The news filtering out of the Congo is that General Bosco Ntaganda is in the process of deposing General Laurent Nkunda as the leader of the CNDP.(1) Apparently, the efforts to replace Nkunda are because of his "bad governance".(2) Well, whatever that means, it doesn't mean that, if he is replaced, he has been held to account for killing civilians. Ntaganda who is the chief of staff for the CNDP, is accused of war crimes and enlisting children under the age of fifteen and the ICC have a warrent out for his arrest.(3) The coup, should it happen, shows that very little value is attached to loyalty in this region, with Nkunda having rejected calls from the ICC to deliver Ntaganda to the authorities, saying that the ICC should first provide the CNDP with proof of his (Ntaganda) guilt.(4)
More importantly, one would have to suspect that Kagame would be behind any move to replace Nkunda and the evidence would appear to suggest that with Ntaganda in charge the people of North Kivu have little reason to rejoice. On the contrary, such a move would suggest that things could become deadly serious in that part of the world and "deadly" is the appropriate adjective here. Moreover, such a move on Kagame's part would send a signal to Kabila in Kinshasa that it is time for him to negotiate. Of course, Kabila's cancelling his $9 billion contract with the Chinese will continue to be a precondition for negotiation.(5) No doubt, the grey eminence, from Langley, Virginia has been very busy during the last few weeks.
1 http://stopthewarinnorthkivu.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/nkunda-exits/
2 http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE5050N020090106?sp=true
3 http://www.trial-ch.org/en/trial-watch/profile/db/facts/bosco_ntaganda_761.html
4 ibid
5 http://thediplomatabroad.blogspot.com/search?q=kabila+%249+billion
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Petition Calling on UN (MONUC) to arrest NTAGANDA wantedWanted by the ICC
The UN in Congo(MONUC) is not doing enough to arrest NTAGANDA for his committed war crimes
The Mobilization for Justice and Peace in D.R. Congo (MJPC) announced today that it has launched a new online petition that can be signed at http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/24459.html asking concerned citizens around the world to demand MONUC to take concrete actions to arrest Bosco Ntaganda wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes.
MONUC is currently the largest UN peacekeeping mission in the world with more than 17,600 uniformed personnel from 58 countries with an annual budget of more than $1bn.
In April 2008, the International Criminal Court (ICC) unsealed the warrant of arrest against Mr. NTAGANDA whic was first issued on 22 August 2006 by Pre-Trial Chamber I. The Chamber concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that from July 2002 to end of December 2003, Mr. NTAGANDA had played an essential role in enlisting and conscripting children under the age of fifteen years into the FPLC and using them to participate actively in hostilities.
According to Amede KYUBWA, Executive Director of MJPC, "concerned citizens around the world are being asked to contribute to the arrest of NTAGANDA by putting pressure on MONUC to take whatever necessary actions to arrest this war criminal." He decried MONUC's failure to take appropriate action to arrest him despite evidence showing that they know his whereabouts. MJPC urges MONUC to treat those who have committed war crimes in Congo as criminals and refrain from helping them to be appointed to high governmental posts. "rewarding war criminals with the governmental posts does nothing else than promoting more war criminals, preventing justice to thousands of victims including children and women who have suffered at the hands of these criminals and it shamefully contradicts directly the values and principles of the U.N" said Mr. KYUBWA
As part of its global campaign to help end the cycle of violence and impunity in Congo, MJPC lounched it first online petition in November 2008 calling for MONUC to immediately arrest notorious war criminal NKUNDA which can still be signed http://www.gopetition.com/online/23604.html. So far more than 1085 people have signed the petition, including those from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, USA, Kenya, Rwanda, France, German, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, Malawi, Burundi, Senegal, Nigeria, Spain, Japan, the UK, Venezuela, Itali, Ethiopia, China, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Uganda.
About the MJPC.
MJPC seeks to add a voice in advocating for justice and peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo particulary in the east of the D.R. Congo where thousands innocent civilian including children and women continue to suffer massive human rights violations while armed groups responsible for these crimes go unpunished. Visit the Online Museum of Victims of War in Congo in Congo at http://www.yoursilenceoncongo.org to see the unacceptable barbarity that you could help stop by signing the petition. For more information on MJPC and the activities, visit the wbsite www.mjpcongo.org. or call Amede Kyubwa @ 916 753 5717. The online petitions can be signed at the following addresses: for arresting NKUNDA at http://www.gopetition.com/online/23604.html and arresting NTAGANDA at http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/24459.html
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