Rwanda's 30-Year Assault on Congo

Thirty years ago, all parameters were in place for regime change in Congo: US military assistance to Paul Kagame' s troops in Rwanda, Western political cover for an invasion, US satellite data needed for Rwanda' s military sweep, and secure financing from multinational companies poised to profit from the most resource-rich nation in Africa. Crucial to this overthrow were the concerted international efforts to cover up or at least minimize the body count associated with the invasion, which marked the beginning of a long and ugly conflict that has stripped Congo of its sovereignty, its safety and its resources. Rwanda' s 30-year assault on Congo traces the roots of Kagame' s campaign and the impunity granted by the United States and its allies. It explores the early US support to Kagame' s rebels from the 1980s to their seizure of power in Rwanda in 1994, via Uganda, Washington' s geopolitical lynchpin on the African continent. The author examines the tactics Rwanda has used to infiltrate and subjugate Congo in a military campaign that has left millions of Congolese dead, created wealth for Rwandan oligarchs and enriched multinationals and international elites.