Sectarianism

During the summer I was in Beni, North Kivu researching armed groups and local instability and training Congolese journalists. I was the only foreign reporter in the region and I interviewed the Imam of the local mosque on several occasions. He told me that I was the only person from outside the community who had ever bothered to come and speak to him. Any communication that he had with the authorities was initiated by him. No-one, neither MONUSCO (the UN mission in the Congo), Congolese military nor police, foreign NGOs or journalists, not even local peace-builders, had made any attempt to contact him despite the long term presence of an allegedly Islamic rebel group – ADF-NALU – in the area. This rebel group has forged alliances with other militias and has been responsible for endless killing, abductions and illegal trade and yet the local (peaceful) Muslim community were invisible to everyone. As I reported at the time, they were very afraid of being targeted in a backlash provoked by the increasingly shrill cries of al-Shabaab being responsible for the recent resurgence of ADF attacks.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said that government troops had been supported by Hezbollah fighters as well as volunteers from the Abul Fadl al-Abbas brigade, who include Iraqis.

He also slammed rival politicians, saying their allegiance to various foreign camps was responsible for disunity in the country.

In contrast, the highest-ranking Shiite authority in Iraq, Ali al-Sistani, issued a fatwa condemning the abuse of Sunni sanctities, saying: “This is to be condemned and denounced, and is contrary to the instructions of Shiite Imams.”