Rwanda's
Mushikiwabo
Says UN Looks
for Excuses,
Hege is
Ideologically
Bankrupt
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 29 --
The day after
a Rwandan
delegation
sharply
criticized
the UN's
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo
sanctions
Group of
Experts and
its
coordinator
Steve Hege,
Rwanda's
Foreign
Minister
Louise
Mushikiwabo
said that Hege
and his report
are
"ideologically
bankrupt." Video here.
Inner
City Press
asked Minister
Mushikiwabo
four questions
after her
closed door
meeting
interacting
with the UN
Security
Council.
While she did
not answer if
the Rwandan
government
believes that
Hege (and his
Group of
Experts
colleague
Marie
Plamadiala
from Moldova)
met with Jean
Marie
Micombero, she
called Hege's
"ideological
leanings
troubling."
She said, "for
anybody who is
sympathetic to
the genocidal
militia FDLR,
which is
proven through
his writings,
to be the man
who is at the
head of this
Group of
Experts is
just an
aberration...
We have
signaled our
concern to the
appointing
authorities
and we will
wait to see
what the
reaction is.
But I will
find it deeply
troubling that
the Security
Council could
not look into
how this man
was appointed"
Mushikiwabo
said
that, while
failing in
their
missions,
MONUSCO and
some in the
Congolese army
FARDC are
looking to
"find
excuses."
She said much
the same when
Inner City
Press asked
how the M23
rebellion
should be
addressed,
saying
solutions
should come
from within
the DRC, not
by blaming the
neighbors.
Inner
City Press
asked of media
reports that
the SADC has
offered to
send troops
along the DRC
- Rwanda
border.
Mushikiwabo
said she is
not aware of
such an offer,
but rather
since four
SADC members
are also
members of the
Great Lakes
groups ICGGLR,
then SADC --
of which the
Congo is a
member --
could offers
support and
advice.
On
August 28, it
was Patrick
Karuretwa,
Defense &
Security
Adviser to
Rwandan
President Paul
Kagame, who
told Inner
City Press
regarding Hege
that "a line
that has been
crossed by the
coordinator of
the Group of
Experts. We
expect any
member to have
views,
baggage, but
here a line
has been
crossed. You
[pointed to]
two of his
articles....
in one of them
he said the
international
community is
souring on
Rwanda. We say
he's been
given the
tools to do
precisely
that."
There
are other
questions for
Hege, ranging
for alleged
radio
intercepts to
claiming the
presence of
one Jack (or
"Jacques")
Nziza on the
Congolese
border when
Rwanda says
there are more
than 100 alibi
witnesses,
including
diplomats.
We'll
have more on
this.
Inner City
Press believes
there is a
need for more
accountability
at the UN,
including of sanctions
"experts."
Watch this
site.