Africa-Press – Rwanda. The reports of alleged massacre of civilians by M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo are full of contradictions. One source says over 140 civilians died in July in villages near Virunga National Park. Another says the toll may exceed 300.
The ethnicity of the so-called victims is also in dispute. Some reports claim most victims are Hutu, while from available resources, the authors alleged that they captured the said massacre via satellite, begging the question of how they established the ethnicity.
Not complete profile of a single victim has been mentioned. The facts do not simply line up.
Such mismatch in basic facts raises questions. Who counted the dead? Who chose which names to list? One simply cannot tell. Claims of summary executions, reports of bodies buried in fields and accusations of forced burials…these details are hard to confirm. Every version seems compromised.
Even worse are claims tied to ethnicity. Some say the UN is falling into the trap of ethnicising the DR Congo situation. That was the strong warning by Rwanda’s Permanent Representative at the UN Security Council.
He urged the world not to allow ethnic labels to define the crisis; such voices are not just shared by Rwandans but everyone who genuinely need peace to prevail in this precarious region. A forensic investigation could give us clarity. We need facts. Not fears.
The Security Council has a duty now. It must launch a forensic inquiry. It needs to send experts with proper training. They should gather evidence. They must examine scenes on the ground. They should use forensic techniques. They must interview survivors.
They should collect physical evidence. They must verify the numbers. They must clarify who was targeted. They must assess whether bodies were buried or thrown away. They must test claims about ethnicity.
The goal is not politics. The aim is truth. The aim is justice. The UN must act with urgency. It must show that allegations will not stand untested. It must show that every voice, and every life, matters. A forensic investigation can cut through rumor. It can bring clarity. It can honor victims. It can preserve peace.
Let the Security Council seize this moment. Let it affirm its role. Let it stop speculation. Let it bring the truth into light. The world watches. Justice demands nothing less.
The timing of these allegations is also something worth giving attention to. We are at a critical stage towards implementing both the Washington and Doha agreements and one can only wonder; what if such cooked reports are aimed at scuttering these processes?
Source: The New Times
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