When the trio of Fayulu, Mukwege, Ponyo negate the intentions of the region this is testimony that in reality the state of Congo does not exist

Writing in Foreign Policy, an influential international magazine where experts write analysis concerning global geopolitical political perspectives, Jeffrey Herbst and Gregory Mills argued that it was “Time to End the Congo Charade”, where they posed a very pertinent question “Does the “Congo” – a vast, mineral rich and war-torn country — really exist as such?”

To reinforce their argument, the geopolitical experts asserted that “There Is No Congo,” because no sovereign Congolese authority exists. “The international community should stop pretending that the DRC is ruled from the putative capital, Kinshasa. Instead, why not act pragmatically and work with those in the different parts of Congo who exercise real power? The country’s problems are difficult enough without having to address them through the façade of a central authority.”

Enter the trio of Dennis Mukwege, Matata Ponyo and Martin Fayulu; the recent statement by the three-motor mouthed power-hungry presidential aspirants did not surprise anyone in terms of its content and neither did their unholy alliance. The statement by the three radical politicians vindicates Jeffrey and Gregory’s powerful analysis of the dysfunctionality of the DRC system.

While the region is sacrificing financial and human resources to help the DRC, who are now members of the EAC to finally move from a phase of endless conflict to peace and progress, the trio is working to sabotage these well-intentioned efforts by calling it “a ruse aimed at the balkanization of Congo”! It does not occur to these ravenous politicians that their country is in a very complicated crisis and that this should be the time to unite and take advantage of any assistance they can get to pacify the east of the country so that they can pursue their political ambitions in a peaceful environment.

The international community should heed Jeffrey and Gregory’s advice and stop pretending that the DRC is a functional sovereign state whose problems “are caused by its neighbours.” The international stakeholders should instead work to united the different power factions with different interests to form a government of national unity, instead of pretending that the DRC has a central government ruling from Kinshasa. This assumption will only reinforce a vicious cycle of conflict and political failure.