OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

Literally thousands of men and women are trudging through the bush with their belongings piled on their backs, on bicycles or motor scooters. The picture of one small child stays in my mind. A little boy, not more than four years old carrying a plastic container almost as big as himself; his innocent face staring out at the world with huge eyes, a reminder to all of us of the guilt we adults share for the disruption to his young life. Many of these refugees have been displaced more than once from their villages, the only life they know is on the road, fleeing from one army or the other, trying desperately to find safety. It seems no one can protect them: not the Congolese army, nor the UN Peacekeepers as they pour out of their villages in search of safety. Yesterday Goma itself was under attack by the rebels and later from retreating government troops, looting and raping as they abandoned the city. An estimated 250.000 people are on the move and this Friday morning the International Red Cross is describing the situation as a humanitarian catastrophe’ Most of the NGO’s are pulling out of this crisis-torn country and desperate villagers hide out in the forests, making it even more difficult for any remaining aid agencies to get help to them. As always, it is innocent civilians who suffer and where there are tribal or ethnic differences the suffering is exacerbated. It is not the root cause of  the Congo’s repeated wars, however; it is greed for diamonds or gold or any of the country’s vast mineral wealth that has led to the repeated conflicts. The west – and China – have indirectly sponsored these wars too in their desperation to get their hands on Congo’s precious natural resources.  

Anyone in Zimbabwe who is wondering what any of this has to do with them would do well to remember Mugabe’s intervention in the Congo back in 1997 in support of his friend Laurent Kabila. Many experts claim that this marked the beginning of Zimbabwe’s economic collapse. It was a deeply unpopular war with the Zimbabwean people and the cost in human terms has never been fully revealed by Mugabe’s government. What was clear at the time was that the war provided unlimited opportunities for top military personnel and business people to become millionaires overnight thanks to Congo’s diamonds. Business opportunities for Zimbabwe we were told but the Zimbabwean people saw none of the benefits. The ones who profited, army generals, top policemen and business magnates are the very same people who are now making sure that Mugabe’s so-called Agreement with the MDC never becomes a reality. They have too much to lose but while the intervention in the DRC may have been the source of their wealth it may yet lead indirectly to their downfall. Their names are still there in a UN Report on the people who had exploited the Congo’s natural resources during that conflict.

Meanwhile, reports coming out of Zimbabwe indicate that there are rising numbers of soldiers and policemen deserting because of poor pay and conditions. As hunger stalks the land and the economic crisis worsens by the day with the Zim currency becoming virtually useless, these deserting soldiers, who did not enjoy the same money-making opportunities in the Congo as their superior officers, may yet decide  Zvakwana – Enough is Enough. It is a not impossible scenario that Zimbabwe too will be caught in the grip of civil unrest and what we are seeing today in the DRC is a pre-echo of what could happen in Zimbabwe. With our mighty South African neighbour about to enter a very troubled period as the ANC heads for a possible split, it is not too difficult to see why minds are not fully focussed on settling the Zimbabwe problem. Mugabe’s allies have too many problems of their own. No doubt, the decision to involve SADC will be delayed as long as possible but in the end an agreement will have to be reached ; not because  Mugabe cares about the people’s suffering but because his own survival may depend on it. Dictators can never be entirely sure who their true friends are. His friend Laurent Kabila’death inside his own palace is a case in point. His death has never been properly explained. Zimbabweans will remember the two-day silence while the world waited for the official announcement from the DRC. We all knew that Kabila’s body was already on the tarmac at Manyame airbase where it had been flown by a Zimbabwe Airforce plane sent by Robert Mugabe to collect his friend’s body. Was it a member of his own presidential guard who had killed him or was it someone who was afraid Kabila was about to blow the whistle on Zimbabwe’s involvement in the Congo?  We shall probably never know but the link between present events in the DRC and Zimbabwe’s past involvement in that country should not be forgotten.  

What goes around comes around!

Yours in the (continuing) struggle, PH aka Pauline Henson author of Countdown a political detective story set in Zimbabwe and available from lulu.com