It is close to two years since the resurgence, in 2021, of the M23 rebellion in east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

 

The rebels’ demand is dialogue with Kinshasa but the latter has consistently refused and there is no hope that their rebellion will end anytime soon.

 

They want the DRC government to, among others, integrate them into the national army, as well as allow a return home of all Congolese refugees living in exile.

 

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who keenly follows the conflict in eastern DRC sees this as a problem that should not take years to solve.

 

On July 24, Museveni again said that the M23 problem is a political problem that can be solved by discussion because the rebels are not asking for big demands to end the conflict.

 

“I don’t think they [M23] are asking for big things. Sharing power or what, no. Their demands are simply ‘to go back to their homes which they run away from and to be integrated into the army’. How can this be a problem?”

 

“So, we are encouraging Tshisekedi to agree with them and if they do not want to discuss, then we can treat them as a negative force and act against them,” Museveni added.

 

This is not the first time that Museveni advised his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi, to sit at a negotiation table with the M23, for the sake of lasting peace in the east of his country.  

 

The Ugandan president also made this call in June 2023, during the meeting with the parliamentarian committee from the DRC’s Ituri Province.

 

 He urged Tshisekedi to “engage in peace talks with the M23 rebels” noting that “inclusivity is crucial for achieving lasting peace in the DRC”.

 

All these calls fell on deaf ears. Kinshasa wants nothing but war, blame games, and genocide-laced language, which has never solved any conflicts in the world.

 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and France’s Emmanuel Macron, during their different state visits in Kinshasa, advised the Congolese president to contemplate negotiation with armed groups and address the insecurity crisis from its roots.  

 

Ramaphosa underscored that the best way of resolving conflicts “is still dialogue.”

 

Related: Will Tshisekedi listen to Ramaphosa, dialogue with M23?

 

Tshisekedi ignored the message and kept advancing his old-fashioned narrative of blaming Rwanda, a move criticized by many politicians including Macron.

 

Macron said that Congolese authorities should look for solutions to their security challenges, instead of always putting the blame on external actors.

 

Related: Macron’s bitter truth exposed Tshisekedi's weaknesses

 

Apparently, peace is not what Tshisekedi wants.

 

He is keen on anything that can help him stay in office, which is insecurity.

 

If the international community is really concerned about the insecurity in eastern DRC, and wants lasting peace, it should look behind the curtain and hear the grieving voices of Congolese refugees and Rwandophones who for decades were denied their rights as Congolese citizens.