Associated Press/washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/us-cuts-military-aid-to-rwanda-over-alleged-congo-rebel-support/2012/07/21/gJQAlDXQ0W_story.html
The U.S. government said Saturday it has cut this year's planned military
assistance to Rwanda amid concerns that the government in Kigali is supporting
rebel movements in neighboring Congo.
"The United States has been actively engaged at the highest levels to urge
Rwanda to halt and prevent the provision of such support, which threatens to
undermine stability in the region," State Department spokesman Darby Holladay
said in an emailed statement.
Rwanda has denied reports by the United Nations and rights groups that it is
supporting the so-called M23 rebel movement in East Congo, which has sparked new
fighting in the area that has forced more than 200,000 civilians from their
homes since April.
"The United States government is deeply concerned about the evidence that Rwanda
is implicated in the provision of support to Congolese rebel groups, including
M23," the statement said.
The U.S. — usually a staunch Rwandan ally — therefore cuts $200,000 of initially
pledged military aid for a training academy, reallocating the funds to another
country instead, the State Department said.
While the actual the amount of money being withheld is small, the move appears
to be a clear snub at the government in Kigali, reflecting Washington's concerns
over the recent instability in eastern Congo.
"Restraint, dialogue, and respect for each other's sovereignty offer the best
opportunity" for Rwanda and Congo "to resume the difficult work of bringing
peace and security to the broader region," it said.
Washington's move follows last week's statement by the U.N. Security Council,
condemning all outside support to armed groups in Congo and demanding that such
backing "cease immediately."
The leaders of Congo and Rwanda earlier this month agreed in principle to back a
neutral international armed force to combat Congo's newest rebellion and other
fighters terrorizing civilians in the country's mineral-rich east, and the
African Union said it could help by sending soldiers. Details, however, have
remained sketchy.
Congo already has the world's largest peacekeeping force of nearly 20,000 U.N.
soldiers and police that cost nearly $1.5 billion in 2011. Congo's army — ill-equipped,
ill-paid and demoralized — is accused of pillaging and rape of civilians as
often as are the rebels and militias, putting U.N. peacekeepers in an invidious
position.
East Congo's conflict is a hangover from Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Hundreds who
participated in the killings of some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus escaped
into Congo and still fight there today. The M23 rebels are the latest
incarnation of a group of Congolese Tutsi rebels set up to fight Rwandan Hutu
rebels in Congo.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Les Pays-Bas ont suspendu une aide budgétaire
BBC Afrique, le 27 juillet 2012
«…Les Pays-Bas ont suspendu une aide budgétaire de 5 millions d'euros en réponse
au rapport d'un groupe d'expert de l'ONU mettant en cause plusieurs haut
responsables du régime rwandais dans son soutien direct de la rébellion au Nord
Kivu, avec des armes, des munitions et des combattants.
L'argent prévu devait être utilisé pour améliorer le système judiciaire du
Rwanda.
Le ministre néerlandais des Affaires étrangères a indiqué qu'il allait consulter
ses partenaires de l'Union européenne pour déterminer une position commune sur
l'aide au développement au Rwanda, en fonction de la réaction officielle de
Kigali au rapport de l'ONU, et des développements sur le terrain.
Les pays scandinaves au conseil d'administration de la Banque africaine de
développement ont également forcé le report d'une décision sur le versement de
39 millions de dollars d'aide budgétaire, signe que Paul Kagame est en train de
se mettre à dos des alliés européens.
Le Royaume-Uni, le plus gros donateur d'aide d'aide à Kigali, est pour l'instant
plus prudent.
"Si le Rwanda a violé des résolutions du Conseil de sécurité sur l'embargo des
armes, nous devront réévaluer notre position", a indiqué le ministère
britannique des Affaires étrangères.
"Cependant, suspendre le programme d'aide ferait uniquement du tort à ceux qui
ont le plus besoin de nous".
Kigali dépend de l'aide internationale pour plus d'un tiers de son budget.
Le Rwanda a réagi avec indignation aux accusations de soutien de la rébellion du
M23 en RDC, niant toute implication, et rejetant les méthodes des experts de
l'ONU. »
http://www.bbc.co.uk/afrique/region/2012/07/120727_rwanda_pays-bas.shtml