Since the start of military operations, the FDLR rebels have carried out widespread retaliatory attacks, brutally killing and raping Congolese civilians. In one recent reprisal attack, on July 20, the rebels killed more than 20 civilians in the village of Manje, in Walikale territory, North Kivu province. As in previous similar attacks, the rebels hacked some victims with machetes, shot others, and burned a number to death in their homes.
The Congolese Advocacy Coalition urged Clinton to press the Congolese and Rwandan governments, the UN and its member states to urgently review their strategy against the FDLR rebels and to plan for a new and more comprehensive approach emphasizing protection of civilians.
There we have it. Kabila's army is committing a majority of the atrocities, and Hillary is going to be face to face with the butcher. Her husband's inattention in Rwanda in 1994 contributed to the murder of one million. This will be the test as to whether the United States can really exert influence in central Africa. Can Clinton offer a moral compass in this humanitarian tragedy, or will we once again turn our back on humanity?
The innocents cannot afford to wait much longer. The eyes of the innocents, pictured above, are on us.
*****
HRW just published this excellent fact sheet on who is fighting whom in DRC.
First posted on Huffington Post
