I think we've all been waiting for this to become the next news issue, considering most of the aid is supposedly dependent on Rwanda not invading the DRC again.
The question has always been: will the conditions be carried through, or will it be conveniently forgotten? After you've invested €230 million over 15 years, are you really about to cut and run? Unlikely, huh ;)
Although, I find this reasoning extremely worrying:
"...Who knows, maybe Rwanda might be looting even more of the DRC's resources if it wasn't getting developmental assistance?"
Is that what aid money is paying for? By the same reasoning, couldn't you suggest that by giving masses of aid money to rebel groups in the DRC they might kill less civilians?
The problem is obviously on two levels: political and grassroots. If you cut aid money, it sends a very powerful message to a government, but it also drastically affects the quality of life of civilians. It has long been suggested that people who are well-off, or at least see a definite improvement in their lives, are less likely to throw it all away by starting wars. But is it the responsibility of aid giving countries to blackmail governments into not going to war?
Also, a fundamental tenet of development work is that, if people build something for themselves (be it a house or a political policy), they are more likely to respect it and take care of it than if it's handed on a plate with the knowledge there's another one if this one falls apart. So, paying someone to take part in peace talks will only ever last as long as the money does.
I shouldn't be talking about politics at all, but I think morally there's a need to consider the situation.
Anyway, had a lovely night out last night with Joe, Astrid, and her partner Celestine. Went to SoleLuna and had a pizza fest. Joe's off back to America on Friday, but Astrid's staying long-term, which is groovy. These are the researchers who got stranded in Rwanda when their trip to Chad fell through.
[NB 2013: The image at the top of this post is taken from a Channel 4 documentary aired in November 2012 called Where Has Your Aid Money Gone? which tried to account for DFID spending in Rwanda. Check Vimeo.]
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