Who is to blame?

By Yona Mondo

I wonder precisely who is to blame for conflicts taking precedence in the world’s geopolitics.  Israel and Palestine went up in arms in the wake of fresh recovery from the Mohamed Bouaziz triggered Arab Spring that started on the December 17, 2010.

This stems from the sentimental game of accusations from both warring countries. Operation Pillar of Defense on the 14th November finished off Ahmed Jabari, chief of the Gaza military wing of Hamas. Mission? To deter the indiscriminate missile launches from Gaza against civilian targets.

Palestine militants blamed the upsurge of violence on IDF’s (Israel Defense Forces) attacks on Gazan civilians prior to the operation. Our neighbour DRC, locked horns with the M 23 rebel forces, the later taking control of the city of Goma.

The end eludes us! Rwanda and Uganda blamed for supporting such a campaign, an accusation both countries denied spiking of threats to with draw AMISON forces.

Human life and property damage in Syria supersedes any other conflicting country in the Tunisian aftermath; the blame has been loaded on Russia for supplying her with equipment.

In circumstances, would Russia cancel her old signed contracts for air defence systems! These contracts, as Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov clearly put it in a recent interview, have no bearing to the fight against the demonstrators in Syria, needless to mention is her (Syria’s) long time requirement for air defense systems.

Similarly, the question arises as to who should the world accost responsibility of several complexes of “Stingers” in the possession of “innocent civilian” opposition groups in Syria!

Syria is a Powder cage for anybody involved. According to Minister Lavrov there is no justification for legitimising terrorist attacks against the regime. This will escalate the problem.

However, this shouldn’t be construed that Moscow condones the regime in Syria and its actions; instead she is categorically opposed to any form of violence and violations of international humanitarian law. A position Moscow clearly put to all warring factions.

The plight of the Syrian people lies in the hands of who were in Geneva and have influence on all factions, to bring them to a truce table to answer the international community call. 

The deliberate campaign by major Geneva players to deter the willingness of the opposition for dialogue in Syria is worrying.

November saw heightened diplomatic-political activity in Kampala since November 20, seen as positive engagement in finding a lasting solution of the conflict in DRC, culminating into a joint communiqué between the host president Museveni, Kagame and Kabila calling for the unconditional withdraw of the M23 forces irrespective of existing grievances.

It is intriguing that a US spokesperson Ms. Victoria Nuland called on Uganda and Rwanda to use their “influence on M23” to bring about an end to hostilities in DRC and not demand the same of Syrian opposition.  

Genuine dialogue is imperative to Syria and DRC, demanding commitment from all to honor adopted documents in Geneva for Syria and Kampala for DRC. Minister Sergey Lavrov asserts that for Syrians to decide the destiny of their country should not be anybody’s invention but respect of UN Security Council resolutions and those reached at in Geneva, to chart out parameters, content and dates of transitional period and body to prepare free and fair elections.

President Kagame shares a similar opinion for DRC, I quote “Congolese problems must be solved by Congolese, and regional problems resolved by regional initiatives” also in honor of adopted resolution on DRC.

In Syrian dialogue must override nursed illusions prefaced in the agenda of the participants of the “Action Group” on Syria declared in Geneva. In Minister Lavrov’s words holding “the philosophy that someone will overthrow the ruler, and everything will fall into place is unproductive – this is “Manilovism” as said in Russia.

Hopefully Kinshasa and her warring adversaries keenly observe the state of political climate erupting around the Middle East not to turn out a replica of the same in the Great Lakes Region.

Writer is the Executive Secretary, Soyuzonline