Allegations that some sections of the UN mission in the DRC (MONUC) were conniving with insurgents of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) have been handled in a very familiar fashion by the UN body.

MONUC fell over itself, shifting to denial mode before it could even check the veracity of the facts.

It is not the first time that the peacekeepers have been accused of wrongdoing, from illegal trade in minerals, gunrunning and sexually abusing children.

These accusations were subsequently proven to be true.
So why should anyone believe their denials with regard to giving a helping hand to the FDLR leadership?

The accusations that MONUC staff were at the forefront of arranging medical logistics for FDLR commander, Sylvestre Mudacumura, should have been taken very seriously by  MONUC and spurred it  to act, but it chose to hang the messenger instead.

The threat of the FDLR to the region’s security is real, and MONUC, or certain people under its employ, should know better than to hobnob with terrorist groups.

We have mentioned names and pointed to the right direction, so what would it cost MONUC to carry out investigations and put the matter to rest?

The swift and curt denial of the allegations raises more suspicions than it does to dispel them. The motives in helping the FDLR by some employees of MONUC could range from monetary to ideological; that is where the UN body should look instead of burying its head in the sand.

The question is: of what interest is FDLR to MONUC, that the UN body should go against its own decisions and resolutions to support an internationally known terrorist organisation?

Ends