A report that documents Rwanda’s active role in a rebellion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has allegedly been blocked by the United States.
In the report, rebel Rwandan soldiers have told UN officials that they were ordered to fight in an uprising that displaced thousands of people in the eastern Congo.
The leader of this rebellion, General Bosco Ntaganda, is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity and various war crimes. The report dictates Rwanda’s recruiting of soldiers to aid this violent rebellion.
The government of the DRC claims that Rwanda and its allies, including the US, have been covering up the report in order to shield Rwandan President Paul Kagame from public criticism.
Kagame responded by asking the DRC to acknowledge their own role in the increase in rebel fighting and to make an effective plan to end it.
If the US government is in fact aiding this cover up, the international backlash will be significant. The rebel fighters in the DRC are particularly known for their use of child soldiers. Though the political situation is not very clear to nations outside of the African continent, the gravity of the situation is understood.
By stalling this report, the US could come under fire for indirectly aiding a warlord wanted by the ICC and this could lead to legal repercussions for the US and Rwanda in international court.
photo credit: Junior D. Kannah/AFP/Getty
