The U.S as the only country that has not recognised the 1994 genocide against Tutsi designation, is now changing the narrative on the FDLR terrorist group!
The US has sanctioned FDLR in the last 23 years, yet now is rather demonizing the M23 Movement as both “US and UN-sanctioned”. This is too dubious! There is no moral equivalence between the terrorist genocidal FDLR, despite the US sanctioning both groups simultaneously.
M23 fights to save its people from Genocide or state discrimination!
In the statement issued on Saturday 17th Feb, the American government once again showed that it has a very short memory when they selectively omit that FDLR is an UN-sanctioned group whose leaders and members are among the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and now refer to them only as a “negative force, according to local organizations.”
Yet it was the same U.S. Department of State which in December 2001 added FDLR – then known as “ALIR a.k.a. Interahamwe, ex-FAR” – to the Terrorist List under the provisions of the Patriot Act, after the group murdered, and raped, eight Western tourists in Bwindi, Uganda. The victims included two Americans.
The United States ignores the role of FDLR in the continued ethnic cleansing and other atrocities, or the fact the Congolese government arms FDLR and has already embedded it in its army (FARDC).
It is on record (and in different reports of UN group of experts and international rights organizations) that the FDLR is working hand in hand with the Kinshasa regime in killing, raping, and violating the rights innocent Congolese Tutsi in eastern DRC, but the State Department deliberately forgot to mention all that.
Many people are wondering about the interest the United States has in FDLR, a terror organization that threatens Rwanda’s stability.
During his visit to Rwanda last year US Secretary of State Blinken said his country was concerned by the reports that the DRC government supports FDLR. Blinken also acknowledged that his country is fully aware of the alliance of the Congolese army (FARDC) with FDLR, and shelling incidents on Rwandan soil from Congolese territory.
Let’s also remember that the US always sings that it supports the Luanda and Nairobi processes, though they know well that Tshisekedi has violated that agreement.
For the US to now begin sanitizing FDLR is very sad.
On it’s part, Rwanda will never hesitate protect its people whether the US want it or not.
ellenkampire