Over the weekend news about SAMIDRC (the SADC bloc troops in DR Congo) remaining in the east was buzzing. Tshisekedi’s social media trolls buzzed, claiming that SADC forces had been “re-mandated” to stay in Goma “until M23 withdraws from its occupied positions.”
The spread of the misinformation information stemmed from an interview given by Therese Wagner Kayikwamba, the professional propagandist that passes as “foreign minister” in DRC, who had just returned from South Africa.
To begin with SAMIDRC forces, which have been operating in Eastern DRC since December 2023, were instructed to cease their offensive operations and begin preparations for a definitive pullout from their bases. That is according to the recent SADC summit chaired by Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the current chair of SADC.
Following this directive, SADC commanders in Eastern DRC met with M23 army leaders in Goma last week, in a cordial, friendly environment. The two groups deliberated and agreed on the modalities for the unconditional withdrawal of SADC forces, along with their equipment, a process that will be effected gradually.
So, Kayikwamba’s statements regarding the retention of SAMIDRC forces in Goma are not only misleading but also disrespectful as they contradict the resolutions, especially point (9), adopted at the Heads of State summit on March 13th in Harare.
This is typical behavior by the Kinshasa gang and its head Felix Tshisekedi.
Tshisekedi (whose collection of bandits that they call the Congolese army together with its entire coalition that included the genocidal FDLR, South African and Burundian troops as well as European mercenaries have been roundly defeated in the Kivus, still behaves like an idiot. You can be certain no SADC forces (except maybe the South Africans) are ready to stay in Congo.
It should be noted that the SADC forces stationed at the Mubambiro camps in Goma have been confined to their barracks, where they receive food, medical supplies, and other necessities with the support of M23, following the liberation of Goma city in January this year.
Tshisekedi’s politics of chaos, sabotage, and manipulation should be denounced by every sane mind in the Great Lakes Region and beyond. His actions have caused widespread destruction in DRC, costing many lives and endangering others.
It is high time SADC leaders, along with others, speak out and demand that Tshisekedi behave, or else risk losing everything. The world should not sit idly by while an incompetent and greedy ruler in Kinshasa destroys everything, escalating a small conflict into an open war that destabilizes the entire region.
As the situation remains volatile in DRC, particularly in areas not liberated by M23, many Congolese are placing their hopes on AFC soldiers to liberate the entire country and restore peace throughout the nation.