Mandela’s Legacy: Honored to Interact with Ambassador Lyman

“In South Africa, we learned that people don’t need to play the majority and minority game, because what is majority today may not be tomorrow and, is the illiterate majority worth?” (Ambassador E. Rasool)

Thanks N.Bidadanure [ a bit to know about him(p.19)], your email brought me to this discussion.

Audace Machado 

Nobody would say the contrast about the greatness of

Lyman,Roelf,Bhabha & Rasool

Mandela, especially,

First, it is still “the mourning time”. Ambassador Princeton N. Lyman, this is how you started your letter to the audience of the conference.

The key question & Second -and from my point of view-, because Mandela acted unexpectedly. We can elaborate a lot about what and how he 27 years suffered in jail. We can write pages and deliver tones of words about his decision and strategy of an only one presidential term. But my question still: should this huge man, or should every kinds of great figure, despite their law and/or related skills, accept to be involved, as Mandela did, in other countries’ conflicts? (Listen from the 1:27' -the 10 first min.are empty-)It’s a kind of dilemma of mine considering, on one hand, the Human being’s “Responsibility” if I understood well Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool and, on the other hand, the fact that “Each conflict is unique”, witness of Roelf Meyer.

Should Mandela have involved in other countries’ conflicts? I liked, as no one on the stage did answer to my question. Tim Phillips elaborated, in expert, how Tata tried to help in the North Ireland Conflict. Some –me included- just mentioned his work in Israeli & Palestinian conflict. I said a bit more about his work in the Burundi and DRC negotiations. Seeing what’s on in these two countries, I may say that, He –as a person and as an institution-, didn’t end up the job! Does it mean, he failed? The other thing you liked the Man is his philosophy in the South African conflict, “This is our country, and it is our responsibility to resolve its problems.” did you write.

Is Mandela to be blamed in DRC, Burundi, Israel-Palestine or North Ireland? In another conference Roger Meece highlighted the fact that the peace is totally linked to good leadership and to social and economic justice. In DRC, I never understand why people don’t want to see and discuss about the truth: I have - in a last observation- shared a point that demonstrates the Congolese conflict looking not mainly economic, but as a country management problem.     

Mobutu, Tata & Kabila L.

In addition to what Ambassador Meece reported, he tended to simplify things as people in the street do, “The invasion of Kinshasa from the Rwanda”, he said while evoking the collapse of Mobutu. “How can we evaluate the strength of inside and outside influences in a conflict management”, did you, Ambassador Lyman asked. “Zimbabwe is the highly good example”, Mohammed Bhabha skillfully exemplified.  Hereupon, I pretended a “weakness” of Ambassador Meece analyzing the collapse of Mobutu: did Mandela realize that Wa Zabanga was a dying person? In other words, did Tata fancy that the Maréchal was not anymore able to organize and command the Zairian troops to protect his invaded Zaire? Did Ambassador Meece forget the Kabila long and complex fight? Did Nelson forget that the Kabila, as a freedom fighter, was sponsored from far –written analysis name China, Cuba, etc. - and from Zaire neighbors –Rwanda and Tanzania-? I would bring him a ‘friend’ who –still alive-hosted Kabila Mzee and Chegevala in my Burundi, the 1960’s. Otherwise, how do we call the Angolan and allied deeds in Zaire, that time of Kabila’s occupying the “New Congo”?

Dear Ambassador, I know that your colleague Meece knows all these aspects. I know that Madiba and colleagues knew that. But why did he accepted to get in that kind of “Business”? For the visibility of his homeland, may anyone says. 

As Mandela won in Cape Town, he would win in Arusha, as well. Simply said, I suspect the political and business reasons pushing some people to manipulate conflicts. Don’t we say, there is no moral neither in politics nor in business? Don’t we hear that South Africa, since some years, is acting as a ruling country in sub-Sahara? Yes, many wrote about the linkage between countries’ history. Just an anecdotic example: I grew up singing that melody

which is the both the Tanzanian, South African and Zambian National Anthem. Besides, Kikwete’s speech during the Mandela burial ceremonies –Qunu- was also commented as linked to the Tanzania support to “Umkoto we Sizwe” as “Freedom fighter troops. Did you hear that? Last, November 2012, as Tanzania decided to go in Easter DRC, I was in Kampala and covered that summit to just repeat Faulkner, W. “The past is not dead. In fact, it’s not even past.” And you heard what soon later happened between Rwanda and Tanzania high authorities.

Mpilo was misunderstood in his ‘No Future without Forgiveness”. Can we talk about the enlightened despotism between the Archbishop and his contemporaries and Apartheid combatant-fellows?  If yes, what did Madiba do with Mpilo’s thought? I had observed and listen to Mr. Yalengi at Hopkins. He held the same logic, as that Congolese addressed to Meece: the division has been brought in the great lakes by colonialists, “the Belgians”, he always precise.  “We can’t ignore or deny that Hutu, Tutsi, Congolese speaking Kinyarwanda, etc., exist in the Great Lakes.”, Meece responded. No Belgians are killing great

Pacifique (L), Bish.Tutu

lakes inhabitants, but they -or others- can sponsor those killings for some reasons. One way may be to redefine the people’s identities. Just some examples: I had interview with Makanika, M. and people didn’t call him a Tutsi. Maybe as he has integrated the Congolese reformed army. Nobody call Moise Katumbi a non-Congolese as he stabilizes the Katanga province. But, through 2007-2008, Nkunda was immediately identified as a Rwandese. The same was the M23. (Expert can elaborate about these examples). Oh, just when Kikwete got in troubles with Kagame, people “discovered” his wife being a cousin of late Habyarimana (double check). 

