Following reported killings in Kishishe MONUSCO (the “peacekeeping” mission in DRC) has issued a press release with the title: “at least 131 civilians killed by the M23 in Kishishe and Bambo”. This is cynical in the extreme. On what basis did Monusco reach that conclusion? What investigation did they conduct, this fast?
Monusco did not allow itself time and effort, to go to the alleged killing scene to conduct any investigation before running with preliminary conclusions to the press.
“We gave our version of the facts. We asked that there be investigations together with us in Kishishe, but the U.N. never came. The U.N. is under pressure from the government to come up with a figure, even if it is false,” M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka told Reuters. Apparently Monusco’s main interest is to appease the regime of Tshisekedi.
Although they admit they have not accessed the purported crime scene, MONUSCO and their partners have been able to establish not only the number but the gender, age, height, and mode of death of the victims! Are they witchdoctors, or what?!
Their preliminary report is only based on interviews with internally displaced persons who fled from the fighting in Kishishe and Bambo! It should be noted that most of these displaced persons are closely related to the fighters of the local armed groups like FDLR, Mai-Mai Nyartura, PACLS, PARECO, and CODECO, who were heavily involved in the fighting that day. It is rather revealing that MONUSCO and their partners did not see any problem that these displaced residents can never be expected to tell the truth.
The choice of the title for their press release was very biased, and only aimed at influencing media reports, which also gives away the motive of their biased approach while conducting their “investigation” – sorry witch-hunt!
It is also not a coincidence that MONUSCO has sought to “regulate” the alleged number of victims, by trying to strike what they think is a more credible balance from what the Congolese government had issued, in their frenzied hype to incriminate the M23 Movement.
Monusco has never been credible in it’s supposed peacekeeping mission. They have been in eastern Congo for two decades, but insecurity in that time has increased instead. The group therefore is quite conscious of its unpopularity before the Congolese owing to its failure to enforce peace in DRC. So now they are hyping the propaganda of Tshisekedi, because then their presence in DRC will be reassured (so as to go on earning a lot of money in illicit mineral businesses).
Monusco also hopes that by siding with the Kinshasa regime to vilify the M23, they stand a chance of reducing the tension and resentment against them, and perhaps the Congolese would stop throwing stones at their convoys every time they venture out of their secured compounds. Still, they have further exposed their unprofessional conduct, and the calls for them to pack and leave the region will not be stopped by their sacrificing the truth in exchange for temporary relief.
MONUSCO’s false report only jeopardizes regional peace and stability.