SADC's shuffling to replace EAC force in DRC shows disunity among Africa’s regional blocs

Author: Emma Mukasa

• 2023-05-19 05:01:00

While in Botswana on May 9, Congolese President, Félix Tshisekedi, declared that the East African Community Regional Force deployed in November 2022 to restore security in the eastern part of his country, will have to leave DRC territory definitively by June if the results of its mission are not satisfactory.

“The mandate of EACRF is ending in June, if by that time we assess that the mandate was not fulfilled. We will send those contingents home with honor and thank them for having tried to bring their share of contribution to peace in DRC,” said the Congolese President.

Tshisekedi made the remarks a day after the Southern African Development Community (SADC) agreed to deploy troops in eastern DRC, as a way of supporting the Congolese government in fighting armed groups ahead of the general elections scheduled in December 2023.

 “The EAC troops, who came to restore security in eastern DRC, have failed. Those of the SADC are arriving, pending the fixing of the modalities by June 15,” declared Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula, in a press ponference on May 13.

EACRF, comprising troops from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and South Sudan, has secured territories evacuated by the M23 rebels since December 2022, as stipulated in the Luanda roadmap. The regional force now occupies Sake, Kibumba, Rumangabo, Mushaki, Kilolirwe, Kitchanga, Kiwanja, and Bunagana among many other areas previously controlled by the rebels.

For many observers, so far so good. The resumption of normalcy is noticeable in all territories after the restoration of security by the EACRF troops. For over a month, a ceasefire between the Congolese national army and M23 was recorded, thanks to the regional force.  Normal activities along the main supply routes, Goma-Kibumba-Rumangabo-Rutshuru and Bunagana -Rutshuru-Rumangabo-Goma increased significantly.

Despite the remarkable achievements of the EAC force, the chairperson of SADC, Tshisekedi, is threatening to kick out the EAC force because they are not combating M23 rebels as he wanted.

But war is not what EAC leaders prioritized. They wanted political dialogue to come first since, according to them, that is the right way to get to sustainable peace.

Hoodwinking Southern African regional bloc into blundering

The 20th Extra-Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State held in February 2023, in Bujumbura, Burundi, which Tshisekedi attended, observed that the security situation in eastern DRC is a regional matter that can only be sustainably resolved through a political process. The Summit in Bujumbura highlighted the need for enhanced dialogue among all the parties.

Irritated with what EAC leaders suggested, and the way M23 is committed to the agreement and even withdrew from its previously occupied territories without the use of force, Tshisekedi came up with a new trick. He is using his position as current SADC chairperson to hoodwink the entire Southern African regional bloc into blundering.

The Congolese leader wants SADC troops to fight M23. But little does the Southern African bloc actually know about the reality of eastern DRC problems. They only absorb what their Chairperson feeds them, which is a false one-sided narrative that favors his plot to stay in power at whatever cost.

The M23 rebels’ problem is an internal political problem that requires a political solution, not military intervention of any kind, either local or foreign.

The rebels are fighting for the safety of their community, the Congolese Tutsi. They have been, for decades, marginalized, discriminated and targeted for extermination. They only want their voice to be heard by the Congolese government.

But Tshisekedi is investing so much time in labeling them as ‘terrorists’ who need to be eliminated in order to avoid dialogue with them. He is making the entire Southern African bloc sink into his deception.

The deployment of SADC to replace EAC is a clear indication that there is a lack of unity among African regional blocs, especially in issues of restoring peace in troubled regions like eastern DRC.

If the African Union is really meant to unite Africans, its regional blocs must work together towards a common goal for a better future of Africans, not engaging in confrontation against each other.

If SADC has good intentions of helping DRC deal with its insecurity situation in the eastern part of the country, it should first consult EAC before it deploys, as the latter already understands better the problem.