The DRC’s security crisis will not be resolved by slogans about sovereignty. It will persist as long as the corrupt regime in Kinshasa of Felix Tshisekedi keeps deploying the FARDC – a force so dysfunctional, corrupt, and predatory that many Congolese now consider it the most dangerous armed group in the country.
The real path to stability lies not in bolstering this failed army that’s no different than a bandit group, but in acknowledging and supporting the emergence of a disciplined, credible alternative: the Congolese Revolutionary Army (ARC), armed wing of M23/AFC.
In an ideal world that would be the only solution. But sad reality is what it is.
The FARDC’s failures aren’t due to a lack of manpower. With over 165,000 soldiers, it is one of the largest standing forces in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet its performance on the battlefield is nothing short of humiliating. In Bukavu, FARDC fled without a fight. In Goma, it surrendered an airport, weapons, and even aircraft to the M23. Soldiers were later sent for retraining in Rumangabo, which is proof of how ill-prepared and undisciplined they are. Such consistent collapses make it clear that the problem is not quantity but quality, and the FARDC has none.
This military decay is rooted in structural rot. FARDC ranks are packed with criminals, ex-militiamen, and thugs who answer to corrupt generals. Training is nonexistent. Commanders, often promoted based on Tshisekedi’s tribal politics, lack any understanding of tactics. Instead of planning operations, they are busy dancing to Congolese rumba while looting wages and stealing fuel. Soldiers go unpaid, unfed, and untrained. It is no surprise they abandon their posts at the first sign of conflict.
In stark contrast, the Congolese Revolutionary Army (ARC) has demonstrated discipline, professionalism, and coherence. Where the FARDC abandons civilians, ARC secures territory and engages in political reform. Recent development shows its ranks are more structured, its officers better trained, and its objectives more consistent. It is no longer tenable to ignore this reality. The FARDC, under Tshisekedi, is incapable of reform. It survives only to enrich a few and terrorise the many.
ellenkampire