Michaela Rong
Appearances
Global News Podcast
US judge temporarily blocks Trump's freeze on federal funding
The Congolese are furious because this has been going on for three years. The M23 first started reactivating. I mean, it was active 13, 14 years ago, but it began to reactivate three years ago. And throughout, people have been saying to the West, you can stop this because Rwanda is your close ally. It gets millions of dollars of aid from you. It gets military support from countries like the US.
Global News Podcast
US judge temporarily blocks Trump's freeze on federal funding
It is very aid dependent. You can stop this if you want to. And the Congolese are aware of that. And there's been really no muscular response from the international community. And so there's this huge fury on the part of the Congolese population that sees Rwanda as the donor darling that is helping itself and possibly attempting to annex the mineral rich part of eastern Congo.
Global News Podcast
US judge temporarily blocks Trump's freeze on federal funding
There's going to be a Security Council meeting. And we know that the Congolese government is pushing for really tough sanctions because so far we've only seen strong words and it's pushing for sanctions. Rwanda, for example, is a state that regularly provides peacekeepers to UN forces that go into action across Africa, but also elsewhere.
Global News Podcast
US judge temporarily blocks Trump's freeze on federal funding
And Congolese are saying, you know, you cannot have it both ways. I mean, a Rwandan-supported rebel movement has been opening fire on the UN peacekeepers. There have been deaths. Monusco and South African peacekeepers have been killed by the M23 and by its Rwandan supporters. So you can't have it both ways. You can't then also be a contributor to UN peacekeeping operations.