Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi is turning the war between his army and the M23 rebels into a business.

 

He is making billions of dollars while thousands of Congolese people are killed and millions others are displaced in the eastern part of the country.

 

Tshisekedi opted to privatize the M23-FARDC war rather than equipping his army and looking for sustainable solutions through dialogue as was urged by different regional leaders.

 

The European military contractors who also supervise daily activities of the Congolese army plan all the military operations. All Kinshasa does is provide billions of dollars to the mercenaries, and they do everything Tshisekedi wants them to do.

 

Tshisekedi is using war to increase his wealth. He is crafting pretexts to justify the budget for war, as he enriches himself as well as his inner circle.

 

Two private military companies have been operating alongside the Congolese army in North Kivu Province for over a year. Agemira RDC, a subsidiary of a parent company based in Bulgaria, run by French businessman Olivier Bazin, is working with RALF, an association of ex-Romanian troops led by a former Romanian soldier, Horatiu Potra.

 

Bazin and Potra play a central role in the Congolese army’s operations against the M23.

 

The Congolese government negotiated a large scale contract with Agemira RDC signed in July 2022 by former Defense Minister Gilbert Kabanda Rukemba.

 

The contract covers maintenance of the DRC army’s fleet, including two Sukhoi Su-25 combat aircrafts and two Soviet-made Mi-24 attack helicopters. The second is rehabilitation of the airports at Bukavu, Kavumu and Beni; and finally, security for aircraft and strategic sites.

 

Agemira RDC was also commissioned to carry out an advisory mission for the Congolese army headquarters in Goma.

 

In November 2022, RALF signed a contract with Tshisekedi for one year, to provide training for some FARDC units. Organized from the Mubambiro camp in North Kivu, the training covers the handling of various weapons (sniper rifles, AK47s, grenades, among others) as well as specialized war situations – fighting in forest or urban environments and ambush management, among others.

 

In December 2022, Tshisekedi explained that the stream of European mercenaries in Goma are “instructors recruited to provide psychological support to the FARDC”.

 

From around 100 at the end of 2022, the number of “instructors” has risen to 900, including many Romanian police officers.

 

Around 40 were deployed to Bukavu airport since June to train the Republican Guards in the use of “collective weapons”, including RPG-7, SPG-9, 12.7 and 14.7 heavy machine guns.

 

The airport is due to receive three CH-4 combat drones, acquired by the DRC from China for $150 milion.

 

Congolese pilots are being trained by Chinese instructors, with some of the instructors based in Kinshasa permanently.

 

Tshisekedi had initially opted for Turkish equipment.

 

But Bazin advised against it. Technically, he was in favor of the Chinese, particularly for the fact that the Turkish drones had no satellite connection.

 

Bazin and Potra were on the front line in the intense fighting with M23 in February 2023.

 

The UN mission in DRC, MONUSCO, provided artillery support to the Romanian troops during the fighting around Sake.

 

The mercenaries’ presence is causing unease within the Congolese army. Some generals have been bypassed in decision-making and that did not please them.

 

In North Kivu, the Congolese army has nearly 25 generals who interfere with the decisions of the military governor.

 

To rectify things, so they thought, Agemira imposed a more direct line of command, effectively dismissing several generals.