The Kinshasa regime head Felix Tshisekedi appears to be bowing to external pressure by opening up for dialogue with M23, a liberation movement he has consistently dismissed as “worthless”, “insignificant”, and “undeserving of recognition.” The practicality of such negotiations is as uncertain as Tshisekedi’s loyalty.
A communiqué issued by the Angolan State House yesterday evening stated that the Angolan government had established mechanisms through which a delegation from Kinshasa would meet leaders of M23 in Luanda, to discuss peace negotiations in the DRC.
While Kinshasa, through mouthpieces like Patrick Muyaya, immediately distorted the Angolan communiqué by claiming they preferred the Nairobi process over directly meeting M23, one can quickly see that, as ever, the Kinshasa cabal aren’t genuinely interested in peace.
They only are staging a charade.
It is no secret that the previous SADC-EAC Heads of State summits formally merged both the Luanda and Nairobi processes, to fast-track diplomacy and negotiations. However, with the Nairobi process, Tshisekedi thought he could simply round up all armed groups in the DRC, and make them do whatever he wanted.
And if it weren’t for M23’s advances and the liberation of many areas in Eastern Congo, he would not even care to address them.
It’s said Tshisekedi’s puppet masters too want Tshisekedi to at least pretend he “wants peace” (so as to use that as pretext to put more unwarranted pressure on Afc-M23. But, too bad for the West, Tshisekedi is incapable of any intelligent course of action, and so for instance he can claim he “wants talks with M23” today, and tomorrow his mouthpiece Muyaya will be saying something totally different.
For external players who are still dragging their feet, or massaging the ego of the unreliable ruler in Kinshasa, possibly to serve geopolitical and economic interests, let it be known that the outcome will remain the same: Tshisekedi is never going to commit to any course of action that ends conflict or civil strife.
Tshisekedi is widely known for his glaring dishonesty, and this leaves M23 with no other option but to continue its military campaign, to liberate the country in its entirety.
