UN refutes claims of RDF presence in DRC, what next?

Since the launch of an armed offensive by the M23 rebels against a coalition consisting the Congolese military, or FARDC, and the genocidal FDLR militia group with support of MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping force, the government of DRC has maintained claims that the Rwanda Defence Force was supporting M23.

Congolese politicians and senior military officers are on record saying that the RDF was in DRC fighting for M23, a rebel group formed by renegade Congolese officers over grievances they felt were not being addressed by their government.

These claims were amplified after the M23 launched successive offensives in North Kivu province, which ended in taking control of the border town of Bunagana which links DRC to Uganda.

DRC’s claims have since been refuted by MONUSCO itself. And, here is what people need to understand.The armed conflict between the FARDC and the M23 is not a new occurrence in eastern DRC. It has been an on and off for at least the last decade, and it is part of problems that have blighted the region for decades. Analysts predict that this unfortunate episode is far from being the last one before eastern DRC can enjoy sustainable peace and security, their forecasts is based on a number of evident whys and wherefores.

When one objectively delves deep into the causes of the conflict between the FARDC and the M23 armed group, some thought-provoking facts and questions come to light.

First of all, one fails to comprehend if there is any ideological clarity on the part of the Congolese leadership and many have pointed to the nexus of the emergency of the M23 rebel group and many others to this lack of direction.

Secondly, one fails to comprehend the reasons behind DRC’s persistent blaming of Rwanda for problems that are purely internal and should be addressed as such. Every time there is a resurgence of an armed insurrection, the leadership in Kinshasa is quick to blame Kigali.

Let’s focus on the most recent independent findings of the UN and its mission in eastern DRC; MONUSCO refuted the country’s allegations of RDF presence and support towards M23.

It was an all-out campaign when a few days ago, videos of FARDC Generals and high ranking officers went viral. In all the videos, we were easily introduced to majority of FARDC senior officers as they bragged about how they were not only going to smash the M23 armed group, but also annihilate Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese who mostly reside in the Kivus.

For decades, these Congolese have suffered discrimination from their compatriots who always accuse them of being Rwandans. As if, it was already not bad enough for a government to adopt such an approach against its own people as they supported and amplified all the hate speech that is still circulating on social media; they were at the same time bragging on how their next move, would be, to conquer Rwanda and to make sure that they annex the country to DRC as permanent solution to their internal problems.

Apparently, some things must have gone wrong at the battle field, as the rhetoric suddenly changed from bragging to the blame game and to crying foul before the bragging ‘battle-hardened’ military was overrun and forced to flee into Uganda with their military hardware.

It happened so fast that it got many surprised. But before we could establish what had actually gone so wrong with the FARDC that they were defeated so fast and so easily, the next thing in DRC’s state media and official statements, were the allegations that the RDF had gone to Congo and helped the M23.

The government through both its military spokesperson in DRC’s North Kivu and its foreign affairs minister accused Rwanda of sending its troops in DRC and helping the M23 to capture Bunagana.

Rwanda has kept silent to all these unfounded allegations by the Government of DRC and remained committed to protecting its territorial integrity in case the FARDC and their allies, the FDLR, attempted to violate it.

Rwanda also invited the joint verification mechanism of the Great Lakes Region to verify claims by DRC and establish the truth.

The United Nations (UN) named five groups behind what it calls a deteriorating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), manifested by an increasing number of attacks on civilians, notwithstanding “impartial and robust” protection efforts by MONUSCO.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, attributed attacks to the Co-operative for Development of the Congo (CODECO) and M23 as well as the ongoing presence of other foreign armed groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), Red Tabara and FDLR. All continue to pose a threat to regional stability, he said in an update on DRC, MONUSCO and various efforts – nationally and regionally – to disarm armed groups.

Worth to note, in this regard, is also that MONUSCO spokesperson’s response to the question of whether the M23 were supported by Rwanda. He said “we have no factual confirmation” to the effect.

The question should therefore be about where the DRC government gets their facts. And how can they prove their allegations other than through unverified statements and claims, often coupled with hate speech propaganda and man hunt for anyone who speaks Kinyarwanda.

The regional mechanisms and the international community at large should invite the DRC government to avoid its blame games and pulling Rwanda into its internal problems.

Rwanda is busy focusing on its own internal affairs and can only wish its neighbors well.