A Security Council delegation conducted a three-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which ended on March 13. During the visit, the UN team met with President Félix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa, and later, in Goma, they held talks with local officials, civil leaders and toured a displaced persons' camp. 

As has been the norm with any delegation visiting DRC, Tshisekedi and his government used it as an opportunity to blame and accuse neighboring Rwanda for their internal failures. However, while speaking to media, the UN delegation through its the head of delegation and France's U.N. ambassador, Nicolas de Riviere, said that dialogue is the only way to solve the conflict in the country’s east and that Congolese leaders should take up their responsibility.

 

"I want to insist on this, the United Nations cannot do everything. They are not in charge of everything, the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are also in charge, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are at home too; so, it is their responsibility,” he said.

 

“The United Nations is there to support, there is no magic solution, it is not the United Nations that will solve the problems on its own.”

Speaking on how the armed groups acquire arms and ammunitions, De Rivière said that 80 per cent of them came from government forces, FARDC.

When Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo spoke during the recent Pope Francis' visit in February, in Kinshasa, he underscored that the real problems faced by Congolese people are poverty and poor governance.

 

On the presidential elections which Tshisekedi seems determined to postpone by any means, Cardinal Fridolin said, in front of Pope Francis: “We hope to see free, transparent and peaceful elections held in our country.”

These are words that Tshisekedi doesn’t like to hear.

Tshisekedi has vowed to make Rwanda a scapegoat of his insecurity and economic crisis. In front of the Pope, Tshisekedi cried that he is being aggressed by Rwanda, the same narrative he repeated during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron in March.

 

After accusing Rwanda, Tshisekedi received another slap in the face, which was the truth from his guest, Macron.

 

During a joint press conference in Kinshasa, Macron said: “Since 1994, you have never been able to restore the military, security or administrative sovereignty of your country. It's a reality. You must not look for culprits outside.”

 

The UK Minister for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, also visited the country in March. During his three-day visit to the country, Minister Mitchell was, among others, interested in discussing with Tshisekedi steps towards ending the violence in the east of the country. Tshisekedi shunned Mitchell.

 

While Tshisekedi continues to play blame games, the situation continues to deteriorate in other parts of the country.

 

Apart from world leaders calling out Kinshasa on bad leadership, Tshisekedi is getting an earful from his own compatriots. Former journalist and member of regional parliament of Kinshasa Mike Mukebayi spoke about the issue of FDLR and their collaboration with the Congolese government.

 

The FDLR are a UN-sanctioned terrorist group formed by the remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

 

They fled to DRC nearly three decades ago and were accommodated by the Congolese government but the militia group has wreaked havoc in the region, pillaging, raping, and killing innocent civilians while spreading its genocide ideology.

 

Mukebayi said: “Everyone tells us to deal with the issue of the FDLR, but you will hear some Congolese leaders saying that the FDLR is just a Rwandan pretext, but if this is a pretext, it must be removed.

 

“One should also acknowledge that FDLR is still lethal, isn’t it President Tshisekedi that gave us that scoop, telling journalists that it is this negative force that killed the Italian Ambassador to DRC?”

 

“If FDLR has means to get such sensitive information, plan an operation and execute it murdering a high-level diplomat, how can you say FDLR is almost non-existent, a residual force? So, what does such murder mean when the FDLR strikes such a blow to Rwanda? ‘We are still existing.’ That's the message they are sending out to Rwanda and the world,” Mukebayi said.

 

On the same topic, he noted, DRC is in no position to impose on Rwanda to negotiate with the FDLR, while the militia continue to loot the country’s wealth and remains a danger to all Congolese.

 

On the responsibility of his country, Mukebayi added that a serious state cannot accommodate the presence of a single threat (FDLR) at home without its consent.

 

He pointed out that senior Congolese officials should cease collaboration with the genocidal armed group.

 

Wherever Tshisekedi or his officials travel, they have one single message to their hosts: that they are aggressed by Rwanda and all Congolese troubles are caused by Rwanda.

 

But the root causes of insecurity and economic crisis in DRC are well known.

 

And Tshisekedi is, clearly, being told the truth by the world.

 

His poor leadership is the main cause of all trouble in DRC.