As Rwanda-Backed Insurgents Wage War in Congo, Western Nations Stay Silent

Within the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 insurgents, who’ve already taken two key cities within the mineral-rich japanese a part of the nation, is triggering panic. Reviews of the surge describe widespread looting, killings, assaults on support and mass displacement. Hundreds of individuals have fled to neighboring Burundi over the previous couple of days because the U.N. accused M23 of killing kids and attacking hospitals. Our visitor Kambale Musavuli, a Congolese writer and human rights advocate, speaks to us from Ghana about Western nations’ ongoing demand for Congo’s minerals and their complicity within the lethal violence. Industrial nations in addition to celebrated musicians and sports activities groups from the West have refused to cancel agreements and appearances with Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame, explains Musavuli, “clearly telling us that the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Congolese don’t matter.”

TRANSCRIPT

It is a rush transcript. Copy will not be in its remaining type.

AMY GOODMAN: That is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Warfare and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: We flip now to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the place the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has taken huge areas of the japanese DRC and is marching on the strategic metropolis of Uvira close to the border with Burundi, triggering panic, with residents reporting widespread looting, our bodies mendacity within the streets, and authorities forces commandeering boats to flee the insurgents’ advance. M23 can also be advancing on town of Butembo north of Goma, which the armed group seized in January in an offensive that killed some 3,000 folks.

The U.N. Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights has accused M23 of killing kids and attacking hospitals and warehouses storing humanitarian support, and says as many as 15,000 folks have fled into Burundi in current days. On Wednesday, the Congolese overseas minister addressed the U.N. Safety Council.

THÉRÈSE KAYIKWAMBA WAGNER: We’re searching for a political resolution, and we’re dedicated to it. The issue that we’ve is that regardless of the commitments that Rwanda or the lip service that Rwanda serves to the reason for a political resolution, once we look on the bottom, we see desolation; we see the fixed advance of the M23; we see executions of youngsters, as reported by the OHCHR yesterday; and we see that Rwanda is just not being trustworthy or maintaining their phrases and never being honest in partaking in a political resolution.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: In an interview with CNN earlier this month, Rwandan President Paul Kagame claimed he was unaware of any Rwandan navy troops combating within the japanese DRC.

LARRY MADOWO: At this time, on the third of February, does Rwanda presently have any troops in any respect in japanese DRC?

PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME: I don’t know.

LARRY MADOWO: You’re the commander-in-chief.

PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME: Yeah. There are a lot of issues I don’t know.

AMY GOODMAN: That was Kagame, the president of Rwanda, being interviewed by CNN’s Larry Madowo.

For extra, we’re joined by the Congolese analyst and activist Kambale Musavuli, who’s now primarily based in Accra, Ghana, coverage analyst with the Heart for Analysis on the Congo-Kinshasa, and his newest piece for Peoples Dispatch headlined “The battle for management of Goma continues.”

Welcome again to Democracy Now!, Kambale. It’s nice to have you ever with us once more this week, however beneath horrible circumstances. Clarify the scenario within the Democratic Republic of Congo for people who find themselves not conscious of what’s occurring, how dire it’s, and what you suppose must occur.

KAMBALE MUSAVULI: For the reason that starting of the 12 months, we’ve had over 500,000 individuals who have been displaced within the east, added to the 6 million already displaced within the nation. And that is attributable to the rebellion of the M23. It’s a militia group that has existed within the Congo beneath completely different names. And that is their newest rebellion. As they’re taking on city after city, killings are happening. For instance, for town of Goma, a minimum of 3,000 folks have been killed within the metropolis throughout the battle of taking on Goma. And simply yesterday, we’re discovering out extra details about the taking on of town of Bukavu.

However this battle, which has been raging for near 30 years, is all the time in regards to the management of Congo’s mineral wealth, and Congolese are paying the value. Because the world wants Congo’s assets, sadly, robust actions usually are not being taken to result in peace and stability within the Congo. And we all know what must occur. You realize, worldwide stress on Rwanda, and Uganda, to some extent, will result in peace and stability. It was carried out in 2012. It’s not being carried out now.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: So, Kambale, are you able to clarify why you suppose that’s the case? The final time you have been the present, you stated the identical factor, as certainly in an opinion piece in The New York Occasions that appeared yesterday, Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege, a Congolese Nobel laureate, peace laureate, made precisely the identical argument. So, what’s the distinction between 2012 and now?

KAMBALE MUSAVULI: There appears to be, for my part, a geopolitical consideration from Western nations who profit from Congo’s assets. When you have a look at an article that got here out simply final month from Sky Information, the reporter was analyzing the European Union. The European Union has an settlement with Rwanda on gaining access to important minerals. And they’re refusing to cancel that settlement, when everyone knows that minerals being offered by Rwanda within the amount that it’s doing is definitely coming from the DRC. The consideration for the European Union is that by canceling this contract, it’s going to give methods to Russia and China gaining access to mineral assets — clearly telling us that the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Congolese don’t matter. That’s on one degree the rationale why there is no such thing as a motion.

