Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, the current Congolese ruler who rode into power amid electoral fraud in 2019, is teetering on the edge of throwing the DRC into more turmoil. And this time, it’s all down to his risky gambit of seizing territories held by the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF), a move that could spark a full-blown regional war!
As of Sunday, alarming reports reveal Tshisekedi’s orders to the FARDC, FDLR, APCLS, PARECO, NYATURA, CODECO, and Maï-Maï to attack the M23 Congolese mutineers. Their mission? To reoccupy territories handed over by the M23 to regional forces. This doesn’t come as a surprise since Tshisekedi has consistently criticized the EAC troops for their lack of offensive against the M23 rebels. In his eyes, they’ve only created “buffer zones” between the Congolese army and the rebellion, hindering the FARDC’s efforts to regain control of liberated areas.
For a start, the Heads of State of the East African Community – EAC decided to deploy a regional force in this DRC. However, everyone knows and even the United Nations recognizes that there are more than 266 armed groups in that country. The Congolese army, supported by UN forces MONUSCO, has spent more than 20 years failing to eliminate even the most insignificant armed gang. Lack of means or lack of will? Everyone knows the answer.
Second, as established in Luanda, the M23 has already withdrawn from territories it occupied last year, having expelled the FDLR and other armed tribal bands from it. The East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) took charge of them in order to prevent access to the FARDC and other militias so that the peace process could be materialized but Tshisekedi has none of that.
But let’s not kid ourselves; Tshisekedi’s move is a recipe for disaster. His reckless path toward a regional war will only mean rivers of blood, tens of thousands of displaced souls, coffins lined up, cemeteries brimming, and orphanages popping up all across the DRC.
Leave a Reply