Congolese army alliance with FDLR an existential threat to Rwanda

On July 4, Rwanda celebrated the 28^th Liberation Day. Rwandans celebrated the victory of the Rwandan Patriotic Army(RPA) against the regime that committed the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi by killing more than one million innocent souls; men, women and children.  

For 28 years, the remnants of the genocidal force which include Ex-FAR and Interehamwe militia, found sanctuary in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where they plan to launch attacks on Rwanda. The two main anti-Rwanda armed terror groups operating in eastern DRC are FDLR and RUD-Urunana.

The planners of the genocide wanted to exterminate all the Tutsi, but the RPA flushed them out of Rwanda. They were given safe passage into the then Zaire, present-day DRC, by the French-led military contingent under the name of Opération Turquoise. The FDLR and RUDI-Urunana have one mission – to return to Rwanda and complete the genocide against the Tutsi. In a media interview, President Paul Kagame, on July 4 said that the Congolese army is fighting alongside FDLR in the war against M23 rebels, with the full knowledge of the UN peacekeeping force (MONUSCO).

When Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi initially ascended to power, there was good cooperation with Rwanda. There were Congolese military operations in eastern DRC that neutralized FDLR and other affiliated armed groups, while many of the genocidal militia elements were repatriated to Rwanda. During the early parts of his first term, Tshisekedi made it his mission to rid his country’s east of the Rwandan genocidal militia and other negative forces. He was swimming against the political tide in Kinshasa but he battled anyway.

But then, suddenly, Tshisekedi recently eased up on the gas. Worse still, his army started working with the militia it was supposed to fight.

Although FDLR was earlier weakened, the new development led to the regrouping of the anti-Rwanda armed terror groups in eastern DRC.   

Why has Tshisekedi changed now?

Tshisekedi’s initial zeal to uproot FDLR from eastern DRC was not supported by politicians especially in the east as well as his military commanders. It deprived them of corruption cash or protection fees from the FDLR. Secondly, FDLR provided a good market for weapons and ammunitions sold by Congolese military chiefs. Thirdly, politicians and Congolese military commanders engage in mineral businesses with FDLR. The 2018 UN Group of experts’ report notes that “the FDLR obtains millions of dollars a year from the minerals trade, mostly through taxation of mines and traders, and that many traders are complicit since they know the gold, cassiterite, coltran and wolframite come from FDLR-controlled zones.”

The FDLR therefore, uses the money obtained from the minerals to buy “legitimacy” among corrupt high ranking political and military commanders. This is the same reason why FARDC alone will never uproot FDLR from DRC. It is their cash cow.

With elections slated for next year, Tshisekedi’s popularity is rated to be at its lowest. Kabila and Mobutu loyalists in the opposition ganged against him for collaborating with Rwanda on the issue of security in eastern DRC. In order to gain back popularity and votes in the forthcoming elections, Tshisekedi has suddenly changed to speak the same language with his opposition, by claiming that Rwanda is supporting M23 against the DRC government.

His predecessor used the same political card of scapegoating Rwanda as the cause of DRC problems.  

However, this is a political miscalculation that Tshisekedi may live to regret when disowning M23 who are Congolese nationals fighting for their rights and forming an alliance with FDLR, a terrorist group that committed genocide in Rwanda.    

Why FARDC- FDLR alliance?

Corruption in general weakens the functioning of institutions world over.

Since Congolese military commanders are busy selling arms and trading in minerals with FDLR, they spend most of their time in business and protecting their personal property rather than professionalizing and strengthening their army. They also fear to take risks on the frontline because they are more interested in preserving themselves to enjoy their wealth. For this reason, they will ally with FDLR as a mercenary force which also has interests to defend in eastern DRC. The FDLR enthusiastically takes up the mercenary job with full confidence that Congolese authorities will help it to launch military attacks and return to Rwanda by force of arms.  

Speaking in a televised interview on July 4, President Paul Kagame said, in his liberation day message, that, “Congo has its own things to deal with, and we have our own things to deal with, as independent sovereign countries, without having to interfere with each other. We just have to work together where we choose to work together."

The Congolese army’s alliance with FDLR is not only interfering with Rwanda's security.

It is an existential threat to millions of Rwandans as genocidal group’s intention is to complete the genocide against the Tutsi that it started in 1994.