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Christian Living

africamatters 01/21/09

Rwandan Troops Enter Congo

For weeks, the Congolese have been saying that the Rwandans were coming over the border to hunt the Hutu rebels.  Now the reports are confirmed by the Rwandan officials and the United Nations.

Somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 troops have crossed the border to go after Hutu militiamen, many of whom actively participated in the Rwandan genocide in 1994.  The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) were basically the bad guys running away from justice.  Now they take out their hatred on the people of Congo.  The militia has committed acts of unspeakable violence, torture and mass executions.

(Click here to read the full story.)

I think the Washington Post found the best way of describing the current problem where...

"...more than five million Congolese have died in the years of war and low-level conflict related to the unresolved aftermath of the Rwandan genocide." (emphasis mine)

Five million Congolese.  That's more than FOUR MILLION that were killed during the genocide!  These low-level conflicts often get less attention, yet kill more people than the sudden, swift killing sprees.

Now is probably a good time to send in Rwandan troops in to Congo to bring past genociders to justice.  There have been wild rumors about an internal power struggle between Gen. Laurent Nkunda of the Congolese rebel group and different factions having problems.  The Rwandans see this as an opportunity to take advantage of the disarray.

This is an important story to keep an eye on.  If the Congolese government decides it doesn't want the Rwandans in their country, it could lead to a greater war between the two countries.  Now is definitely the time to redouble prayer efforts for peace in the region.

What do you think?  Comments?  E-mail me.

By the way, here are some previous postings I've done about the conflict:

A Changing Rwanda

Congolese Soldiers Fleeing Goma

Unspeakable Horror

The Lives of Ntarama

DR Congo: Finally, Good News!  Maybe...

Hutus & Tutsis at War...AGAIN?

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