The Belgian Defense Minister has joined the World leaders in isolating Kagame because of the support the Kagame’s government is giving to the notorious rebel group of M23 which is destabilizing the Eastern DR of Congo. The rapid escalation of isolation by world leaders against the Rwandan dictator Paul Kagme because of his involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) affairs seem to suggest that the distance between disintegration of his government and a regional flare-up could be several seconds long.

Basically the Kinshasha government based on the UN Expert Report has attributed its political and security troubles to President Paul Kagame’s alleged support of M23 which could spark a war between the two countries if the international community continues to keep a blind eye on the arrogance of Kagame who thinks that he can go to Congo plunder minerals and loot property whenever his coffers are dry, then comes to his house in Kiyovu and sleep without any consequences.
While Rwanda was of the view that the antagonism between the two countries could be settled by diplomatic means like the recent Great Lakes region summit in Kampala, DRC seems to be hell-bent on securing United Nations sanctions on Kagame and his most trusted army generals – a situation analysts believe is pushing Kagame against the wall and bringing the two neighbors closer to the endless conflict than expected.

It is in this context that the Belgian government on Nov. 18.2012 informed the Belgian people that it is withdrawing all the Military Aid to Rwanda. This unprecedented decision by the Belgium government follows other western countries like Sweden, United States of America, and Germany, who also suspended Aid not only towards development projects but also all the Military cooperation.

DRC Foreign Affairs Minister Raymond Tshibanda, in a belligerent tone and in total disregard of the resolutions of the Kampala Summit which resolved to put in place a neutral force to crush the rebels in Eastern Congo, he requested the U.N. Security Council to place sanctions on Rwanda’s defense minister and two top military officials for backing the army rebellion in his country. According to Reuters, Tshibanda met with the members of the Security Council and the body’s sanctions committee to discuss a report on the country’s security issues by an U.N. expert panel.
“We believe that all the consequences must be drawn from the conclusions in the report of the group of experts and that sanctions should eventually be envisaged,” Tshibanda told the members of the United Nations.
“We also believe, and this is what we have requested, is that these sanctions also relate to foreign personalities in addition to personalities in the Democratic Republic of Congo that are involved in this situation,” he said.
The report implicates the Rwanda’s Defence Minister James Kaberebe; chief of defence staff Charles Kayonga; and General Jacques Nziza, a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Defense and military adviser to President Paul Kagame, of being “in constant contact with M23.

Whether the recent Belgium suspension of the Rwandan military aid coupled with other donor countries will make Kagame think twice on the Congo issues remain to be seen, what is clear though is that the honey moon for the Rwandan dictator is over with the international community.

Jacqueline Umurungi
Brussels.