Congo’s ruler, Félix Tshisekedi, thought he had found a clever way out of the Doha process, where his regime is engaged in bilateral talks with the Congo River Alliance (AFC/M23) led by Corneille Nangaa. But (former president) Joseph Kabila’s opposition coalition, Sauvons la République démocratique du Congo, has stymied it.
Kabila skillfully maneuvered to block the kind of dilatory tactics Tshisekedi has grown accustomed to deploying on the international stage.
The coalition’s message is crystal clear: if peace is truly the objective, then the Doha track must be concluded properly so that genuine dialogue can take place in a calm environment, with guns silenced by a real and effective ceasefire.
With this stance, Kabila’s coalition is positioning itself as the adult in the room. It has denied Tshisekedi the opportunity to use the so-called “all-inclusive inter-Congolese dialogue” in Luanda as a Trojan horse to mask his belligerent intentions, posing as a man of peace while waging war, killing thousands and displacing millions.
The coalition is also forcing Tshisekedi to do something he has carefully avoided: publicly acknowledge that his regime has exited the Doha process. So far, the despot has refused to say this outright, fearing backlash from the Qataris and their American partners.
More importantly, Kabila’s coalition insists that fundamental issues be resolved before any genuine dialogue can take place. These include an effective ceasefire that would give desperately needed relief to traumatized civilian populations, as well as the highly sensitive questions of administrative and military integration, which remain major points of contention.
If Tshisekedi thought he could simply ghost the Qataris and slip away without a word — as he did when he abandoned the Luanda process to pivot toward Qatar and the United States — he has now been confronted with a harsh reality: he is fooling no one. For once, he must be honest and admit that he is the one sabotaging peace and refusing to end the war.
In short, Tshisekedi must stand before the world, stop pretending to be a man of peace, and face the consequences of his decision to continue the conflict. If, indeed, war to the bitter end is his choice, then let it be stated openly, and may the strongest prevail.
Kabila has checkmated Tshisekedi, and the latter now faces a decision that will define his future. Will he step aside quietly and allow Congolese to rebuild what he has destroyed, or will he be forced out unceremoniously, like Mobutu?