Rwanda/Congo War Threat Grows

LA Times reporter Maggie Farley, who broke the U.N. rape scandal story, is back in the U.S. from Central Africa and today co-wrote a report on growing tensions in the area (here). She told me yesterday she will inquire about the progress of the U.N.'s internal investigation of the rape scandal.

Today's report, which mostly restates material found yesterday on the U.N. Web site, includes a little bit of deja vu. (Reference points: Rwandan troops have been seen in Congo; once before their incursion led to war; Rwanda says it wants to eliminate the dregs of the forces that killed 800,000 Rwandans, who are now in Congo; Congo say Rwanda is after their resources.) Here's the deja vu:

Many analysts believe that [Rwanda president Paul] Kagame is so critical of U.N. efforts that he is unlikely to yield to pressure from the world body.

Ironically, pressure from a couple other U.N. critics, George W. Bush and Tony Blair, is seen as the only thing that might draw these nations back from the brink. Let's hope something does.