Congo
Hearing Has
Hege's Theory,
Malapropisms
on CNDP, But
No FARDC Rapes
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 12 --
In the run up
to Tuesday's
hearing of the
House Foreign
Affairs
Committee,
some were
surprised to
see the
listing
"Mr.
Steve Hege
(Former Member
United Nations
Group of
Experts on the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo)"
It
was the word
"former" that
jumped out.
Inner City
Press
asked
the UN, and it
was confirmed
in a fashion,
here.
Still some
thought Hege
might get
re-appointed,
if only to
another
sanctions
committee.
But
at the hearing
Tuesday, Hege
cut loose with
his analysis
of, rather
than reporting
on, the
conflict. His
is an
interesting
theory, but
one more
suited to an
academic or
pundit than a
sanctions
expert.
Hege
said that
Rwanda and the
M23 want
federalism; he
analogized it
to
Sudan and
South Sudan,
which
ultimately
broke away.
Rep.
Chris Smith
mad another
analogy,
between Rwanda
and Serbia,
Paul
Kagame and
Milosevic. It
was a
one-sided
hearing,
including
Johnnie
Carson, who
called the
M23's
precursor the
"CNDR" rather
than its
actual name,
CNDP.
Carson
said that the
US supports a
UN envoy to
the DRC --
some noted
that
the American
Roger Meece
already HAS
that title,
with the
MONUSCO
mission (which
another rising
Rep called
"UNESCO.")
Rep.
Smith read
from the UK
Guardian. It's
a fine paper,
but there's
still
no closure on
the quote they
ran from an
unnamed UN
official that
M23
was looting
the Central
Bank in Goma,
which was
later denied
not only
by the manager
but by the UN
itself, in a
response
to Inner City
Press'
questions.
Inner
City Press
used the
stated "Ask a
Question"
button to,
well, asked
two questions,
including
about the lack
of
implementation
or
transparency
in the UN's
Human Rights
Due Diligence
Policy after
the Congolese
Armed forces
committed at
least 70 rapes
in Minova in
late November
as they
retreated from
the M23. The
question was
not
asked.
At
the UN,
including to
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous, the
question has
been asked,
repeatedly,
without
answer.
For now we are
sticking to
that. Watch
this site.
, 
