Congo tyrant Félix Tshisekedi has once again jetted off, to Qatar – to attend a world summit on social development convened by the United Nations.
As usual and like we have seen in France and Egypt last week, everyone will brace themselves for another round of recycled speeches and hollow slogans. Instead of engaging meaningfully on development, Tshisekedi will most likely do what he does best: accuse Rwanda of aggression and resource plundering.
For those that followed his diplomatic front, the one his information minister touts everyday, it is so obvious that it is built on one tired narrative, ‘Rwanda this,’ and ‘Rwanda that.’ From Paris to Addis Ababa, from the UN to regional summits, he has turned every platform into a courtroom where Kigali is the accused, and he plays both prosecutor and victim.
The Doha global summit offers him yet another opportunity to pretend he is seeking peace, but anyone following events in eastern Congo knows there is no seriousness in his diplomacy. Not a single diplomatic breakthrough is expected from him nor has come out of his year-long offensive against Rwanda.
The question then becomes: what exactly has Tshisekedi achieved? His government’s hostile campaign against Kigali was supposed to isolate Rwanda, rally international sympathy, and strengthen the Congolese army. None of that happened.
Meanwhile, Rwanda remains diplomatically firm, M23 still holds ground, and Kinshasa has lost credibility even among its traditional allies. The only thing his government managed to export is confusion, the confusion that has paralysed domestic governance and widened the gulf between Kinshasa and the eastern provinces.
The grievances raised by the M23 are not new. They date back decades, issues of marginalisation, integration, and broken promises of peace deals. Instead of addressing them, he chose to militarise everything and he humiliatedly lost. Now, after months of bombing, displacement, and rhetoric, he stands before the world with nothing to show but failure.
It is now or never for Tshisekedi to abandon this destructive path. Blaming Rwanda will not rebuild trust with his citizens. Diplomatic stunts in foreign capitals will not heal the wounds of eastern Congo. He must stop pretending that there are solutions outside dialogue with those who hold the real grievances—the M23 movement and the communities it represents.
The world is tired of empty words. The Congolese are tired of suffering. Doha should be the last stop in this endless blame tour. Tshisekedi has a choice: continue shouting abroad or start listening at home.
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