Regional
Congolese army alliance with FDLR an existential threat to Rwanda
On July 4, Rwanda celebrated the 28th Liberation Day.
Rwandans celebrated the victory of the Rwandan Patriotic Army(RPA) against the
regime that committed the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi by killing more than
one million innocent souls; men, women and children.
For 28 years, the remnants of the genocidal force which include
Ex-FAR and Interehamwe militia, found sanctuary in the east of the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) where they plan to launch attacks on Rwanda. The two
main anti-Rwanda armed terror groups operating in eastern DRC are FDLR and RUD-Urunana.
The planners of the genocide wanted to exterminate all the
Tutsi, but the RPA flushed them out of Rwanda. They were given safe passage
into the then Zaire, present-day DRC, by the French-led military contingent
under the name of Opération Turquoise. The FDLR and RUDI-Urunana have one mission – to return to Rwanda
and complete the genocide against the Tutsi. In a media interview, President
Paul Kagame, on July 4 said that the Congolese army is fighting alongside FDLR
in the war against M23 rebels, with the full knowledge of the UN peacekeeping force
(MONUSCO).
When Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi initially
ascended to power, there was good cooperation with Rwanda. There were Congolese
military operations in eastern DRC that neutralized FDLR and other
affiliated armed groups, while many of the genocidal militia elements were
repatriated to Rwanda. During the early
parts of his first term, Tshisekedi made it his mission to rid his country’s
east of the Rwandan genocidal militia and other negative forces. He was swimming
against the political tide in Kinshasa but he battled anyway.
But then, suddenly, Tshisekedi recently eased up
on the gas. Worse still, his army started working with the militia it was
supposed to fight.
Although FDLR was earlier weakened, the new
development led to the regrouping of the anti-Rwanda armed terror groups in
eastern DRC.
Why has
Tshisekedi changed now?
Tshisekedi’s initial zeal to uproot FDLR from
eastern DRC was not supported by politicians especially in the east as well as his
military commanders. It deprived them of corruption cash or protection fees from
the FDLR. Secondly, FDLR provided a good market for weapons and ammunitions
sold by Congolese military chiefs. Thirdly, politicians and Congolese military commanders
engage in mineral businesses with FDLR. The 2018 UN Group of experts’ report
notes that “the FDLR obtains millions of dollars a
year from the minerals trade, mostly through taxation of mines and traders, and
that many traders are complicit since they know the gold, cassiterite, coltran
and wolframite come from FDLR-controlled zones.”
The FDLR therefore, uses the money obtained from the minerals to
buy “legitimacy” among corrupt high ranking political and military commanders.
This is the same reason why FARDC alone will never uproot FDLR from DRC. It is
their cash cow.
With
elections slated for next year, Tshisekedi’s popularity is rated to be at its
lowest. Kabila and Mobutu loyalists in the opposition ganged against him for
collaborating with Rwanda on the issue of security in eastern DRC. In order to
gain back popularity and votes in the forthcoming elections, Tshisekedi has
suddenly changed to speak the same language with his opposition, by claiming that
Rwanda is supporting M23 against the DRC government.
His
predecessor used the same political card of scapegoating Rwanda as the cause of
DRC problems.
However,
this is a political miscalculation that Tshisekedi may live to regret when
disowning M23 who are Congolese nationals fighting for their rights and forming
an alliance with FDLR, a terrorist group that committed genocide in Rwanda.
Why FARDC-
FDLR alliance?
Corruption in general weakens the functioning of
institutions world over.
Since Congolese military commanders are busy selling
arms and trading in minerals with FDLR, they spend most of their time in
business and protecting their personal property rather than professionalizing
and strengthening their army. They also fear to take risks on the frontline
because they are more interested in preserving themselves to enjoy their
wealth. For this reason, they will ally with FDLR as a mercenary force which
also has interests to defend in eastern DRC. The FDLR enthusiastically takes up
the mercenary job with full confidence that Congolese authorities will help it
to launch military attacks and return to Rwanda by force of arms.
Speaking in a televised interview on July 4,
President Paul Kagame said, in his liberation day message, that, “Congo has its own things to deal with, and we have our own
things to deal with, as independent sovereign countries, without having to
interfere with each other. We just have to work together where we choose to work
together."
The Congolese army’s alliance with FDLR is not only interfering
with Rwanda's security.
It is an existential threat to millions of Rwandans as genocidal
group’s intention is to complete the genocide against the Tutsi that it started
in 1994.