The DRC: Odd Quotes from a Depressing News Day

Published October 30, 2008 @ 06:30PM PT

Humanitarian Relief guru Michael Kleinman posted an update to the intense fighting in the eastern DRC, as did Kate at Wronging Rights. Both discuss the ceasefire declared yesterday by rebel leader Laurent Nkunda.

I'm finding rhetoric interesting at the moment, so let's go with it. As Operation Broken Silence writes, Nkunda's statement claimed that his intention was “not to panic the population of Goma as well as those who are in displaced persons camps in the immediate environs of the city.”

Oh good! I was worried that, by rampaging through the country and displacing thousands of people, your intention was, in fact, to panic the population. Thanks for clearing that up.

Ready for another? Gotta love this quote from a press release from the South African Government Information service, regarding diplomatic visits to the DRC:

"South Africa remains committed to a strategy for post conflict reconstruction and development in the DRC that is aligned with that of the African Union and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad)."

Post-conflict reconstruction? Seriously?

The Independent (UK) is a bit wiser, noting that the problem today stems from the international community's failure to deal with Rwandan militias in the DRC when they first started stirring up trouble (= committing genocide and other egregious abuses) in 1994:

"We have been here before. There is a disturbing déjà vu to the reports of thousands of refugees on the move with their mattresses and cooking pots in the border area between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo."

Finally, Here's a list of people "extremely concerned" about the on-going and rapidly escalating conflict:

France

The European Union (But they aren't sending troops.)

"Some" African countries (Bad headline writing.)

Senator Russ Feingold

Would be nice if said "concern" translated into meaning action.

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Michelle became involved in the anti-genocide cause at a young age, and has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns, ever since.