Painting by Cheri Samba

Lokuta eyaka na ascenseur, kasi vérité eyei na escalier mpe ekomi. Lies come up in the elevator; the truth takes the stairs but gets here eventually. - Koffi Olomide

Ésthetique eboma vélo. Aesthetics will kill a bicycle. - Felix Wazekwa

Monday, August 30, 2010

Assassination of Nkunda ally in Goma

This afternoon, Emerita Munyashwe was assassinated in broad daylight on a busy street in downtown Goma. A car reportedly pulled up next to her, a gunman stepped out and shot her.

The killing is politically significant. Maman Emerita was a close associate of Laurent Nkunda - she handled a lot of the CNDP finances during his tenure as commander of the movement. She was also allegedly close to General Kayumba Nyamwasa, which has led some to speculate that the assassins came across the border from Rwanda (the border is just several hundred meters from where she was shot).

Yet another sign of deep rifts within the Tutsi community, pitting Congolese against Rwandans.

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Destabilisers excite you, don't they? You're a disaster pyromaniac, yearning for the region to descend into chaos, egging on its prospect at every opportunity. Pyromaniacs are mesmerized and fascinated by the conflagarations they set off.

Sad and pathetic. But of course you're in the region to help, right?

Unknown said...

Ha ha..Jason,Pleins feux sur toi!

Sakabaka said...

Hey, easy there, folks, he's reporting and all of this is significant to our region. There's reason to worry in our little paradise and, I believe, it will all explode soon.

Unknown said...

This post is so unfounded. This is so not constructive and simply leads to speculations. Has Mr. Stearns ever thought of the fact that, as a business woman, this could be a case of banditism, etc? Why does it have to be political? Again, I find this quiet unethical. J

james said...

Hi Jason, I consulted my contacts in Goma. Emerita has been killed around 7 pm Monday evening. The assailant opened the door of the car and shot her twice, to be sure she was dead. She was taken to a Goma hospital where she died half an hour later. Some of her children were in the car with her. The assailant didn't steal any of her belongings, not even her mobile phone or purse, which adds to the hypothesis that the murder was political rather than criminal. Emerita owned several houses in Goma and her ex-husband has alledgedly been arrested recently in London. As far as I could understand (very bad phone connection with Goma) her ex-husband has built hundreds or thousands of social houses in Kigali.

Unknown said...

Peter :
Don't shoot the messenger. Will you prefer reality to don't be reported?

Region started to burn before Jason arriving there. Kagame and co did not ask Jason for perpetrating massacres and killing.

You should shoot on the person responsible of the message.

I am really feeling that tide is turning. No more impunity for killers.
Everybody accountable!!!!

Unknown said...

I can tell that most of the people who contribute to this blog are not from Rwanda or Congo. I am a Tutsi from Congo/Rwanda. What is the difference between a Congolese and a Rwandan Tutsi? Did Belgium define our identities by drawing up a fake border. A Tutsi from Goma is related by blood to the Tutsis from Gisenyi. How is it possible for any Tutsi in Congo to not be from Rwanda originally? Unless there are Barundi Tutsis living in Northern Kivu, this report is flawed.

I have no idea why anyone would stand with a fool like Nkunda. If Nkunda represented Tutsis, I would be ashamed to call myself one.

Unknown said...

"I am really feeling that tide is turning. No more impunity for killers.
Everybody accountable!!!!"

Can't you see you're being used? The real people who should be judged are in the City of London and Wall Street. But, no. Instead they'll manipulate foolish little things like you to advance their nefarious ends.

It's so sad to watch.

What you see as a tide turning is ultimately aimed at China. But you don't see that, do you. Because you're oblivious of the bigger picture.

Like I said: sad.

Unknown said...

To Nkuru
You are foolish and your boss. Nkunda is a threat for you ( tutsi opportunistic) because he defend a real cause of Congolose Tusti que vous avez tjrs manipulé et qui sont maintenant frustré.
For Jason :
Rien de surprend il a tjrs ete un pyromane et voudrait montrer qu'il y a une division entre les tutsi. Just for your information il y a pas des divisions entre tutsi. Mais une petite frange d'eux qui veulent tenir le peuple en otage pour les propres intérêts.

Herve Otschudi said...

I am from Kinshasa and I can't tell the difference between a Congolese and a Rwandese but I can, with a 5% error, tell the difference between a tusti and someone from another Congolese tribe (simply because the phenotype is not the same).

But, is being different or coming from a different tribes supposed to be an issue? I don’t think so.

