The United Nations Group of Experts (UN GoE) ‘leaked’ report on the security and humanitarian situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) describes the situation as deteriorating, with regional tensions and intense violence.

 

The report documents evidence of the DRC government providing support to sanctioned armed terror groups like FDLR, Nyatura and other armed militia like the Wazalendo which fight alongside the Congolese national army, FARDC, in the war against M23 rebels.

Although the report claims that Rwanda’s armed forces, RDF, support M23 rebels, Rwanda has repeatedly denied the allegation.

“If AFC garnered support from a broad coalition of Congolese stakeholders, M23 could be reframed as a Congolese problem.” This statement from the UN GoE report, clearly explains that the UN system is still refusing to recognize that M23 has legitimate concerns that need to be addressed by political means.

The M23 rebellion is still being externalized at a time when hundreds of Congolese Tutsi are being killed while thousands have lived in exile for decades.

Can the experts tell the world why these people ran away from their homes in eastern DRC and the ways in which they can be assisted to go back?

By ignoring to recognize the grievances of M23, the UN system, by implication, supports Kinshasa's option of dealing with the eastern DRC crisis through military means. Recent history teaches us that this option has not worked in the past and there are no indications that, this time, it is likely to succeed.

“On April 8 2024, 48 armed groups leaders from South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri travelled to Kinshasa at the Presidency’s request. Among the issues discussed was strengthening the cohesion among Wazalendo groups, and clarifying that the sanctioned armed group FDLR-FOCA were allies, despite international pressure on the DRC Government to cease collaboration with them,” reads part of the GoE report.

Tshisekedi personally holds meetings with FDLR-FOCA, a genocidal terror group whose founders committed the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and the UN system finds this normal, and Tshisekedi cannot be held accountable. 

On the conduct of Wazalendo, and other armed groups, the UN GoE report notes that, “The Wazalendo armed groups committed serious violations, including kidnappings for ransom, extorsion, pillaging, unlawful imprisonment, torture, rape, murder, reprisal killings and execution of civilians accused of collaborating with the enemy. The Wazalendo did not target any particular ethnic group.”

It is well known that the Wazalendo do not act alone. All these human rights violations are conducted together with the national army, FARDC, with full   support of Tshisekedi’s government. The UN system has not sanctioned Kinshasa yet his actions are beyond sanctionable.

For the UN GoE to state that Wazalendo did not target any ethnic group, yet numerous videos have been shared on social media showing the Congolese Tutsi being lynched, frogged, cannibalized and tortured, is to deny the obvious. It is being insensitive to the human suffering and all clear evidence pointing to signs of genocide against the Congolese Tutsi in the making. Videos of hate speech against Congolese Tutsi by Wazalendo and government officials are proof of the community being targeted and persecuted.

“The recognition of Wazalendo by the Government and the general public as 'patriots' fighting for liberation of the country gave these armed groups the excuse to act with impunity, with state security services either unable or unwilling to arrest perpetrators,” the UN GoE report reveals.

It is apparent that Kinshasa cannot be expected to arrest the militia it created and sponsors. What the world should know is that Tshisekedi legitimized lawlessness and chaos in eastern DRC, the moment his government embraced the use of militias, armed terror groups like FDLR and European mercenaries.

Having a sitting government using genocidal armed groups and mercenaries is contrary to international law, but the UN system decides to give it a blessing.

On the part of M23, the GoE report mentions that, “M23 frequently abducted, imprisoned, tortured and executed civilians accused of collaborating with Wazalendo armed groups and/or FARDC, continuing the previously documented pattern of killings and kidnappings of perceived enemies.  M23 and RDF specifically targeted localities, predominantly inhabited by Hutus, in the localities/groupements of Bukombo, Burambo and Nyanzale in the Bwito chefferie, and in Busanza, chefferie of Bwisha (Rutshuru) with numerous executions and destruction of villages reported. These forms of collective punishment against civilians are sanctionable acts and may constitute war crimes.”

By simple observation, the report, tactfully and deliberately lessens and exonerates the gross human rights violations committed by the DRC government and allied armed terror groups and militia, while on the other hand finds fault with M23 and calls for sanctions against the rebel group and Rwanda.

How does the world expect the UN to solve a crisis which was created by some powerful UN member states for post-colonial exploitative interests? There is outright lack of impartiality by the UN GoE report, which renders the UN system part of the problem rather than providing a lasting solution to the eastern DRC crisis.