As all eyes focus on the Doha peace talks (on DRC) and the Washington Declaration of Principles, Tshisekedi’s actions on the ground are contradictory, and are against the very spirit of negotiations for peace.
In violation of the late April truce, Tshisekedi is reinforcing military positions across multiple frontlines in North Kivu and South Kivu.
Concurrently, a new outbreak of conflict has ignited near the Burundian border, fueled by reports of troop and weapon movements arriving by plane at Bujumbura airport – the last bastion of regional support for Tshisekedi’s regime
Herein lies the paradox: Tshisekedi publicly acknowledges that a military solution alone cannot solve his problem with the Congolese political-military movement M23, yet his regime’s actions suggest an unwavering commitment to force.
After the humiliating defeat and withdrawal of hundreds of Romanian mercenaries, brought in to bolster the FARDC and decisively repelled the Congolese political-military movement M23, Tshisekedi has cast his net further afield. Reports since late last year indicate an intensified recruitment of foreign fighters, notably from South America, with Colombia emerging as the latest supplier of mercenaries to a regime desperate to cling to control.
This relentless pursuit of foreign mercenaries, despite repeated failures, exposes Tshisekedi’s paradoxical stance: negotiating peace with one hand while arming for war with the other. The M23’s strategic military pause during Doha talks and the temporary withdrawal from Walikale to facilitate mining operations were met not with reciprocal restraint but with renewed attacks by Tshisekedi’s forces.
In sum, Tshisekedi’s so-called “peace efforts” amount to little more than a lie. His regime’s actions render the Doha negotiations and the Washington Declaration increasingly untenable.
ellenkampire