EngRegional
DRC constantly failing peacekeeping missions
East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) contingent pictured in eastern DRC before it was forced to leave the volatile area.
In accordance with the
principle of collective self-defence and collective action as outlined in the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mutual Defence Pact (2003), the
bloc decided to deploy a mission to one of its member states, the Democratic Republic
of Congo, SAMIDRC, in December 2023.
Since SAMIDRC’s initial
deployment in DRC, its mission was to actively participate in joint operations
with the Congolese army coalition which includes the FDLR genocidal forces,
ethnic-driven local armed groups allied to FDLR under the umbrella of
Wazalendo, Burundian armed forces, as well as European mercenaries and Private
Military Security Companies, in fighting M23 rebels.
The SADC member states
approved SAMIDRC’s annual budget, USD436,183,884 which the Congolese government
committed to pay out USD 200,000,000.
However, almost a year later, Kinshasa has not spent a single penny on
the mission.
A source from the SADC
secretariat revealed that during a July meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, the Southern
Africa bloc urged DRC officials to urgently settle their outstanding balance of
USD 140 million.
The Congolese government’s
failure to contribute to the SAMIDRC mission in their country seriously
affected the performance of the troops from South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania,
which prompted these countries to spend their own money for the welfare of
their own soldiers.
The source revealed that the
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi is unbothered by the cash challenges of
the SADC’s mission despite the heavy casualties the troops have suffered. “He
is happy that the mission is just busy fighting the M23 rebels. The president
keeps promising to pay soon, which he fails to do.”
Tshisekedi took the decision
by SADC to replace the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) that was
already on ground, after accusing the latter of ‘collaborating with the enemy’,
simply because the mission did not carry out offensive operations against M23
rebels, but brought peace, and was paving way for dialogue.
But why is the South African
bloc still fighting in eastern DRC, while Kinshasa completely disregards its
wellbeing?
The SADC member states should
know that the DRC government has a long history of not honoring any financial
obligations within regional economic communities. To date, the Congolese
government is the most highly indebted country in the EAC, with arrears
amounting to USD 14.7million.
Tshisekedi’s government has
failed to pay EAC contributions since it joined in March 2022.
The Congolese government’s
failure to meet its obligations to SADC and EAC goes beyond just the financial
contributions. It shows that Kinshasa is an unreliable partner in all aspects.
Tshisekedi’s agenda is to keep the conflict in his country going, derailing peace processes. He has no intention of bringing peace to his country. SADC should realize that their troops are only suffering in eastern DRC, and will continue to suffer if Tshisekedi is not advised to choose the path of peace.
