Forget Tshisekedi’s misleading talk about supporting the efforts of the EAC and IGLR to bring peace to eastern Congo through a hybrid process that is seeking peace through political and diplomatic means. It’s all lip service.
Behind the scenes, the Tshisekedi regime is working around the clock to sabotage the efforts of the regional leaders. Tshisekedi is full of contempt for the Luanda and Nairobi peace mechanisms because these two go against his belligerent motives.
Tshisekedi has crafted a patently false narrative that tries to negate the fact the M23 is a movement that has been fighting for a just cause: restoration of the rights of Congolese Rwandophones for more than a decade.
But, partly to cover up its massive failures of governance, the Kinshasa regime has created, and aims to sustained the lie that “DRC is not fighting the M23 rebels but Rwanda.” Of course no one in their right senses can be convince that this indeed is the case. The DR Congo has never known stability ever since it came into being as a creation of Leopold. Now, Tshisekedi has outrightly rejected the peace process.
Although the M23 has complied with the Luanda peace mechanism and withdrawn from areas captured, the Kinshasa regime claims they have not. Even after the EACRF and verification mechanisms have confirmed this. Kinshasa now is issuing ultimatums that go completely contrary to the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes.
In his speech at UNGA last week, Tshisekedi blatantly told the world that his regime would not negotiate with the M23 as stipulated by the Luanda and Bujumbura agreements. He said that he was instead preparing for war with Rwanda.
The world might have taken such statements lightly, but Tshisekedi’s actions indicate that he is serious. He has been stocking up on lethal weapons for a while now, with his latest acquisition being the Mwari aircraft from South Africa’s defense firm Paramount Group.
Without a doubt, Tshisekedi is determined to start a war; one that could go on a long time, and suck in the entire region.
Is that what the world wants?