Kitchanga, 6th december 2007
Bloody Consequences of the fall of Mushaki : first signs of selective
massacres already seen in some entities in Masisi.
An attempt to massacre the civilian population belonging to the Tutsi ethnic
group has been taking place during the night of Wednesday to Thursday in two
villages of Masisi by a group of inhabitants of these sectors incited by the
responsible of the 8th Division and supervised by a militia group coalition
of FDLR-PARECO.
It all started towards 11.00 PM when the FDLR-PARECO coalition attacked the
village of BURUNGU situated at 4Km from Kilorirwe on Kilorirwe-kitchanga road
targeting Tutsi civilians. After finding that the huts were empty of
occupants, these assailants accompanied by some inhabitants of this village
who acted as their path-finders decided to systematically loot in all the huts
after which they reiterated the message of Col. Delphin KAHIMBI the
second 8th Division Commander to the remaining inhabitants of the village that
all persons living in areas under the CNDP control should leave their
respective sectors otherwise they would be taken as supporting the Tutsi
insurgents.
The message was quickly spread therefore, reviving old divisionist sentiments
of hatred against Tutsi while the CNDP had succeed to put together all the
communities living in these zones. Armed with chop, machetes, lance, club,
knives, etc, under the command of FDLR-PARECO militia coalition, a group of
inhabitants of Kitchanga attacked the Tutsi returnees camp in KAHE with the aim
of killing Tutsi considered as enemy. These assailants managed to wound some
tens of persons among these Congolese returnees just before the intervention of
the CNDP soldiers which was salvatory, and these assailants then took refuge in
MONUC premises where they find protection up to this very moment we write these
lines.
It is however important to recall that this PARECO militia has been created
few months ago by some provincial parliamentarians originating from Masisi and
Rutshuru among them Mr Eugene SERUFULI, SENINGA, Bertin KIRIVITA, SEBISHIMBO
and PILIPILI.
Furthermore, during the same night, moments before the attack of BURUNGU, the
UN contingent which has been deployed round the Internal Displaced Persons in
Kilolirwe camp decided to withdraw from the area thus abandoning them. However,
this behaviour of the UN contingent should be deplored because the first
mission of MONUC in DRC is the protection of civilians in danger, especially
those constituting prime target of the militia, the FDLR mainly.
On the other hand, the locality of MUSHAKI now controlled by government
forces was subject to a systematic looting since Wednesday of all property
(mattress, chairs, kitchen utensils, iron sheets, spades, doors, goats, etc.)
belonging to Tutsi civilians who recently returned from exile in Rwanda. The
authors of these looting are soldiers and a group of civilians from SAKE led by
Honorable PILIPILI, a provincial parliamentarian elected from Masisi territory.
Recall that these returnees from Rwanda victims of this looting were
temporarily installed in this sector waiting to be reinstalled to their
respective villages still occupied by the FDLR.
The tension existing in Kitchanga now clearly enounces the evil that will
happen tomorrow to these Congolese returnees from Rwanda in particular, and the
Tutsi community in general who by the way have already learnt to live with
their foes of yesterday who appear to reorganize once again.
However, even if the MONUC in its reports pretends to restrict the government
forces to use heavy weapons (artillery), the current situation on the ground
shows the contrary; Firstly the MONUC forces committed to protect civilians in
Kilorirwe internal displaced camp has abandoned them without any other
protection while threatened by the FDLR-PARECO coalition; secondly those heavy
weapons are positioned near the MONUC camp and IDP (Internal Displaced Camp) so
that the CNDP forces could not attack them.
We know that field commanders have the will but do not have enough power to
influence important decisions taken on the top level, meanwhile responsibility
will be shared by MONUC and Government and their allies.
Version francaise
Les faits ont commencé vers 23h00 lorsque la coalition FDLR-PARECO a investi
le village de BURUNGU situé à 4 Km de Kirolirwe sur la route Kirolirwe
Kitshanga pour y chercher des civils tutsi. Ayant trouvé les cases de ces
derniers vides, les assaillants accompagnés par certains habitants dudit
village qui leur servaient déclaireurs, se sont alors livrés aux pillages
systématiques desdites cases avant de réitérer aux habitants dudit village le
mot dordre de Delphin KAHIMBI, commandant second de la 8ème région militaire
mettant en demeure les habitants des secteurs contrôlés par le CNDP de quitter
lesdits secteurs de peur dêtre assimilés aux insurgés. Linformation sest
alors propagée comme une drainée de poudre ravivant des sentiments
divisionnistes dalors que le CNDP avait eu le mérite de maîtriser au sein des
habitants dudit secteur. Armés des machettes, gourdins, couteaux, et autres
armes blanches, sous lencadrement des éléments dune milice appartenant à la
coalition FDLR-PARECO, un groupe dhabitants de Kitshanga a alors attaqué le
camp des retournés tutsi à KAHE pour en chasser ceux quils considèrent comme
partisans du CNDP et ainsi éviter que leurs entités soient la cible des
attaques de larmée gouvernementale. Les assaillants auront juste le temps de
blesser une dizaine desdits retournés congolais avant lintervention des
éléments du CNDP, quelques instants après, pour empêcher le pire ; ces
assaillants se sont alors réfugiés à la MONUC où ils ont trouvés protection
jusquau moment où nous mettions en ligne cette dépêche.
La milice, auteur de ces forfaits avait été créée, il y a quelques mois, par
certains députés provinciaux originaires de Masisi dont Eugène SERUFULI,
SENINGA, Bertin KIRIVITA, SEBISHIMBO et PILIPILI, pour faire échec au retour
des réfugiés congolais vivant au Rwanda, au Burundi et en Ouganda.
Ajoutons que dans la même nuit, quelques temps avant lattaque de BURUNGU, le
contingent onusien déployé autour du camp des déplacés de Kirolirwe sest
retiré dudit lieu abandonnant les déplacés à leur triste sort ; heureusement
quon na rien déploré dans ledit camp. Cependant, ce comportement du
contingent onusien est déplorable pour autant que sa mission première en RDC
est la protection des populations civiles menacées, surtout celles qui
constituent la cible désignée des milices, les FDLR notamment.
Par ailleurs, la localité de Mushaki passée sous contrôle de larmée
gouvernementale subit depuis ce mercredi des pillages systématiques des biens
appartenant aux populations civiles tutsi retournées du Rwanda. Les auteurs
desdits pillages sont un groupe des civils et militaires conduits par
lhonorable PILIPILI, député provincial, élu du territoire de Masisi qui
emporte matelas, chaises, ustensiles de cuisine, tôles, bâches, etc.
Rappelons que ces populations retournées du Rwanda, victimes desdits
pillages, ont été installées provisoirement dans ce secteur en attendant le
rapatriement dans leurs villages dorigine, actuellement sous occupation FDLR.
Le climat de tension qui sévit actuellement dans Kitshanga est annonciateur
des lendemains sombres pour les retournés congolais du Rwanda, en particulier,
et les populations de lethnie tutsi en général qui, pourtant, apprenaient déjà
à vivre avec leurs détracteurs dhier qui semblent reprendre du poil de la
bête.
RWANDA RAVE REVIEWS
Sharangabo Rufagari
Montreal
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