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Gulf of Guinea: Storm in the Great Lakes

By on April 1, 2010
The wind that already blows on the elections in Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo could lead to new cycle of violence in the region. To prevent slippage, International Crisis Group recommends the setting up of a “Regional Security Force”.

If the organization is not giving details on the size of the regional force, or specify its mandate, nor its military commanders, and even countries that might contribute to send troops; it is pointed out that the situation is a carrying enough violence. Also, ICG believes that operational decision must be taken to support the security services.
In Burundi, each passing day confirms the “crisis” within the army. Junior officers are already threatening. “If our demands are not taken seriously, we will burn the polling stations. They rebelled against their conditions of living and wages.
In Rwanda, the Opposition forces say they are under pressure from the government in power. These tensions could have collateral effects on the fragile Democratic Republic of Congo, where elections are also planned in 2011. The whole region is entering a pre-election campaign that does not yet dare to speak up its name, but could overheat minds.
This aspect is one of the main causes of armed conflicts in the Great Lakes region. And as long as the centrifugal forces continue to illegally exploit the resources of the region, all elections are mere mirages. Moreover, they will thus strengthen the idea of “dominating power”, another scourge that fuels violence in the region, and creates «winners» on one side and «losers» on the other, turning the Great Lakes permanently in a storming region…

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