http://sfbayview.com/2012/vietnam-afghanistan-somalia-congo-the-drc/#.UNoIgrCVbao.facebookVietnam, Afghanistan, Somalia … Congo? The DRC?December 24, 2012 by Ann Garrison KPFA Evening News broadcast Dec. 23, 2012KPFA Evening News Anchor Anthony Fest: Turning now to news of Africa, the people of eastern Congo are facing another tragic Christmas. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that 900,000 more people have been displaced and more than 750 children are reported missing. Rwandan Defense Minister James Kabarebe, left, and AFRICOM's first Commander, William "Kip" Ward, are pictured in an April 2009 report on the U.S. Africa Command website, "Ward Leads Africa Command Delegation to Rwanda." The latest U.N. experts' report on Congo included a chain-of-command chart that shows Kabarebe commanding the M23 militia in eastern Congo. The 2009 report quoted Ward as saying, "These [the Rwandan Army] are professional forces. Where we can come and provide the sort of assistance that they ask us to do to complement what they do, then this (visit) helps me understand that." The same report quoted Rwandan Defense Force (RDF) spokesman Major Jill Rutaremara saying that the U.S. military and RDF share a robust military-to-military relationship. This past Wednesday the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee held a hearing on the conflict, in which the committee considered further arming and training support for the Congolese Army. KPFA's Ann Garrison has the story. KPFA/Ann Garrison: The Democratic Republic of the Congo has long been a security concern to the U.S., because of its abundant mineral resources, many of which are essential to advanced weapons manufacture. In February 2012, the Financial Times reported that Arizona-based Freeport-McMoran's cobalt mine in Katanga Province alone puts Congo on a list of the USA's top 20 sites to be protected from "terrorist attack." However, a week after the conflict, Pentagon and State Department officials told the House Armed Services Committee that their goal in training Congolese troops is mass atrocity prevention. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson named a long list of militias operating in Congo, after which Florida Congressman Allen West asked whether the committee needed to fear mission creep – the expansion of U.S. operations – and whether there was any possibility that all these militias might unite and turn on U.S. forces. Derek Chollet, senior director for strategic planning on Obama's Security Council, and Johnnie Carson said no, but West said that they'd heard that before, regarding Vietnam, Afghanistan and Somalia. A mother rests before finishing her shelter at the Mugunga I site for internally displaced people in Goma, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Feb. 22, 2008. This picture resembles many others taken this month. The Rwandan and Ugandan M23 militia surrounds Goma, even though it has formally withdrawn in response to international pressure. Sources in Goma say the people are terrified. The UNHCR says that 900,000 more people have been made homeless by M23's war since April, and over 750 children have been reported missing. – Photo: © A. McConnell, WpN National Security Council Adviser for Strategic Planning Derek Chollet: Sir, the goal of our efforts at the Defense Department is to help build up the Congolese military and to make them capable of taking care of these problems. Congressman Allen West: So that's foreign internal defense. National Security Council Advisor Derek Chollet: Internal defense. And the footprint issue, which you've quite rightly raised, is extremely limited. Right now we have three personnel who are part of the MONUSCO mission, a U.N. mission, to help them on information sharing as well as some intelligence issues. When we had the training effort underway for the 391st, for this battalion, it was about 60 folks, Special Forces and others, to help train them up … Congressman Allen West: But my concern would be … all of these different non-state, non-uniformed belligerents coming together against our efforts. Is that a potential to happen there? Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson: No, and I'd like to just underscore what Mr. Chollet has said. We're not talking about American soldiers on the ground, engaged against rebel groups in the DRC. Congressman Allen West: But we said that in Vietnam and Somalia and other places. KPFA/Ann Garrison: No one remarked on the fact that the United States has for many years trained and armed the Ugandan and Rwandan militaries, including former general, now Rwandan president, Paul Kagame. For Pacifica, KPFA and AfrobeatRadio, I'm Ann Garrison. San Francisco writer Ann Garrison writes for the San Francisco Bay View, Global Research, Colored Opinions,Black Star News and her own website, Ann Garrison, and produces for AfrobeatRadio on WBAI-NYC, KPFA Evening News and her own YouTube Channel, AnnieGetYourGang. She can be reached atann@afrobeatradio.com. If you want to see Ann Garrison's independent reporting continue, please contribute on her website at anngarrison.com. |
Tuesday, 25 December 2012
Vietnam, Afghanistan, Somalia … Congo? The DRC?
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