In Burundi, as some rebels were fighting from the Eastern part of Congo, so few denounced J.B. Ndayikengurukiye –for example- as a Burundian, in there. So few wrote about Burundian and Rwandese rebels initiating that crime of raping women in that part of Congo. (…) 

An Ironic turn of fate or where the hope may be: In 2008, as the conflict was open in Goma, a newspaper in Switzerland ordered a report. I started the observation from Bujumbura: a road named “Avenue du Zaire”.  The Rwandese and Congolese embassies are just aside. Across the road, in front the two buildings, there is the “Zairian school” where both Congolese, Burundian and Rwandese children continued to attend classes with no harm. I therefore crossed the border towards Uvira, meeting

Amb.Johnnie Carson

Congolese, especially merchants who, each day, cross the border for their business and banking in Burundi. On the other side, in Bukavu, people were scared. Some killings were reported in the surrounding hills. But in the town and on the border with Rwanda –Kamembe-, life hadn’t changed.  People keep crossing the border for their affairs: young people from Rwandan land going to school in Bukavu and vice-versa. Far in the east, in the Rwandese University town –Butare-, people looked calm, but some news were mixing with rumors. Once in Goma, as in Gisenyi –the opposite town, in Rwanda-, life were normal. I passed the nights in a hotel ‘between’ Goma and Gisenyi, and like every sunset, the migration of people, especially women going to look for “dollars” in the UN staffs stayed unchanged. But you could see UN military trucks patrolling inside Goma. Refugees, especially from Rutshuru and Kiwanja were gathered and surviving at one of the Goma’s Catholic Church.  I ended my report inside the “Camp Zaire”. It’s a slum within Kigali where Congolese lived continuously even through the 1994 genocide. 

                                                                                                   

Dear Ambassador Lyman, for me, these two neighboring countries are illustration of how a non-well defined problem is difficult to find solution. In addition to this conflict management starting point, I have to rely on what Mpilo meant in his famous book: we are not to forget what bad we did to each other. There is no future without truth and justice. And each people has to define what kind of justice appropriate to what crime were committed. Very hard as, “our enemies live with us and are going to stay with us”, focus of M. Bhabha.

Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.  The forgiveness proponed by Tutu is complicated for the two countries which choose the Truth and Reconciliation commission but still fail to start the commission. No way! Ambassador, you said “great idea” when Roef, M. mentioned Mandela’s logic in negotiation, inclusiveness: “We have to help each other to be part of the solution.” This inclusiveness failed either in South African or in Burundian negotiation. “We were disappointed to not seeing

Pres.Buyoya signing

business people involved in Truth & Reconciliation commission. It was largely Africaans and people from the security.” Regarding Mandela and his involvement in the Burundi negotiation, “his” lose may be defined by the fact that “He” wanted only “key political dominant- Key players-” (political parties- G7 or parties representing Hutu, and G10 or parties representing Tutsi- and rebel groups). Forgotten, or minimized were people from the civil society (religious, Non-Government Organizations, youth). For example, one important group which played a big role in the Burundian history is the “Women”. They were not invited as that social and economic actors of the Nation.

In other words, although Mandela was proponent of the UN 1325 Resolution, the 30% female representation in the institutions was negotiated without the concerned. And I agree that lesson learned and defended by Ambassador E. Rasool, “In conflicts, people’s nature rely on what they want to protect from the past”. And that was the case in the peace negotiation between Burundians.

Dear Ambassador, you also mentioned the strength of Mandela influencing his country fellows to stand behind the agreements they made. With reference to his facilitation in the inter-Burundians peace accord, he happened to attire the International community to witness what was on. Among other great personalities, Bill Clinton was in Arusha to witness the peace accord signature. Now –and the case in DRC may count too-, there is a shyness of the international assistance in updating what Burundian signed while they, on their side, accusing each other of trying to manipulate the law for political interests.

If Mandela failed as a mediator, why can’t we learn from that?  Ambassador Lyman, I liked you mentioning it in the end of your letter, “Not all lessons from South Africa are readily transferrable to other conflicts”, what you illustrated with the fail you realized on Mbeki–as the chief Africa Union mediator- in the South-Sudan Conflict.

Not only Mbeki failed, in Sudan & South-Sudan, but also his crew –highly including Pierre Buyoya, key negotiator under –Nyelele- Mandela facilitation in the inter-Burundian negotiation. In addition to these personalities, if we agree the glass of water half full/half empty of chances in Sudan & South-Sudan peace process, institutions – United Nations, African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes, the African Great Lakes Initiative, the Nile Basin Initiative, the East Africa Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, etc.- failed too.

Goma, people celebrate:
a rumor said Kagame was dead

Learning from errors. In the conference you facilitate, M. Bhabha highlighted the South African great issue: “the mindset”. He tried to make the link between that concept and the xenophobia that that one of the African country leader still face. I’d suggest, Mandela and other super influential personalities and Organizations involved in the Burundi peace accord, should help young Burundians to benefit from better education than what they struggle for. The example of Rwanda is really talkative, and this would be the basement of Amb. Rasool that I do back, “Each country still need leadership to evolve and keep its unity.” Besides, we do owe to Mandela, “Education is the most powerful we upon which you can use to change the world.” By the way, I am tortured when I read –just as an example- some online comments about Burundi and DRC, from supposed literate people: verbal ethnic/xenophobia hatred! Where, Lord, these countries head to?