A new report expected to be released today describes the joint military operation of Congo and Rwanda to flush out Rwandan Hutu rebels from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a failure. The report says the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels are still attacking ordinary Congolese despite the offensive against them.


Jimi Ndakaza at 11:40am April 29
It was a failure right from the outset, from the inception of the idea itself of a joint operation against such a scatter-militia with open access to the jungles of DRC. Both the govts of Rwanda & DRC knew it was a wild chase but a fantastic PR stunt.Which explains why both govts didn't give due attention to the underlying long term consequences of such a military strategy like bloody reprisals by FDLR as is currenty the case.I call that celebrity politics which is about image rather than ingenuity on resolving real political issues.The joint military contingent cameback on a heroes' welcome, in the face of international cameras,commanders & men alike striking for photos yet deep inside they knew little had been achieved.Real heroes slip away in silence,their actions resonate far beyond their presence imprinting their achievements in all memories living.FDLR is live & kicking or is it killing, en masse. Back on my scorecard:it's 9 to 5,in favour of FDLR,the JO is severly bruised!

Bosco Hitimana at 12:09pm April 29
You are true. I support Rwanda's action now now now against the FDLR. Congo and Monuc should admit failure and accept long lasting military operations with Rwanda to end existence of FDLR.

Mugisha Davidson at 1:59pm April 29
Jackson: I wonder how much knowledge we might have to determine whether the joint military was a failure or not..! Or on whose part was it a failure? it's hard to fully claim success of JO in such a disorganized country like Congo with huge forests, abandunt food etc facilitating the survival of the FDLR...but i would say, FDLR was greatly shattered during the operation and the few who are back behave like any other hungry thugs with no objective but to steal and kill. The next JO should be aimed at uprooting everything in their possession and create sustainable peace for the congolese p'ple & entire region.
Question: Is it possible to fully eliminate them when they still get support from some negationist and revisionist in Europe etc? Worried if they still appear on scorecards!!!???

Mukiza Edwin at 2:15pm April 29
I would like to know the author of the report,if it is the U.N, then they are most shameless organisation on earth.

If it is the F.D.L.R, then it is understandable,they continue to kiill un abated so it was a failure.

But lest we forget,over two thousand former F.D.L.R were repatriated back,most voluntarily, so if it was a Success then those 2000 souls also count.

As the President said,the gesture of the two once enemy forces coming together for a joint operation was in it self a 50% solution to the problem as infact the Nkundabatware forces were neutralised thanks to the joint operation.

What remains is a matter of time and the F.D.L.R will finally come to their inevitable end.
Those reprisals against the Congolese Civilians are the kicks of a dying horse,they will only succeed in showing the duplicity of the west as the F.D.L.R leaders are all holed up in Germany and some are official guests of France.

Bosco Hitimana at 4:03am April 30
@ Mugisha. i can propose an answer to your question: Yes the FDLR can be eliminated completely from Congo bushes and forests despite huge support from Europe. This can happen if Rwanda and DRC agree on a joint mission and keep away the UN backed military from intervening. The Monuc basically serves the interests of their bosses not the interests of Congolese and the entire Great Lakes Region. They pretend to be advocating for Congolese civilians and yet it has been found out that they are up to minerals. Then the damn Monuc needs to be uprooted from the region and leave the matter in the safe hands of Rwanda and DRC. If not this way, then Eastern Congo will always be a threat to Rwanda and the entire GLR.

The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey.
12:45pm · Comment · Like

Grace Rudatsikira at 12:53pm May 1
what!?! thats nonsense

Jackson Mvunganyi at 12:55pm May 1
lol..Grace,would you rather call it 'enhanced interrogation'

Neema J.R at 12:55pm May 1
Imagine that! Makes so much sense!

Yẹmí Abíóyè at 12:57pm May 1
Wow, quite interesting!!! It's always hard to address these inconsistencies of message and practice because of the intense emotions they provoke. But at what point does a message of "turn the other cheek" turn into, "it's ok to torture?"

Neema J.R at 1:02pm May 1
@ Yemi; But at what point does a message of "turn the other cheek" turn into, "it's ok to torture?" = at the point where they ignore turn the other cheek, and embrace "an eye for an eye". Buffet Christianity at its best!

Jackson Mvunganyi at 1:05pm May 1
Survey results show that the religious group most likely to say torture is never justified was Protestant denominations -- such as Episcopalians, Lutherans and Presbyterians -- categorized as "mainline" Protestants, in contrast to evangelicals. Just over three in 10 of them said torture is never justified. A quarter of the religiously unaffiliated said the same, compared with two in 10 white non-Hispanic Catholics and one in eight evangelicals.

