While the Burundian and Congolese regimes planned all out war; others planned for peace. As a gesture of goodwill, the AFC/M23 liberation movement voluntarily handed over Uvira – which wasn’t long after beating the genocidal alliance of Felix Tshisekedi and Evariste Ndayishimiye.
The voluntary hand over caused more humiliation and fear in Burundi. It was taken as the ultimate “agasuzuguro” (loosely translated as contempt or disdain).
The liberation movement’s lightning speed takeover of Uvira revealed the obvious: the Burundian-Congolese junta was all talk and chest thumping. Like they say, it was a case of confirming that empty tins make the loudest noises. This is a coalition of cowards, bandits, and genocidal terrorists unable to resist any form of serious military challenge.
Worst of all, after their defeat, Burundian-Congolese forces had all categorically refused to launch an offensive to take back Uvira. Fear had paralyzed them and suddenly, the liberators voluntary withdrew to give nonviolent conflict resolution a chance.
Ndayishimiye and Tshisekedi had began internal witch-hunts to identify scapegoats for their bruising defeats and the mutiny that followed. Ndayishimiye blamed sabotage and hurled hundreds in secret military prisons accusing them of undermining his authority. “Those who gave the order to retreat betrayed us”, Ndayishimiye told senior officials in his ruling party, “some of the traitors are here in this room”, he said insinuating that the powerful CNDD-FDD Secretary General was responsible.
With the liberators’ withdraw, chaos and looting returned to Uvira. Most observers noted the difference between the liberators’ organized and disciplined administration versus the Tshisekedi-Ndayishimiye lack of governance. “Looting, killings and other human rights abuses are back in town”, a civil society organizer pointed out, “We now have at 15 cases of rape everyday”, he continued.
The mask fell with Uvira’s fall and the withdraw clearly demonstrated who, amongst biligetents, was reasonable and who was just an overated oppression machine. Ndayishimiye and Tshisekedi’s weakness were.exposed and now both constantly fear of a military coups, social revolts or both. They were taught a lesson; the Tshisekedi-Ndayishimiye coalition is simply too disorganized to achieve anything other than mass looting and rape.
Sadly, Tshisekedi’s undeterred pursuit of war and minority extermination will lead to more chaos.