Regional

Why EAC’s resolutions contradict Tshisekedi's wishes

2023-06-07 05:16:00

The East African Community has tirelessly worked to find possible ways to halt the ongoing security crisis in eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, since the country became a member in July 2022.

Unfortunately, it seems the regional bloc is fetching water in a bucket with holes. DRC’s President, Félix Tshisekedi, has never shown any will to implement the EAC leaders’ recommendations. He has, instead, challenged every move towards sustainable solutions in restoring peace and security in the volatile region of his country.

Tshisekedi’s wishes are all about getting another five-year tenure, by hook or crook. Every kind of sacrifice, in his mind, will be made to reach his ambition.

While EAC leaders want calm in eastern DRC so that millions of displaced Congolese return in their homes and vote for their next president in December 2023, Tshisekedi thinks it will be his big loss. He is sure, he cannot win the minds and hearts of his people with no single positive achievement throughout the ending tenure.

The unique remaining plot to Tshisekedi is to find fake justifications for postponing elections like ‘let’s first of all deal with security in the east’. The second move will be to prepare ground for fraudulent polls and declare his victory, as it was the case in 2018 when he stole what was actually Martin Fayulu’s win.

Facts speak volumes…

“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,” Tshisekedi declared on May 9, in Botswana.

His complaint was based on the fact that the EAC regional force fulfilled its mandate as it is designed. Tshisekedi wanted the force to fight the M23 rebels which is not its mandate. As a result, his wishes never came true.

On the other hand, EAC leaders congratulated the EAC force for its achievement towards restoration of peace and security in eastern DRC. It was in the 21st Extraordinary EAC Heads of State Summit held on May 31, in Bujumbura, Burundi.

The force now occupies many areas evacuated by the M23 rebels, including Sake, Kibumba, Rumangabo, Mushaki, Kilolirwe, Kitchanga, Kiwanja and Bunagana.

“The Heads of State agreed to the extension of the status of EAC forces agreement for six months from March 8 to September 8, 2023 in order to consolidate the gains made by the EAC force,” reads one of resolutions by the EAC summit.

Tshisekedi has declared that he will never hold dialogue with M23.

“There is no question of political dialogue with this group. I say it and I want to make it clear that it will never be a question of it. Quite simply because it is through this kind of dialogue that they take advantage of the situation to infiltrate us. Infiltrate elements that will later create fallacious claims and justify their aggression against the DRC,” Tshisekedi said in April.

The 21st extraordinary EAC summit reaffirmed that the “security situation in eastern DRC can only be sustainably resolved through a political process” through dialogue among all the parties.

The EAC leaders urged Kinshasa to work with the Nairobi peace process and the facilitator, former Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, to “finalize the appropriate dates for resumption of the inter-Congolese dialogue.”

While EAC is pushing hard to end violence in east DRC, Tshisekedi wants the escalation of violence so that he will stay in office, whether by fraud elections or transition.

He has accused the EAC force of ‘cohabiting’ with M23 rebels after the regional troops declined to combat the rebels as he had wished.

Tshisekedi is not satisfied with the fact that the force created a buffer zone as it is mandated to, a move that played a crucial role in M23 withdrawals.