On the diplomatic level, the situation is increasingly bitter. Regional initiatives are moribund. “The tone of the protagonists’ statements is increasingly virulent. We don’t see how Tshisekedi and Kagame will be able to sit down at the same table again.” explains a former European ambassador who was stationed in Central Africa.
DRC: Washington pleads for negotiation with the M23
“We are not fighting against Congolese soldiers, confirms Corneille Nangaa, the AFC coordinator reached by phone this Wednesday. They are Congolese like us. Our real adversaries, the most determined, are the Burundian soldiers and the FDLR (Rwandan Hutu militia opposed to Paul Kagame’s regime).”
In recent days, rumors have been reporting several open fronts between the rebels and the UN troops of MONUSCO. “These troops are present on the ground but we have no intention of fighting against them. We hope that they are also on this line. MONUSCO is not our enemy unless it attacks us”continues Corneille Nangaa, who makes the same speech towards the troops of the Community of Southern African States (SADC) also present on the ground.
Irreversible progress?
Corneille Nangaa therefore essentially points to the FDLR, the Burundians and “some wazalendos” as the main adversaries of his men on the ground. Essentially foreign troops who are mainly positioned in North Kivu and the north of South Kivu. If the AFC/M23 were to manage to break free from this region to advance towards the South or West of the country, it is very likely that their advance would be even faster and the obstacles on the road less and less blocking.
-Who really wants to bring peace to Eastern Congo?
“Our objective remains Kinshasa”underlines Corneille Nangaa. “We want the total liberation of the Congo. We must rebuild this country, put an end to this state which does not exist. We must rebuild everything, the army, the police, the justice system, the administration, everything that is lacking today and which means that our Congo is the playground of many neighbors like the Burundians, the South Sudanese, the Ugandans, the Angolans and even the Zambians.” And Rwanda? “They are present in the same way as the others. They also have their reasons for being here but do not ask me to justify this presence. We are Congolese and we are waging our war against the regime in place in Kinshasa which does not respect any of its duties towards the Congolese population but also towards most of our neighbors”.
Tshisekedi’s Congo sinks into security and political crisis
Weariness of the Congolese
The advance of rebel troops is “worrying”, particularly in Bukavu, the large city of South Kivu. “They are getting closerexplains a doctor from this city. They are interested in the minerals of Kalehe. The government tries to reassure the population but they no longer believe it. People are becoming more and more critical of Félix Tshisekedi. They compare him to Zelensky, who is very involved in the war in Ukraine, when our president goes to watch a soccer match while the city of Masisi falls.”. “Today, he is in Switzerland in Davos. Tomorrow, he is announced in South Africa to celebrate his brother’s birthday. We, in Sake, a few kilometers from Goma, we have the rebels in front of our door”explains a businessman from the region. “The Congolese soldiers left without fighting. We have the feeling of being forgotten by Kinshasa and these people who are partying. In Kirumba, in Masisi, the rebels were well received by the population who are tired of this war and who see the president in the campaign again on social networks, a little over a year ago. He told us that at the slightest skirmish by the Rwandans he was going to go to war. From ? Nothing ! Words. Humiliations. In Masisi as in Kirumba but also in many other cities that have been taken, people are ready for regime change.” concludes the resident of Sake.
