Less than 48 hours after the grand public fanfare over the “resumption” of peace talks between the Tshisekedi regime and the Congolese political-military movement M23/AFC in Doha, Tshisekedi’s ragtag alliance of FARDC, Wazalendo militias, Burundian forces, and the tropical Nazis from FDLR were already relaunching offensives on the ground in South Kivu. They unhesitatingly violated the very ceasefire that was supposed to follow the negotiations.
This isn’t just bad faith; it’s a middle finger to peace itself.
It’s within that context that on Tuesday, April 6, the AFC/M23 liberated the village of Luciga in the Luhwinja chiefdom of Mwenga territory, following clashes with Wazalendo fighters and Burundian troops. This is the same South Kivu axis that has seen increasing violations, with the regime’s forces continuing their aggression under the cover of talks.
Let’s be clear: the ceasefire in eastern DRC is a complete illusion. A Potemkin peace. Clashes persist across South Kivu, and what’s worse, the violations appear coordinated, timed almost insultingly to coincide with high-level diplomatic efforts. The Tshisekedi regime has not only betrayed the spirit of negotiations but also proven, once again, that it has zero intention of engaging in good faith.
Meanwhile, reports from the Burundian border add fuel to the fire: aircraft loaded with troops and weapons landing in Bujumbura suggest an escalation is being plotted even as Doha hosts diplomats. Burundi, economically comatose and diplomatically isolated, has become the last faithful lapdog in Tshisekedi’s fantasy of military victory in eastern Congo.
If Tshisekedi’s foolishness continues, M23/AFC has made itself clear. They will keep advancing. After Luciga, their sights are set on Kalemie, the capital of Tanganyika province. And honestly—can anyone blame them? With Tshisekedi’s regime lying through its teeth in Doha and waging war in South Kivu, M23/AFC’s advance looks less like aggression and more like a defensive posture in motion.
ellenkampire