The chief parrot of the Kinshasa regime, Patrick Muyaya, was quoted by the numerous pro-Tshisekedi war mongering during a press conference stating that the so-called ‘Wazalendo’ should not be referred to as “negative forces”, but “resistance fighters”, and his cynical reasons were that “when compatriots defend the homeland, you cannot qualify them negative forces. We must take into account the areas where these operations take place. These are areas under occupation.”
This should worry all proponents of a peaceful solution to the conflict in eastern DRC as the only solution for sustainable peace. Tshisekedi has never been in the same dimension as everyone who believes in a diplomatic and political approach as the best conduit for peace. The sudden whitewashing of criminal armed groups including FDLR and their various splinter groups is a strong indication of his malevolent intentions.
The statement by the regime’s chief parrot is worrying because this is evidence that the Kinshasa regime has officially legitimized the criminal armed groups by sainting them, yet the region and the international community were hopeful that the regime would facilitate their disarmament and reintegration into society as part of transforming eastern Congo from a conflict hotbed to an island of peace.
Muyaya’s statement undermines the Nairobi peace process designed to guarantee sustainable peace in eastern DRC by disarming all the more than 200 armed groups operating in eastern Congo. Granting the criminal armed groups blanket amnesty to weaponize them against the M23 not only cuts back on the gains -so far achieved through the efforts of regional leaders but also lays fertile ground for the perpetuation of the conflict.
Apart from using the criminal armed groups as their camouflage to violate the ceasefire negotiated by the East African Community, the Kinshasa regime is also heavily arming them, which not only raises their level of confidence but also turns them into lethal weapons that will continue to terrorize Congolese using their newly acquired arms, battle skills and impunity.
Thanks to Tshisekedi, the eastern part of DRC will never be the same again. With the Kinshasa regime’s heightened demands for the departure of the EACRF and MONUSCO, it is clear that Tshisekedi wants to turn eastern Congo into the ‘wild east.’