EngRegional
More militias, terrorists integrated into DRC army
During
a press conference held in Goma, on March 6, the Congolese Minister of higher
and university education, Muhindo Nzangi, revealed that a cabinet meeting which
was chaired by President Felix Tshisekedi resolved to incorporate more negative
forces into the national army, FARDC, so they can help fight the M23 rebel
group.
It is
well known and documented that FARDC collaborates with negative armed groups to
fight M23 according to reports by the UN report and Human Rights Watch. Among
those groups is the Rwandan genocidal militia, FDLR and Nyatura, which are behind
the killings of the Tutsi in DRC and CODECO which is behind the Genocide of the
Hema community in Ituri Province.
The UN
blacklisted the FDLR as a terrorist and genocidal group.
The
United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu
Nderitu, has expressed deep alarm at the escalation of violence in the Great
Lakes caused by this coalition between FARDC and armed groups.
Minister
Nzangi said henceforth the armed groups will be supplied and paid like the
Congolese army. Indeed, in a country where a genocide is in progress, this move
will only accentuate the violence and expose the civilian population to war.
The
FDLR, considered as a genocidal force, are now reservists within the Congolese
army. This method of arming the population to supposedly fight “enemies” was
used in Rwanda to commit a genocide against the Tutsi. More than a million
people perished.
The
integration of ex-FAR and Interahamwe into the Congolese army is not new. When
the second Congo war erupted in 1998 following the creation of the Rally for Congolese
Democracy (RCD) President Laurent Desire Kabila met in person with Gen Augustin
Bizimungu who was Chief of Defence Staff of the Rwandan Armed Forces during the
Genocide against the Tutsi.
It
was after the meeting that several Congolese embassies confirmed to ALiR (which
later became FDLR) cells across Africa and Europe that Kinshasa wanted to build
a military partnership with the ex-FAR and Interahamwe.
Immediately,
more than 20,000 ex-FAR and Interahamwe militiamen hiding in Congo-Brazaville,
Central Africa Republic and Sudan traveled back to eastern DRC to fight RCD
rebels using logistics provided by President Laurent Desire Kabila.
Today,
by legalizing the militia in the DRC, the Kinshasa government is creating a
state of total chaos and endangering the lives of thousands of Congolese.
Working with traitors
Prior
to this announcement by the Congolese education Minister, while in South Africa
on a state visit, Uganda’s President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, revealed how in
one of the regional meetings, he questioned his DRC counterpart, on whether he
really wants a free and secure DRC or he was siding with the traitors that
wished nothing good for the country.
Museveni
was categorical in his words when he said, “I told Tshisekedi that, you
Tshisekedi, are you on the side of traitors or are you on the side of the
freedom fighters….”
It
is clear that even regional leaders are getting frustrated by Tshisekedi’s lack
of political will to implement both the Luanda and Nairobi processes, and
ignoring regional talks aimed at pacifying eastern DRC.
This
prompted the Ugandan Head of State to ask his Congolese counterpart why he is
on the side of traitors.
The
traitors in this case are not only the FDLR that is integrated into his army,
but also the hired Russian and French Mercenaries, and Mai Mai groups, whose
only aim is to kill, loot and harass Congolese civilians.
Tshisekedi
wants the continuation of chaos in the country, so that presidential elections
don’t take place and he continues to rule. The negative armed groups are on the
payroll of politicians in government.
