Early last month Congolese ruler Félix Tshisekedi took to international mainstream media to make chest-thumping declarations that his country was “set to launch a war on Rwanda.” Some took the chest thumping lightly, but Kinshasa still nurtures it’s a pipe dream.
A month down the road, Tshisekedi’s incendiary statements are being amplified by his regime’s sycophants and propagandists. This is happening despite the stern warning that the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, issued against Tshisekedi. Blinken also acknowledged Rwanda’s concern on the ongoing alliance between Kinshasa and the blacklisted FDLR genocidal and terrorist group ( aimed at harming Rwanda’s security).
Rwanda remained bullish that its concerns will be addressed however Kinshasa shows no political will in spite of several regional frameworks such as the Nairobi Heads of States Conclave, and the Luanda Tripartite Summit roadmap among other recommendations meant to de-escalate the current impasse and restore peace in the Eastern part of DRC.
To everyone’s surprise, the Congolese Minister of Youth, Yves Bunkulu, another Tshisekedi henchman was heard inciting the young population across the country into taking up arms at their disposal in retribution against Rwanda that he referred to as the “aggressor”.
Tshisekedi’s regime is against the peaceful approach of ending the crisis while President Kagame insists war is not a solution to the current crisis. Also, DR Congo’s problems are inherently political and can only be addressed through a political process.
“The political process is very important for me and I guess for everyone else, it comes first,” Kagame said on July 4, during a televised interview with RBA. Adding: “You just don’t keep fighting and expect to find a solution for political crises or governance problems,”
Kinshasa has been steadfastly ignoring the elephant in the room: the rampant internal conflicts and inability to address them as well as DR Congo’s unholy alliance with FDLR – the notorious group born of ex-FAR and Interahamwe genocidaires.
Driven by her values, Rwanda has maintained a calm and diplomatic stance amidst ceaseless provocations, insults, and slanders from Kinshasa by urging the Congolese authorities to endeavour to address its failures as the rampant internal conflicts.
Congo should borrow a lead from other countries on how to address issues without implicating neighbors. Casting blame on Rwanda won’t help, the country does not benefit from DR Congo’s instabilities.