Army for the Liberation of Research Proposal

ALIR Location of Operation and External Support

In recent years, the ALIR has based most of its military activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, but some operations have been located in Burundi, one of the countries that border Rwanda.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo provides ALIR forces in the Congo with training, arms, and supplies (Dept. Of State, 2000).

Rwanda's New Vision after Genocide

In 2007, the Government of Rwanda investigated and interrupted much of the terrorist financing and reinforced border control measures to identify potential terrorists and to prevent entry of ALIR and other armed groups operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Rwanda has created an inter-governmental counter-terrorism committee and a counter- terrorism reaction team inside the police intelligence unit. Central Bank and Ministry of Finance officials provided outstanding cooperation on terrorist financing issues.

While the Government of Rwanda has not yet fully developed its laws and regulations in accordance with international conventions and protocols concerning terrorism, it has the authority under local law to identify, freeze, and seize terrorist-related financial assets. Rwanda has hosted a six-week training course for East African police commanders in cooperation with the United Kingdom (Country reports on terrorism 2007: Rwanda, 2008).

In addition to reinforcing border security, the Government of Rwanda developed terrorism response strategies. The Rwandan national tourist office hired a consultant to develop a communications policy to alert embassies should their citizens be harmed in Rwanda's national parks, and to increase disaster preparedness. The national Civil Aviation Authority worked to develop a crisis plan to address terrorist attacks and/or other disasters, and installed more cameras at Kigali International Airport to increase surveillance capability (Country reports on terrorism 2007: Rwanda, 2008).

While the world tends to define Rwanda only by the genocide of 1994, a new vision of this nation is needed for something new is taking place. Rwanda's people are rebuilding their shattered lives and finding hope for a bright new future. Thousands of victims are finding the courage and strength to face another day to move on and not believe that their lives are over because of what they have suffered (Rwanda partners, 2008).

Some of these courageous survivors are even finding it in their hearts to forgive and reconcile with the Rwandan perpetrators who killed their family members or inflicted pain upon them. Thousands of perpetrators are coming to a place of deep regret and repentance for the horror they inflicted on their victims and their families and finding it in their hearts to come to them seeking reconciliation and restitution (Rwanda partners, 2008).

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Vesperini, H. (2001, July 25). Interahamwe: A spent force? Retrieved March 22,…