Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – "It is an unprecedented event that puzzles me," Fides was told by Fr. Loris Cattani, a Xaverian missionary with extended experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in commenting on the attack of the UN Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) camp at Kirumba, in North Kivu (eastern DRC). On the night of August 18, about sixty men armed with knives attacked the camp, located 140 km north of the capital, Goma, killing 3 Indian "Blue Helmets" and wounding 7 others.
The Congolese authorities have arrested two suspects, one of which confessed to having participated in the UN military assault. The two suspects belong to the group “Mai-Mai Pareco.” The term Mai Mai refers to a formation of guerrilla groups in eastern DRC that have been resisting foreign interference. Even the fighters themselves are guilty of atrocities against civilians.
"The Mai-Mai Pareco are being accused of the crime. I have no information to confirm or deny these allegations. I do know, however, that a local newspaper does not believe this version, claiming that the attack was carried out by another group that has made itself out to be the Mai Mai," said Fr. Cattani.
The newspaper BeniLubero Online says that the attack on the UN troops was committed by a fake group of Mai-Mai in order to create a nonexistent threat to justify a new war in the area and, at the same time, send a signal to India (whose troops were the target of the attack at the UN camp), which opposes the division of the DRC. According to the Congolese newspaper, in fact, the UN Mission in Congo is plagued by a division between the powers interested in seeing a division of the DRC into smaller states and, therefore, making it more easily controllable ("balkanization"), and those who, while having economic interests in country, are opposed. For this reason, according to the BeniLubero Online, MONUSCO has long been discredited in the eyes of local people.
"MONUSCO certainly shows itself to be weak after this event, because it appears to be unable to even maintain self-defense, let alone protect civilians. There is little word leaked out, but there are still murders, especially of traders, in Beni and Butembo, about 250 km north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu," said Fr. Cattani.
In eastern DRC, several foreign guerrilla groups have been active for some time now, sowing terror among the population. These include the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR, formed by Rwandan Hutu groups who had fled the area after 1994), the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and the ADF/NALU, the latter two groups being Ugandan.
"There has been very little said recently about the FDLR, who were used to justify foreign interference in Kivu. I hope no one will now use the excuse of the Mai-Mai to continue to sow division and terror in the territory. There has long been a project underway to coerce the local population to flee so as to replace them with others and thus, illegally exploit local resources. The violence against civilians are part of this program,” says the missionary. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 08/20/2010)
