As he addressed his nation, on November 3, in a 10-minute televised speech, President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reignited his accusation against Rwanda, insisting – without presenting the slightest bit of evidence – that Kigali is supporting rebel groups in his country.

 

However, the Congolese leader’s speech was full of lies. Time and again, DRC leadership has blamed its weakness and internal conflicts on Rwanda.

 

At the very start of his speech, Tshisekedi tackled the insecurity situation in the east of the country, where M23 rebels are currently occupying swathes of territory in areas such as Rutshuru and Bunagana, since June. Fighting resumed on October 20 after Congolese forces attacked the rebels' bases.

 

“The aggression of and occupation of  these territories in the North-Kivu is perpetrated by the M23 terrorist, with support in terms of manpower and logistics from Rwanda,” Tshisekedi said.

 

He went on and on about his numerous efforts to revive diplomatic ties with neighboring countries; Rwanda and Uganda, noting that “however, Rwanda surprised us by reactivating the M23 terrorists.”

 

The alleged support of Rwanda to M23 is a lie that Tshisekedi and his allies continue to advance. The M23 rebels are Congolese – not Rwandan nationals as Kinshasa would like to mislead the world – and their concerns are part of DRC’s internal political problem. The M23 is a Congolese rebel group whose aim is to protect its people - Congolese Tutsi and Rwandophones - from oppression in their homeland.

 

The M23 was defeated, following what appeared to be internal wrangles, in 2013 and it dispersed and fled to Rwanda and Uganda. The group that fled to Uganda returned to DRC in 2017, but had remained dormant until it resumed activities again in late 2021.

 

The group that fled to Rwanda was immediately disarmed, secured and relocated to Rwanda’s Eastern Province, far away from the Rwanda-DRC border. Genuinely examining why the group is taking up arms again after all this time is a very important step in the path to finding a lasting solution to their grievances and the puzzle of insecurity in eastern DRC.

 

The rebellion was caused by national grievances linked to lack of security, discrimination of their community and poor governance at large.

 

On top of Rwanda’s alleged support to M23, Tshisekedi accused Kigali of stealing his country’s minerals, under what he said was the false accusation that his army, FARDC, supports the FDLR. The latter are a terrorist militia group formed by the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. They were given safe heaven by successive Congolese regimes ever since they fled from Rwanda nearly three decades ago. Lately, to complicate issues, reports indicate that Tshisekedi is using this genocidal militia group in the battle against the M23 rebels.

 

Before lying to his country, and to the world, Tshisekedi should have at least covered up the traces of his army’s crimes. On October 18, Human Rights Watch published a report, exposing how DRC troops provide ammunitions, uniforms and boots; not only to the FDLR but also to other Mai Mai groups.

 

After expelling Rwanda's ambassador, Tshisekedi lied that diplomatic efforts to ease tensions have not led to any tangible result. The fact is that Kinshasa never really was inclined to pursue the path of diplomacy, having failed to have a fully fledged diplomatic mission in Kigali for nearly a decade. Worse still, by declaring war on Rwanda, the Congolese leader actually dismantled the diplomatic processes earlier launched in Kenya's capital Nairobi and Luanda, Angola. Tshisekedi never really gave diplomacy a chance.

 

The conflict, Tshisekedi said, would require "sacrifice", as well as "the engagement of all of (the nation's) daughters and all of its sons.”

 

"In response to the strong demand from the youth, I invite them to organise themselves into vigilance groups with a view to propping up, accompanying and supporting our armed forces".

 

Anyone would applaud the Congolese leader’s stern warning against hate speech, stigmatization and xenophobia against Rwandophone communities, when he said that all criminal acts similar to that will be severely punished, if only his words were not more lies and hypocritical.

 

Following the recent seizure of Rutshuru by the M23 rebels, Congolese civilians, soldiers and government officials took to the streets of Goma to protest against Rwanda’s ‘aggressions’ and ‘barbaric actions’. This was followed by lynching, harassing and attacking any ‘Rwandan’ nearby.

 

To date, no one has been arrested, punished or held accountable for their actions. This proves that Tsisekedi’s ‘severe punishments’ only exist in his speeches.

 

For peace to prevail between the two countries, blame games from DRC need to stop, and, political and diplomatic maturity must prevail.