Global Investment Watch

Gen. Laurent Nkunda Taken by Rwandan Troops

The New York Times reports today that Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda has been captured by Rwandan troops on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nkunda’s capture culminates the recent efforts by the Rwandan army to work with its neighbor to halt the ongoing human rights crisis in the eastern region of the Congo.

Nkunda, the leader of the Tutsi rebel group, the Tutsi National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) has fought against the Congolese army and the Hutu militia known as the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda). This later force is composed largely of Hutus who were active in the genocide in Rwanda that lead to the deaths of more than 4 million people.

What makes Nkunda’s capture significant is the fact that the armies and governments of Rwanda and the DRC acted in cooperation to quell the endemic violence in the border region. The Rwandan government, which is purported to have provided material support to Nkunda’s army, (the CNDP) was not expected to help the DRC with its most nagging problem, embodied in General Nkunda.

Uneasy Alliance Between the DRC and Rwanda

The situation on the ground changed dramatically last month when the DRC government requested help from the Rwandan army to help quell the violence in the region. While most observers fully expected the Rwandans to pursue the FDLR, Nkunda’s capture came as a surprise.

In 2008, General Nkunda’s forces made a major push in the North Kivu region of eastern Congo, displacing more than 400,000 people. FDLR forces were noted for their unrestrained violence against civilians caught in the fighting, using child soldiers and committing widespread rape as a combat tactic.

Parliament Expresses Concerns

Though members of the Congo parliament expressed concerns about the pact entered into between the DRC and Rwanda, the early signs are that it might offer at least a partial solution to the seemingly intractable problems in the region.