The first thing that assaults credibility is the description of the landscape as a "bucolic jungle." Eastern Congo is not a "jungle," it is forested in some areas, and it is certainly not "bucolic."

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Regarding Ben Affleck's essay on Congo, the first thing that assaults credibility is his description of the landscape as a "bucolic jungle." Eastern Congo is not a "jungle," it is forested in some areas, and it is certainly not "bucolic."

I beg to differ with Mr. Affleck, as I have just returned from the region as an independent journalist. I have been working in the region since 2004. I also happened to interview CNDP leader Laurent Nkunda a week before his detention by Rwanda. Thank you to the Huffington Post for linking to the report (s) Australian Journalist Helen Thomas and I filed from DRC.

Rwanda's forces did not "flush out" Nkunda. He went willingly to Gisenyi to meet with Kagame's representatives, where they betrayed him, and now have him under house arrest.

I am in regular contact with civilian supporters of the CNDP who are grateful that we posted our unedited interview with Nkunda on YOUTUBE. Congolese refugees in Rwanda are demonstrating for the release of their "leader" Nkunda, but Time Magazine seems to not be reporting that fact.

If Mr. Affleck has compelling testimony from Nkunda, why does he not make it available--for free? The fate of millions of people hangs in the balance now, and they do not have time to wait for Mr. Affleck's Hollywood documentary.

Meanwhile, there has been MORE violence in eastern DRC, as reported by Human Rights Watch, since Nkunda's detention.

I also find it comical to see the photo of Mr. Affleck being "patted down" while his "war correspondent" photographer looks on with his lens.

Two small women went in with our Nikon and Canon cameras with no problem, no patting down, and no sense of threat. We had dinner with Nkunda after the interview and met with his family.

Of course it is very "Hollywood" to gin up the reality of meeting with Nkunda to enhance the "bravery" of Affleck and his cameraman.

This is not journalism. This is a Hollywood promo--a promotion sanctioned by Time Magazine.

Authors Website: http://www.georgianne-nienaber.com

Authors Bio:

Georgianne Nienaber is an investigative environmental and political writer. She lives in rural northern Minnesota and South Florida. Her articles have appeared in The Society of Professional Journalists' Online Quill Magazine, the Huffington Post, The Ugandan Independent, Rwanda's New Times, India's TerraGreen, COA News, ZNET, OpEdNews, Glide Magazine, The Journal of the International Primate Protection League, Africa Front, The United Nations Publication, A Civil Society Observer, Bitch Magazine, and Zimbabwe's The Daily Mirror. Her fiction expose of insurance fraud in the horse industry, Horse Sense, was re-released in early 2006. Gorilla Dreams: The Legacy of Dian Fossey was also released in 2006. Nienaber spent much of 2007 doing research in South Africa, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. She was in DRC as a MONUC-accredited journalist, and was living in Southern Louisiana investigating hurricane reconstruction and getting to know the people there in 2007. Nienaber is continuing "to explore the magic of the Deep South." She was a member of the Memphis Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and is a current member of Investigative Rorters and Editors.