UN discusses report on Congo
What you need to know:
Members of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday began discussions on the report accusing Uganda and Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels in a move that could see the two countries facing sanctions if found guilty.
Kampala
The United Nations on Tuesday began discussing the report by the UN group of experts accusing Uganda and Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels who have been fighting the DR Congo government.
The discussion continued yesterday at the UN headquarters in New York with some European countries reportedly pushing for sanctions against the two accused countries. However, State minister for Regional Cooperation Asuman Kiyingi said a number of the UN Security Council members had questioned why the authors of the report accused Uganda which has been playing a mediation role between the rebels and Kinshasa government.
“I have been getting updates and it seems that United States, Russia, China and South Africa and members of the European Union are asking the group of experts to explain why they accused Uganda,” he said, “the sense was that it is innocent.”
The Daily Monitor was not able to independently corroborate the minister’s information by press time.
If the UN adopts the report, the possible courses of action against the accused individuals in the report are sanctions or slamming of travel bans. The group of experts had also recommended that military assistance to Uganda and Rwanda by UN member states be reviewed. But the minister said Uganda did not expect the UN to adopt part of the report that accuses Kampala of supporting the rebels.
The report accuses the President’s brother, Gen. Salim Saleh; the Inspector General of Police, Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura, the UPDF 2 Division commander, Brig. Patrick Kankiriho and the director of counter-terrorism in police, Mr John Ndungutse, of supporting the rebels militarily and politically.
A statement issued by the UNSC was silent on Uganda and Rwanda but said the UN and United States had ordered sanctions against the head of the Congolese rebels, Col. Sultani Makenga.
The UN ordered a travel ban on, and the freezing of, Col. Makenga’s assets while the US announced it had banned Americans from dealing with him. Uganda and Rwanda have both angrily reacted to the allegations that might see accused individuals in the report face sanctions if the report is adopted.
The M23 rebellion began in April this year after mutineers broke away from the Congolese army and seized towns near North Kivu, saying Kinshasa had refused to honour a peace agreement signed in 2009.
