Obasanjo being entrusted with bringing peace to the Congo is a joke. Eight years as Nigeria's president did not bring any semblance of peace to the Niger Delta nor personal security to the general populace. He left Nigeria in worst shape than when he bamboozzeled his way into the presidency. He can fool Ban-Ki Moon but not this Nigerian. He is a total disgrace, and I know that sentiment reresents the true feelings of most of us. Congolese people should watch their backs.
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The Peacemaker
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Why not win agreement from the neighboring countries to cut off the flow of illegal exports?
I have raised that issue and whether we couldn't do what was tried in Liberia [boycotting blood diamonds]. But I was told while you can identify the source of diamonds, Congo's exports are not easy to identify.
You visited Angola recently; did you raise the concerns that Angolan troops are already in Congo? Are you concerned that even peacekeepers from countries like Angola and Rwanda, which were previously involved in Congo's wars, could just drag the situation back to where it was in 1998, a war involving nine nations?
I did visit Angola, and I was categorically told none of their troops are there. As to regional troops—they will have to all agree who will contribute troops.
There's a sense that some of the most important players aren't talking to each other, like Rwanda's president Paul Kagame and Congo's president Joseph Kabila, who haven't even met over this, and also that Congolese leaders refuse to talk to Nkunda.
Kagame assured me they are talking to Kabila every day, and his foreign minister just left Kigali, and on the 29th of this month, the chiefs of staff of both countries will be meeting. I believe Nkunda must talk to the government of Congo, and the government of president Kabila is not opposed to that. The next thing I want to do is get a dialogue going.
What can be done about the [Hutu rebels]? Have you been able to talk to them?
Something has to be done. The leaders of Congo and the Great Lakes region and the international community all have to put their heads together; there are foreign-armed troops within Congo and that is unacceptable.
© 2008
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