Regional
DR Congo’s entry in EAC makes the militia menace a regional problem
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the time Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi signed the deed to formally join
the East African Community, his people had already cited centuries of close
ties, thanks to common languages and ethnic groups.
“We
are similar people. I can speak in my local language and be understood in DRC.
And [Rwanda President Paul] Kagame can speak Kinyarwanda and be understood in
Rutshuru, DRC. We are a people who are linked. But above all, we have what
Europe doesn’t: A common language, Swahili. Why can’t we use all this to work
towards two goals: prosperity and sustainable security,” said Uganda President
Yoweri Museveni in Nairobi at the signing.
These
common things and the DRC’s expansive resources and markets mean a new market
of more than 90 million people will be added to the bloc of seven members.
However,
there are fears that a potentially conflicting competition between countries to
capture large parts of the new market may in fact become a regional problem of
insecurity.
At
the signing ceremony, leaders spoke of economic ambitions including widening
integration. But they were also equally concerned about security at one
another’s borders.
The
signing of the treaty by the DRC took place at a time North Kivu, in the east,
was rocked by the M23 rebellion. This rebel group, which arose 10 years ago
resurfaced just as Kinshasa received approval to join the EAC. That resurgence
means thawing ties between DRC and neighbour Rwanda are tense again.
On
March 28, the Congolese army accused Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) of supporting
the M23 rebels – which did not go down well with Kigali, which refuted the
allegations.
In
Kinshasa, officials later adopted a diplomatic position to ease the tension.
Nevertheless, on February 26, while opening the diplomatic conference in the
DRC, President Tshisekedi, without mentioning any names, denounced the
destabilisation of the region by neighbouring countries.
“It
is unrealistic and unproductive, even suicidal, for a country in our sub-region
to think that it will always benefit by maintaining conflicts or tensions with
its neighbours,” Tshisekedi said.
In
the DRC, following the resurgence of the M23, the Congolese Association for
Access to Justice, a rights lobby, called on the EAC to “adopt a global common
strategy to neutralise all armed groups, mainly the M23 in eastern DRC,”
according to a statement on April 11.
Some
experts think the M23, which had relaxed attacks in the past few years, is not
to be ignored.
“M23
has military equipment for operations at night,” Nicaise Kibel Bel, an expert
on military issues in Kinshasa said.
Conditional ceasefire
After
conquering several localities, the rebel group, which calls itself the
Congolese Revolutionary Army, surprisingly announced Sunday April 10 it was
withdrawing from its “conquered positions” to occupy only those held before
April 6, to allow its concerns to be addressed through “frank and fruitful”
talks with the Congolese government.
“The
M23 leadership reminds the public that it has never had the intention of
conquering spaces to run them, but its motivation is a peaceful resolution of
the crisis,” added the statement signed by Maj Willy Ngoma, M23 spokesman.
According
to M23, “There is no military solution to the crisis between the government and
the M23. Only dialogue can lead to a compromise and offers our people new and
happy prospects,” said Bertrand Bisimwa, the M 23 chairperson.
Despite
its declared ceasefire, in 2012 how it took over major towns including Goma,
albeit briefly. Thierry Vircoulon, researcher for the International Crisis
Group for Central Africa, said a few years ago that “the strategy of the M23 is
not to topple the government in Kinshasa, but to force it to talk”.
Countries
jostling for DRC’s wide market must play a role in solving the conflict
situation. Presidents Kagame and Museveni have repeatedly stated that armed
groups hostile to their respective countries train in the forests of Kivu. For
almost 30 years now, almost all bloodshed in the DRC has originated in the Kivu
provinces.
After
the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, remnants of the genocidaires fled into
forested areas of eastern DRC and created a rebel group called the FDLR
(Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda).
For
Uganda, a rebel group called the Allied Democratic Forces fled into DRC too. And
in November last year, DRC and Uganda launched a joint military operation,
targeting the group’s fighters.
Source:
www.theeastafrican.co.ke