The M23 Movement in Congo has made it clear from the beginning that they have never chosen war, but war was forced on them by the government of Tshisekedi. The latter has continued to persecute Kinyarwanda-speaking Tutsi Congolese (escalating to genocide), and, additionally, the Tshisekedi regime has refused to honor agreements signed on various occasions.
Although the region chose to undertake peace processes without involving M23, it (M23 movement) has heeded the outcome of meetings, and taken the initiative to make a unilateral decision to withdraw from some areas captured from the government forces and their allied terrorist groups: the FDLR, Mai-Mai Nyatura, PARECO, CODECO, and many others.
However, let the goodwill of M23 not be mistaken for weakness, as was the case in 2013 when the international community asked them to withdraw, only for the UN intervention brigade to surprise them with a heavy attack that sent them across the borders. The world must know that the M23 knows and fully understands the saying, “once beaten, twice shy.”
The M23 movement has made its requests clear. They want to meet with the EAC facilitator and negotiator, Uhuru Kenyatta, and are still waiting to have a dialogue with the government of their own country. In the meantime, they have asked for a meeting with the regional force and Adhoc verification mechanism to discuss modalities of their withdrawal. This kind of professional goodwill cannot be taken for granted if indeed sustainable peace is the aim for everyone concerned.
This positive move by M23 must be reciprocated, with equal acts of goodwill, by Tshisekedi’s government. The regime has to agree to have a sincere discussion to find lasting solutions to the grievances of the Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese Tutsi citizens. For decades, many who were forced to flee persecution in DRC are still living as refugees in different regional capitals. They want to return to their country and live in peace, things they have a natural right to, as citizens of the DRC.
For there to be sustainable peace, however, regional mechanisms must be serious about disarming and repatriating to Rwanda the FDLR terrorists. This group (founded by the defeated Rwandan genocidaires) has huge responsibility for sowing the genocide ideology that has led to the anti-Tutsi rhetoric and hate speech in eastern DRC. Their arrival in DRC, after committing genocide in Rwanda, marked the beginning of endless conflict and persecution of the Congolese Tutsi communities. These are indisputable facts.
Let the region know that M23 will not stand by, watching as Tshisekedi adopts Interahamwe or ex-FAR methods, to exterminate Congolese citizens just because they happen to be of Tutsi ethnicity. FDLR should be disarmed, and sent back to their country Rwanda to face justice.
Finally, the international community should always remember the root cause of the current crisis, i.e. the political mismanagement of the Congo state by its government, leading to hate speech targeting Rwanda (with accompanying lies and propaganda that “M23 is Rwandan”), all as a tactic of deflection by the regime.
Tshisekedi has completely failed at his job as leader of DRC, and the only thing left is deflection.
The world must not be fooled by him.