Text:
http://www.suntimes.co.za/suntimesarchive/1998/09/06/news/news10.htm
The whores of war
Patriotism falls by the wayside in the Congo
CRAIG DOONAN in Goma
ABDULLAH Nakunga has been fighting wars in the Congo for 24 years. He has fought
to keep former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in power, he has helped Laurent Kabila
oust him, and now he is part of the new rebellion which is trying to topple
Kabila's year-old reign.
Nakunga left school and joined Mobutu's army when he was just 16. He says he was filled with a sense of patriotism for his country and, particularly, for the then charismatic president of Zaire. Young and strong, he was soon enlisted into Zaire's elite First Battalion, at the forefront of successive wars both in the former Zaire and beyond its borders.
He says he has killed too many people to remember. His credentials include a host of war wounds on his body.
Nakunga is just one of thousands of Congolese soldiers who have become pawns in unrelenting political and tribal power struggles in this central African state. Unlike thousands of other soldiers caught up in this conflict, he's survived. But he has seen his comrades, and superior officers, slaughtered in front of him by invading forces. He has also become one of scores of soldiers who have submitted peacefully to successive rebellions only to find themselves fighting for their former enemies soon afterwards.
A soldier's lot in the Congo is tough. Mobutu paid his troops a few US dollars a month, forcing them to eke out a living by harassing locals and demanding bribes. During wars, Zairean soldiers were seldom paid at all. And, while Kabila promised to pay his soldiers at least $100 a month, he has yet to make good to the troops in the east. They have, however, been receiving improved wages.
A local taxi driver says: "I have friends who have fought for Mobutu, then for
Kabila and now for the new rebels just because they have no choice. Either they
die or they change sides. And when they get paid, they are happy to carry on
fighting."
Nakunga is one of those soldiers who has chosen to fight for whoever is in power rather than face certain death.
But one thing is certain. He, like most of the population, developed a deep hatred for Mobutu as he surrounded himself with relatives and systematically drained Zaire's vast mineral wealth, stashing millions in foreign banks, spending as much on propping up his despotic rule, and squandering fortunes on his opulent lifestyle.
After Nakunga had fought for several years on the front lines of both the internal and external conflicts that have gripped this region, he became a driver for Mobutu for four years.
He then deserted in disgust at the dictator he once idolised and headed back to the east of the country, where he was born. He rejoined the army and later became a military policeman.
Then in 1996 rebels, backed by Rwanda and Uganda, launched a military offensive against Mobutu's crumbling regime and quickly gained territory from the east towards Kinshasa, over 1 000km to the west. It was during this revolt that Kabila's rebels executed scores of Zairean soldiers. Nakunga's life was spared as he was quick to turn himself and his rifle over to the rebels.
Now, just a year after Kabila's rise to power, he finds himself on the side of the new aggressors, plotting the downfall of the leader he helped install.
Calling itself the Congolese Democratic Rally, the latest revolt comprises some of Kabila's former close colleagues in his alliance that toppled Mobutu. The leadership is made up of a diverse grouping of politicians, and many of the soldiers are from neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda. Unlike Kabila's insurrection, this one does not enjoy popular support.
Locals in Goma have become accustomed to rule by the barrel of a gun and have quietly accepted their new military rulers. Privately, though, many regard the new regime in the east as foreigners, outsiders who want a piece of this mineral -rich country for themselves.
While Kabila may have been slow to capitalise on his military victory over
Mobutu by pressing ahead with plans for democratic elections, many Goma
residents feel he should be given a chance. Says Wilson, a young part-time NGO
worker: "Things have changed since Mobutu left. There has been some development,
and Kabila has been promising to pay civil servants. Some have been receiving
salaries, unlike the time under Mobutu."
Some observers feel the new rebels should have played up Kabila's weaknesses before declaring a revolt.
While Kabila may be showing the same signs of nepotism that Mobutu did, he is not despised by the Congolese like the former dictator was. In fact, some were pleased with Kabila's decision, at the end of July, to call on all Rwandans and Ugandans - who had actively supported his military victory - to go home. As a result of this announcement, the army in Goma announced days later that it did not recognise Kabila anymore and was launching a bid to oust him. This reinforced the belief that Rwandans were behind the uprising.
Now, while rebel leaders and Kabila's government contemplate peace talks, Nakunga is just happy to have been appointed as a policeman under the new military authorities. "This is my life. What else can I do? If I get paid and can buy food I can live," he says. "I don't care who runs this country anymore. I just want to be able to get on with my life."