The Council of Ministers held this Wednesday chaired by President Tshisekedi, was another opportunity by the regime to drag the Movement M23 through the mire.
During the meeting, security officials deceitfully accused M23 to have an intention to attack Goma. In spite of the rebel movement’s goodwill to withdraw from its captured positions as dictated by regional peace frameworks, Tshisekedi regime still wants to heap blame on M23 as a pretext to further engage in hostilities targeting Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese of ethnic Tutsi.
With the fanfare from international media funded by the failed regime of Tshisekedi, M23 has been dubbed “terrorist group”. From the sensationalized “Kishishe massacre”, to the unfounded allegations by the UN Group of Experts, the International Community has emboldened the Kinshasa regime to deny talks with M23 which puts more lives at stake. The intention has always been to overshadow the legitimate grievances of the Congolese revolutionary movement.
The disjointed narrative of Tshisekedi regime leads nowhere to the pacification of the Eastern part of Congo and the region at large, foreign actors involved in the matter should have realized this.
It’s rather high time that the International Community pushes Tshisekedi to halt DRC army-FARDC’s unholy alliance with anti-Rwanda genocidal group FDLR, Nyatura, APLCS and Mai-Mai.
The allied militias have committed crimes against humanity that amounted to another genocide targeting Congolese Tutsi communities in the full glare of the International Community and the United Nations forces under MONUSCO. The same coalition has now launched new full-scale offensive on unarmed civilians in positions controlled by the M23, with a genocidal plan to exterminate them.
Despite such obstacles, M23 has remained committed to the peace process of Nairobi and Luanda. Recently, the movement honored the regional peace mechanisms, when they handed over Kibumba town to the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF). The movement also confirmed that this Saturday, December 31st, will hold another meeting with the EACRF to discuss further withdrawal exercise as stipulated in the Luanda ‘s Mini Summit on peace and security. But when will Kinshasa regime do its part? That remains to be seen.
Tainting the image M23 to avoid negotiations won’t bring a solution to perpetual insecurity in the Eastern Congo, Tshisekedi and his henchmen should know.
The ball remains in the International Community’s court to ensure Tshisekedi regime honors its promises. Foreign actors ought to untie themselves from the Kinshasa propaganda that distracts from actual causes of the complex security situation; thus, the process to attain a pacified DRC, will take shape.
Everything else is a worthless endeavor.