The opposite one is the world apathy. The data being accessible or accessible on the DRC is there. Even African nations usually are not taking the required actions for that. So, that is about pitiful bizarre residents. We’re saying that we are able to’t speak in regards to the Fourth Industrial Revolution with out Congo’s assets, however we should always not have blood within the know-how gadgets that we’re utilizing. So it’s as much as the residents within the greatest metropolitan, america, that’s benefiting from the pilfering of Congo’s assets, European nations, and together with the U.Ok. World stress of bizarre residents goes to assist the Congolese within the wrestle to result in peace and stability.

AMY GOODMAN: I wished to ask you in regards to the West’s assist for Rwanda. This goes to plenty of points. We simply spoke to you a number of days in the past in regards to the Oscar-nominated documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat about what the U.S. did with its involvement within the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the primary independence chief of modern-day Congo, and utilizing Black jazz musicians in america in cementing the U.S. relationship and making an attempt to get entry to all of the uncommon metals.

Now I wished to come back right here to 2025. Earlier this month, DRC’s overseas minister urged three soccer golf equipment — Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain — to finish their, quote, “bloodstained” sponsorship agreements with “Go to Rwanda,” questioning the morality of such partnerships. Simply as we speak, Reuters reviews Rwanda has described this criticism as a menace to regional peace and safety.

In the meantime, the musician John Legend is scheduled to headline International Citizen’s Transfer Afrika tour and play in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, on Friday. The Nigerian Grammy-winning singer Tems not too long ago canceled her look, saying, quote, “So I not too long ago promoted my present in Rwanda with out realizing that there’s an ongoing battle between Rwanda and Congo. I by no means ever intend to be insensitive to real-world points, and I sincerely apologize if this got here throughout that method. I merely had no concept this was occurring. My coronary heart goes out to these affected. Battle isn’t any joke and I really hope and pray for peace on this time.”

When you can discuss each the live performance, John Legend taking part, however, after all, the larger concern — additionally the sports activities groups — all this Western assist for Rwanda and the way it’s furthered the battle in Congo?

KAMBALE MUSAVULI: It is a type of tender energy that these establishments and people are doing. I imply, John Legend going to Rwanda within the midst of three,000 folks being killed, kids being recruited by militia teams — and it’s not that he’s not conscious. There have been a marketing campaign for shut to 2 months now letting him know that he shouldn’t attend. Now, Tems took motion. So, all of the individuals who assist him — he’s not the one one. Dave Chappelle traveled to Kigali and took an image with Paul Kagame. You might have even Kendrick Lamar, who was simply headlining on the NFL, had a live performance in Kigali, and on the finish of the live performance, he was on stage with Paul Kagame. So, when folks in america watch the information and see Kendrick Lamar, see John Legend, see Dave Chappelle with Paul Kagame, and the standard folks — , you could have Tim Prepare dinner of Apple additionally with him — it creates a picture that this can be a nice chief, a noncriminal chief, who’s serving to his nation. So, it’s a type of tender energy to truly cowl that. And we’ve to show it.

Now, this, as we identified within the movie, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, confirmed that previously the State Division and CIA used artists as a ploy for tender energy. Proper now the identical factor is going on. I feel that ought to be uncovered. It’s important for bizarre folks to problem them, even to not go to the NBA. I imply, the NBA Africa, they’re lobbying to interact on the African continent. On the day of the all-stars, there was a protest exterior of the all-stars recreation, the place bizarre People have been saying the NBA has blood on its fingers for collaborating with Rwanda.

So, we’ve to show all these contradictions, however we should not overlook that this battle could be very dire. Individuals are being killed every day. Congo’s territorial integrity is affected. The Congolese have known as for Rwandan troops to depart. And all of us around the globe, we’ve to do all the pieces in our energy to affix the Free Congo marketing campaign, to place stress on Rwanda and any detrimental forces so the Congolese can have an opportunity to vary the nation.

AMY GOODMAN: Kambale Musavuli, we need to thanks a lot for being with us, Congolese analyst and activist, now primarily based in Accra, Ghana, coverage analyst with the Heart for Analysis on the Congo-Kinshasa. We’ll hyperlink to your newest piece in Peoples Dispatch. It’s headlined “The battle for management of Goma continues.” To see our prolonged interview with Kambale from a number of days in the past, you possibly can go to democracynow.org, in addition to a full interview with the director of the Oscar-nominated movie Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, that features plenty of clips of this documentary about U.S. involvement, Belgian involvement with the assassination of the Congolese independence chief Patrice Lumumba and the way the U.S. State Division deployed Black jazz musicians, who would later revolt towards what they’d carried out in Congo by protesting on the U.N. Common Meeting after Lumumba was killed, shouting “murderer” and “assassin.” I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.