Josh Abe at 1:21pm May 1 via Facebook Mobile Texts
Guess depends which church. Same could b said of mosques in d Swat valley.

Louise Musonera at 1:24pm May 1
Religion has been twisted and turned by man into a danger to humankind... the number of times I've heard it being used to rationalize acts which hurt, harm, or debase other human beings.... its just sad.

Jackson Mvunganyi at 1:37pm May 1
Louise, you are so on point. Religious debates that seek to justify/rationalize or denounce such actions like torture in the name of the the church or mosque are often hijacked by the extreme elements of either religions.

Jackson Mvunganyi at 1:41pm May 1
Josh,have you watched the debates on Fox news on this particular issue?. There is that sense of 'we' against 'them'--

Josh Abe at 2:55pm May 1
Haha, i haven't but i wouldn't be suprised if they did. I think people just don't get it how religion can be so detrimental! It happened with the role of the catholic church in the genocide, still happens in radical islam and yet people don't notice this. I personally support the 'personal walk with God' approach. Care should be taken by religious leaders not to mix emotion and sentiment in sermons otherwise the dangers of 'polarised messages' are real! Nonetheless i think the best 'political system' in the world has checks and balances that notice this before it's really bad unlike other places!

Grace Rudatsikira at 4:08pm May 1
Jackson, to speak on behalf of my self and my Church we do not fall into CNN's category. Torture is never justified.

Sheba Kell at 5:55pm May 1
REALLY???? I so disagree.

Jackson Mvunganyi at 8:38pm May 1
Grace...and indeed it shouldn't be condoned by any religious or political institution. I believe you when you say that your church doesn't condone torture...however, we haven't seen much condemnation from churches about the revelation that 'we' tortured terrorist suspects. Those that have spoken out against torture have been labeled as 'crazy lefties'. And we know that many of those tend to be less inclined to attend church on sunday :)

Josh Abe at 1:04am May 2
What more can i say Jack? Preach it bro! hehehe....!

As the developed world reels from an economic downturn that has recession written all over it, African youth face challenges of their own.Many have lost their jobs, as a result of the shrinking labor force in Africa's job market. Millions are finding it hard to find work-something that their education has not prepared them to encounter. Statistics from the world bank and other international institutions show that Africa has the fastest-growing and most youthful population in the world. They show that more than 20 percent of Africa's population is between the ages of 15 to 24 and, since over 40 percent of Africa's population is under 15 years of age, that number will continue to grow exponentially. Another interesting statistic from the International Labour Office shows that African youth make up more than 30 percent of the total working-age population yet three in five of Africa's jobless people don't have a job.

Many analysts are wary of such a situation. Indeed the consequences of an unemployed work force of such a size are many. Eric Zuehlke of the population reference bureau says that youth unemployment 'is a potential trigger for social instability'. We have seen riots in Europe and other parts of the world from youth who feel that their governments have not been responsive to their employment needs.

But beyond the economic costs related to high rates of youth unemployment, Zuehlke says that there are clear political and social ramifications. These include engaging in criminal activities,armed conflicts and other illegal activities. Jorge Saba Arbache of the Office of the Chief Economist, Africa Region at the World Bank says that "Youth unemployed and underemployed are more exposed to economic cycles," making them vulnerable to job instability. It is however important to note the differences in the description of youth in Africa. A recent world Bank report says that African youth are not a homogeneous
group and their employment prospects vary according to region, gender, age, educational level, ethnicity, and health status. The report says that these different groups require different sets of government policy interventions. The typical African youth, as given by medians, is easily identifiable: she is an 18.5-year-old female: living in a rural area, and literate but not attending school.

In a recent meeting at the World Bank, experts on youth unemployment--ironically non of whom would fall under the category of youth--recognized the impact of the economic crisis on the job market. Professor William Ahadzie of the Centre for Social Policy Studies at the University of Ghana said that his country had developed a National Youth Employment Program to "actively engage youth in productive employment where they are needed" some of the jobs he mentioned where; health extension, waste and sanitation workers, teachers, and as paid interns in industry.
In Nigeria,one of the richest countries on the continent--given its massive oil reserves--youth unemployment is 60 to 70 percent,with the labor market only absorbing 10 percent.

Is training the panacea?

The World Bank report recognizes that in most African countries, the responses to youth unemployment have focused on programs that are 'narrow in scope, limited in time, and biased toward urban areas' It calls for the integration of two key elements: a strategy for growth and job-creation in both rural and urban areas, as well as targeted solutions to help young people overcome the specific barriers they face in entering and remaining in the labor market. In my opinion,most governments have not encouraged youth entrepreneurial spirit. Thus many rush out of school to seek employment in the public service. The potential of entrepreneurship but it has not been exploited. Experts seem to conclude that even though training is a key,it is not the magic panacea.