Drone attacks against civilians has become Felix Tshisekedi’s favorite game. After successfully bribing some in the international community with mineral concessions or unfettered access to the Congo’s natural resources, they (international community) have turned a blind eye to his relentless, deliberate drone attacks targeting innocent civilians.
As a weapon, Tshisekedi has discovered that drones allowed him to avoid constant humiliating defeat for his genocidal coalition. His allies, the genocidal FDLR, and the equally murderous Burundian army have failed, in fact badly routed, in all their ground offensives.
Tshisekedi’s ragtag coalition of criminal armed groups was simply no match for the ideologically purposeful AFC-M23 – a liberation movement with clear, legitimate motives.
In Doha and Washington, Kinshasa agreed to various peace processes that included a cease fire, de-escalation and eventually an end to the prolonged armed conflict. Tshisekedi signed all proposals and agreed to everything in all mediation efforts. But he had no intention of honoring his commitments. As always, he only needed time to figure out his next (bad intention) move.
He simply had to figure out who to bribe in order to skew peace treaties and cease-fires in his favor. He had discovered that the combination of a one-sided ceasefire that blocked any response from the AFC-M23, and an unabated drone strike campaign could solve his particular “weak army” problem.
And so, Tshisekedi bombed villages, schools, and hospitals. He killed and injured thousands. But no one called him out. Even the most blatant of Tshisekedi’s drone attacks like the one that killed UN and humanitairian workers in Goma (a clear war crime) has not been condemned by the international community.
It’s incredible the things greed can do, like the greed of those protecting Tshisekedi from consequences for his blatant criminality.
Tshisekedi has basically been emboldened, to continue air raids (moreover with the technical support of mercenaries operating drones).
The consequences are more innocent civilians casualties and a higher possiblity that the emboldened Tshisekedi attacks Rwanda with drones to provoke regional war. War is, after all, Tshisekedi’s real objective as it avoids him scrutiny and accountability.
And war will be the excuse Tshisekedi uses to change the Congolese constitution, to cling onto power.