UN: Rwandan Border Troop Buildup Threatens Peace

Cathy Majtenyi
 
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo said that the recent buildup of troops by Rwanda along the borders of Rwanda, Burundi and Congo poses a threat to peace efforts in the area. Cathy Majtenyi reports from VOA's East African Bureau in Nairobi.
A spokeswoman for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, Eliane Nabaa, said that she is unclear why the Rwandan government is massing its troops along the borders, when according to the United Nations it is unlikely that Hutu rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo are planning a large-scale attack against Rwanda.
"When there were these claims that they were preparing a massive attack, in fact, the U.N. observers did not witness any real massive preparation for an attack," she said.
Ms. Naba says that since the singing of the regional peace deal in 2002, UN has repatriated 2 some eleven thousand rebels back to Rwanda. She says there are about 8,000 Hutu rebels in DRC. The presence of Hutu rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a sensitive issue. After Rwanda's 1994 genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed up to 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, Hutu militiamen and soldiers fled to neighboring Congo to hide. In the process, the rebels killed many Congolese troops and civilians 3.
While the U.N. peacekeeping mission said that it does not believe Hutu rebels are organizing massive strikes against Rwanda, Rwandan officials see it differently.
Rwandan army spokesman Colonel Patrick Karegeya said that Hutu rebels attacked places along the Congo and Burundian borders on April seventh, eighth and ninth. He added that in one battle, 16 rebels were killed and the rest fled back to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Colonel Karegeya estimates there are more than 15,000 Hutu rebels hiding out in Congo. He said that contrary to what the United Nations says, no Hutu rebels have been disarmed 5 and repatriated back to Rwanda. Those who have returned, he said, have done so on their own.
He also denied allegations by the U.N. peacekeeping mission that Rwandan troops were spotted 6 in Congo.
Colonel Karegeya added that Rwanda is willing to help the U.N. peacekeeping mission disarm 4 the Hutu rebels. He said that the Rwandan army will continue to wait along the borders and fight back, in case they are attacked.
注释：
peacekeeping [5pi:s7ki:piN] adj. 维护和平的，执行（或监督）停火协定的
Congo [5kCN^Eu] n. （国名）刚果（非洲国家）
buildup [bild5Qp] n. 组合，集结
Rwanda [ru5AndE] n.（国名）卢旺达（非洲国家）
Burundi [bu5rundi] n. 布隆迪（非洲国家）
Nairobi [7naiE5rEubi] n. 奈洛比
mass [mAs] vt. 使集合
large-scale adj. 大规模的
repatriate 1 [ri:5pAtrieit] v. 遣返
genocide [5dVenEu7said] n. 有计划的灭种和屠杀
extremist [iks5tri:mist] n. 极端主义分子
militiamen [mi5liFEmen] n. 民兵组织，全体民兵
allegation [7Ali5^eiFEn] n. 主张
disarm [dis5B:m] vt. 解除武装