I have a lot of Rwandese friends (I have friends from everywhere actually) and what disturbed me is that when Kabila (the father) took the power in 1997 helped by Rwanda and Uganda, they suddenly became Rwandese (because their 'brothers' were extremely powerful in the new environment) !!! That was quit a chock and this opportunistic behavior made me realize that I would have difficulties trusting their sincerity as Congolese again…

Like it or not, the borders left by the colons are there now and we have to live with it. It has created identities. Today, I do not need a Belgian to tell me that I am a Congolese or a Zairian, I can feel it and I am proud of it.
The problem today is that few people here and in Rwanda are taking us in hostage for their own agenda/interests and this should stop. With their current western supports it won’t happened but the history has taught us is that it can’t quickly turn around…

Unknown said...

"With their current western supports it won’t happened but the history has taught us is that it can’t quickly turn around…"

If that's the case, then this "justice" you people constantly talk about is a rather fickle thing. Now it applies objective, universally applicable and unchanging principles. Now it doesn't.

Just depends on the mood of the wind, I suppose.

(Just wondering: Will the directing of the wind ever blow in Dick Cheney's direction? Didn't think so. Even though justice is blind, right? *Sigh* So many people born only yesterday.)

Unknown said...

To muzige: Where is your "Moses" now? I would be surprised if Nkunda could actually read.

To Konga: I was responding to the implication that there are divisons between Congolese and Rwandan Tutsis. If there are disagreements between groups or individuals who identify as Tutsi, that has nothing to do with which side of the border they are residing.

I do agree that ethnicity should not be the issue. The issue is justice, peace and security. Opportunism is not an exclusively Tutsi trait. There are many parties involved in this crisis.

I pray that this conflict ends now.

Maria said...

What is happening to our community is very disturbing. As a tutsi, I am now afraid of my friends and relatives. Kagame has made us a people full of fear. If ever there was a terrorist, surely he is it. Even if he had a misunderstanding with Nkunda, does it mean that he should kill all his supporters. Does it mean that he should kill banyamulenge and bagogwe leaders and role models. We must stand up and fight for our survival. Let us look for a new saviour. All of us who thought it was Kagame now know we were tragically mistaken. Someone, please, take up the mantle of leadership. Please, us Rwandans have died enough. Tutsi, Hutu, Twa someone, please rise up and lead us out of this bottomless pit into which we are sinking.

Herve Otschudi said...

@ Peter: I totally agree on your comment (re my comment) and I must admit that for a long time I was more interested in revenge than justice.

The sad part is that you and I know that none of our dictators will ever be sent to a court unless the western countries decide so (which is very sad for us)

@ Maria: I agree too many Rwandans have been killed so as too many Congolese (that have nothing to do with Rwanda's internal conflicts)

I will join Nkuru and pray for that conflict to end now...

Colored Opinions said...

Citizens shouldn't follow "leaders", but take their own responsability. Following these supposed leaders allways leads to disappointing results.

Unknown said...

"The sad part is that you and I know that none of our dictators will ever be sent to a court unless the western countries decide so (which is very sad for us)"

Dictator is obviously too strong a word, and constantly using it when it is not warranted robs it of its power. Kagame's no-nonsense and obviously in a bit of a hurry. In this sense he's as much of a "dictator" as was Lee Kwan Yew. Obviously Singapore has ended up a total disaster.

"All of us who thought it was Kagame now know we were tragically mistaken."

For goodness' sake, who would have saved you in 1995/1996?! You wouldn't be here today, for crying out loud! The French with their Bruguiere, the Spanish with their indictments, the "international court" crowd -- they wouldn't have saved you then! Y'all would have been EXTINCT by now, my amnesic little friend. There were deranged genocidal maniacs in your neighborhood around the time, in case that little bit of history happened to escape your mind.

"Someone, please, take up the mantle of leadership. Please, us Rwandans have died enough. Tutsi, Hutu, Twa someone, please rise up and lead us out of this bottomless pit into which we are sinking."

Enough people have died. Therefore, let us start fighting anew! Some reasoning you have there.

Herve Otschudi said...

According to 'Le Robert' : une dictature est une « concentration de tous les pouvoirs entre les mains d'un individu, d'une assemblée, d'un parti ; organisation politique caractérisée par cette concentration de pouvoirs », et un dictateur est une « personne qui après s'être emparé du pouvoir l'exerce sans contrôle » ou une « personne qui exerce le pouvoir dans un régime qu'on peut à juste titre qualifier de dictature. »

I do not think the word 'dictator' is too strong based on this definition. But the real question is: is it necessary bad for our country to have a dictator in charge???

To be honest, I am not against changing ours by another one with a vision for his country!!!

You all have a nice week!!!

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