Who Could Have Foretold? I previously discussed working in Darfur with the AU-UN Hybrid Peace-Keeping Mission. General Emmanuel Karake Karenzi who has just been arrested in London for genocide and war crimes in Rwanda, was commander of the Rwandese Defense Forces (RDF) contingent at the time I was there. I coordinated mission work with his office regularly. Swahili is the language that unites East Africans in the UN. Many will be surprised how close we become abroad. Like real brothers and sisters working as civilian, police or military personnel. In the UN, I was just one ordinary member like the others. My office was next to former PPS Hope Kivengere's whom I surprisingly found there working as a Consultant contractor for the AU. In UNAMID, Gen. Emmanuel Karenzi was also Deputy overall Commander of the entire Darfur Peace-Keeping Mission. One that includes Nigerian, South African, Senegalese and Gambian soldiers. The top overall Commander being from Nigeria as they have the most boots on the ground, followed by Rwanda. Several RDF peace-keepers died in the line of duty. Attacked by rogue elements as they protected civilian water points, or sometimes in daring ambushes by unruly rebels. The funeral ceremonies were always very sad days for us. It might be anybody's turn tomorrow, one thought. Karenzi would personally fly on site immediately after incidents to supervise investigations, recovery and sometimes pursuit operations. How this AU/UN commander is an indicted Rwanda war criminal yet elsewhere he was squarely with us protecting Darfurians against war crimes and genocide, is just mind-boggling. The Spanish court that indicted Karenzi also says "it has enough evidence to implicate Paul Kagame in mass murder and reprisal atrocities". I am for justice anyway, and where there is a fair process, then let the accused defend him/herself and clear his/her name if innocent. This is also the chance for the Rwanda government to clear persisting genocide accusations against it and it's president. Brushing those disturbing accusations under the rag as has frantically been done for the last 20 plus years, apparently only energizes the judicial process.
_______________________________________________ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet
WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________
