN Security Council have classified the FDLR as a terrorist organization. In fact, the Rwandan Government had widely circulated false statement alleging to the FDLR qualification.
Neither the US State Department nor the United Nations Security Council have classified the FDLR as a foreign terrorist organization or put it on a any terrorist exclusion list or presidential executive order.
Also, the UN never imposed any travel ban nor asset freeze on the FDLR organization. Only a few leaders of FDLR living in Europe and in Eastern Congo were sanctioned by the UN Security Council and the US Treasur, banned from international travel, and submitted to assets freeze.
In a statement on March 29, 2011, Martin Ngoga, responding to a discourse and a BBC interview by Professor Charles Kambanda of St. John’s University in New York, further added to the confusion carefully cultivated by the Rwandan government.
Martin Ngoga said:
“There should be no ambiguity – FDLR is subject to numerous Security Council resolutions, with the ongoing prosecution of its leadership, and others on travel bans as well as their assets being subject to freeze.”
However, the assets freeze of armed rebellion leaders does not make the organization itself a terrorist organization. Leaders of CNDP , the DRC Government, and some Rwandan businessmen have appeared or appear on the UN lists without making their businesses, organizations or Governments terrorists organization.
The Rwandan Prosecutor Ngoga appeared at a loss when he alleged that the fact ALIR once appeared on Terrorist Exclusion automatically implies the FDLR is also on the list. According to US Government reports ALIR was disbanded long ago after the 1998 civil in Rwanda.
Perhaps the most intriguing remark from Martin Ngoga is when he stated that: “We know of no date when ALIR fighters surrendered to any authority that can account for them today. The change of names is of no importance as regards their pursuit. If the list is of essence, the resolutions of the UN Security Council to which the US sits, are weightier than declarations of the State Department.”
In fact, most of the leaders of ALIR, including ALIR commander, General Paul Rwarakabije, his chief of Staff General Ngendahimana, and a large number of ALIR high ranking officers such as Colonel Murenzi, Colonel Karegeya and according to Rwandan and MONUSCO statistics, more than 15,000 former ALIR troops have surrendered to the Rwandan government. Most have since been integrated in the Rwanda Defense Forces.
From Martin Ngoga’s argument FDLR could be qualified a terrorist organization because some of ALIR officers joined FDLR. From that perspective, one would equally believe that the Rwandan Defense Forces would also qualify as a Terrorist Organization because ALIR commander, Military Chief of Staff, Military Operations Commander and a large number of officers and troops have deserted ALIR and FDLR to integrate within the Rwandan Defense Forces.
©AfroAmerica Network, March 2011
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