By John Stephen Katende – 30^th Aug-5^th Sept

Copses at a UN Camp in Goma, 1994

Uganda’s hitherto invincible President General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni could soon be defending himself alongside people Charles Taylor, Omar al-Bashir, Thomas Lubanga, Jean Piere Bemba, and above all, LRA’s notorious Joseph Kony.  They are all people who have been indicted by the International Criminal Court [ICC] for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and even genocide.

A leaked United Nations report into the atrocities that were allegedly committed in Zaire [now Democratic Republic of Congo] during the war that ousted President Mobutu Seseko from power has accused Uganda and her allies in that war of “wholesale” war crimes, crimes against humanity, and perhaps even genocide “…because the principal targets of the violence were Hutus”, report says.

A draft version of the 600-page unprecedented mapping report that was revealed by the French newspaper Le Monde is expected to be published next month.  One of the allegations in it are that Rwandan forces and local allies rounded up hundreds of men, women and children at a time and butchered them with hoes and axes.  On other occasions, the report alleged, Hutu refugees were bayoneted, burned alive, or killed with hammer blows in large numbers.

The UN report described the alleged atrocities as “…systematic, methodical, and premeditated”. The attacks on the Hutus, the report claimed, “…took place in all areas where the refugees had been tracked down”. It also said “…the pursuit lasted months and, occasionally, humanitarian aid intended for them was deliberately blocked, notably in the eastern province, thus depriving them of things essential to their survival”.

It is the first time the UN has published such forthright allegations against Rwanda and her other allies like Uganda who ousted Mobutu from power and installed Laurent Kabila [RIP] as President.  The Rwandan government has reacted angrily to the report and dismissed it as “amateurish” and “outrageous”.

Jason Stearns, an online blogger who runs a blog called “Congo Siasa” however, believes that Rwanda had already convinced UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to prevail on the authors of the report to delete certain aspects that directly linked Rwanda to the alleged atrocities.

According to Stearns, some of the people involved in compiling the report however, felt that it would be inappropriate to delete the damning parts of the report and decided to leak it to the world before it’s officially published.  So clearly then, if it turns out that there are substantial differences between the leaked report and the final one, then the UN is likely to be accused of bowing to pressure from Rwanda.

Rwanda has, as a result, threatened to pull out of international peacekeeping missions.  The Le Monde newspaper said the threat was contained in a letter written by Rwanda’s foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The report was however welcomed by human rights groups that have already called for the prosecution of those responsible for war crimes.  “This is a very important report.  We hope that it can form the basis for ending the impunity that has protected the people responsible for some of these crimes”, said Human Rights Watch.

Both President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame have very good reasons to be worried about this report.  The reason being that for the very first time, this UN report covers a period of up to 2003.  What that means is that it would automatically bring any crimes committed after 2002 squarely within the jurisdiction of The Hague based International Criminal Court.

Uganda’s involvement in that Congo conflict was controversial from the very start!  President Yoweri Museveni, as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, had unilaterally deployed Ugandan troops into Congo without the prior approval of parliament as required by the constitution of Uganda.  That controversy continued when Uganda and Rwanda, the top allies in that war, ended up fighting bitter battles against each in Kisangani; a town in eastern DRC.

Next Monday, Uganda Correspondent will exclusively bring you “the untold story of the Kisangani clashes” as narrated by a former resident of Kisangani who witnessed the Kisangani I&II clashes between Uganda and Rwanda.  If it’s Monday, it’s Uganda Correspondent.  Never miss out again.  END.  If it’s Monday, it’s Uganda Correspondent.  Never miss out again.