The embattled, illegitimate ruler of DR Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, has a new mission for his equally illegitimate puppet, Evariste Ndayishimiye, ruler of Burundi. The Congolese dictator has a problem: he needs to change his constitution to stay in power, and once again, he wants Ndayishimiye to spark a war as a distraction.
Both men did it when Tshisekedi needed to run for a second term. The unpopular regime in Kinshasa had nothing to show after five years in power. Tshisekedi and his entourage (clan and family members) had even earned the nickname “Taliban” for all the looting they carried out. To distract Congolese from his criminal activities, Tshisekedi launched a wave of xenophobic attacks targeting Congolese Tutsis and created an entire false narrative to spark war in the eastern parts of DR Congo.
Aware of the dismal state of his army, Tshisekedi outsourced his war to Ndayishimiye, who deployed tens of thousands of Burundian troops in exchange for money. How little did Tshisekedi know! To his shock, the Burundian army was equally ill-trained and undisciplined; they lost battle after battle and lost thousands of soldiers. However, they achieved their mission to distract from Tshisekedi’s second rigged term in office, which was supposed to be his last.
For his third forgery, Tshisekedi has to change the constitution through a referendum and then rig the presidential poll. In both instances, he needs to use war as an excuse to exclude huge parts of DR Congo from voting. In this war too, he will push his usual xenophobic attacks. Key to his strategy, Tshisekedi desperately needs to wiggle himself out of the Doha and Washington peace processes without upsetting Doha or Washington. He needs Ndayishimiye to do it for him.
With around 20,000 Burundian soldiers illegally deployed in Congo, Evariste Ndayishimiye has numerous options in his quest to sabotage peace initiatives. From false flag manoeuvres to outright attacks to trigger a massive escalation, all Ndayishimiye requires is money.
Whatever Tshisekedi wants, for the right price, Ndayishimiye will provide.
ellenkampire