For decades, one of the main source of instability in the region has been the Burundian armed group, CNDD-FDD.
This Burundian group was created by extremists based in eastern DRC in the South-Kivu region, in a refugee camp in Kamanyola. That’s where the extremists fled after committing massacres in Burundi in 1993.
As early as 1995, they forged an alliance with the defeated genocidaires of Rwanda – Interahamwe, ex-FAR – later grouped into one: the FDLR. The two groups had the same genocide ideology and shared the same objective of genociding everyone of Tutsi ethnicity.
From their strongholds in DR Congo, they would attack Burundi and Rwanda with the ultimate goal to create Hutu extremist states.
The fact that CNDD-FDD eventually succeeded in Burundi didn’t dent their objectives nor change their ambition of destabilizing Rwanda, the plan being to use Congolese jungles as their bases.
CNDD-FDD’s taking power in Burundi only means that their extremist ideology has more resources to plan and execute an attack against Rwanda. Burundi, as a state, now facilitates and coordinates their actions against Rwanda.
This potentially is the most important factor that emboldens Tshisekedi’s regime; they have sworn enemies of Rwanda, blinded by hate and thus useful tools in Tshisekedi’s machinations to bring war to Rwanda.
Now, Burundi’s CNDD-FDD has been instrumental in radicalising the eastern regions of DR Congo, with unprecedented hate speech.
All senior “DD” officials from President Evariste Ndayishimiye aka Gen. Neva, to the lowest local chiefs, have publicly engaged in hate speech targeting Rwanda, as well as the Tutsi minority in DR Congo. They deliberately spew toxic ideology in preparation for when they mobilize to attack Rwanda. Or so they think.
It is important to remember that in practical terms Tshisekedi governed the two Kivu provinces through Burundi – that is, until late January when M23 routed them in battle and drove them out.
Up to then Tshisekedi, with his capital completely disconnected from the Kivus, relied on the Burundian army and “state infrastructure” to maintain some control of the region. Together they also connived to attack Rwanda.
For every earthquake, geologists quickly identify an epicenter. Those that try to mediate peace ought to do the same thing for Congo.
While colonial boundaries accurately indicate that the troubles of eastern regions of Congo emanate from thousands of kilometers away, in Kinshasa, Bujumbura under CNDD-FDD is another important source of endless upheaval. After all CNDD-FDD now has more active armed forces than Kinshasa in the Kivus.
This will be the status quo as long as the DD rule Burundi.
They actively sabotage peace efforts with endless anti-Tutsi hate speech, and warmongering utterances against Rwanda.
They are some of the worst enemies of peace.
ellenkampire