What should be expected from upcoming DRC-Rwanda meeting

The East African Community (EAC) ministers of foreign affairs held a three-day retreat in Zanzibar, Tanzania, from July 6 to 8 to discuss the security crisis in eastern DRC and the bloc's integration agenda. 

Among the key takeaways from the meeting is that it was recommended that the foreign ministers of Rwanda and DRC meet, in the framework of the Luanda peace process. Their meeting will focus on the frosty relations between the two countries and the war in eastern DRC.

Keen observers believe that a mere meeting between both countries will not yield any tangible results if certain critical issues - especially the root causes of the conflict - are not frankly considered and addressed.

In a September 2023 interview with Jeune Afrique, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, when asked if dialogue with his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi was possible, answered that talking for the sake of talking will not solve problems.

“Would someone who refuses to talk to his own citizens talk to me? Wouldn’t that be strange? I have always been willing to talk to him. In fact, we spoke a lot together at one time and the problems we’re facing today were already at the heart of our discussions,” Kagame said, adding that people say that the DRC problem is between Kagame and Tshisekedi, yet that’s not it.

A regional political analyst who preferred anonymity said that the bilateral meeting’s purpose would be to, most importantly, address the frosty relations between Kigali and Kinshasa.

“Both countries are neighbours and will continue to be. No government would want a bad relationship with their neighbours as it affects their trade and farewell of citizens on both sides, which is what Rwanda and DRC should thrive for."

For years, the Congolese government has blamed Rwanda for supporting the M23 rebels in the east of the country, an accusation Rwanda has constantly denied, pointing out that it is a Congolese internal problem and advised that it is important the Congolese government focuses on addressing the root causes of the conflict.

 The M23 rebels are Congolese citizens. Successive Congolese governments have failed to address the continued discrimination and harassment of the Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese community. The latter have been denied their fundamental rights as legitimate Congolese citizens. The Congolese Tutsi have specifically been targeted by hate speech, killing, lynching, cannibalism and other inhumane acts.

This injustice is what prompted the M23 rebels to take up arms again in November 2021, to fight against government forces. The rebels are fighting for their survival and protection of the Congolese Tutsi community.

The EAC leaders acknowledged that the M23 problem can only be addressed politically, but Kinshasa chose another path; militarily fighting the M23 rebels, which is proving to not be working but escalating the crisis.

To date, the M23 rebels have captured swathes of territory and only demand one thing from their government; dialogue.

Kinshasa has totally disregarded their wishes for political dialogue and formed a coalition comprising the FDLR genocidal forces, ethnic-driven local armed groups allied to FDLR under the umbrella of Wazalendo, SADC forces, and Burundian armed forces, as well as European mercenaries and Private Military Security Companies, all to fight the rebellion they branded as terrorists.

On top of failing their own citizens, the Congolese government chose solely to blame Rwanda, for the crisis in the east of the country.

For Kigali and Kinshasa to have a productive meeting, Kinshasa must own up and acknowledge that the M23 rebellion is an internal problem that should be dealt with accordingly, without involving neighbors.

An October 2022 Human Rights Watch pinned the  Congolese army on supplying arms and ammunitions to FDLR, a genocidal militia formed by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. 

The FDLR is not only operating in eastern DRC. It was incorporated into the Congolese army, with a target of attacking Rwanda. The genocidal militia is an existential threat to Rwanda.

Tshisekedi and his government refused to address the FDLR problem yet find it convenient to blame Rwanda for their security crisis despite harboring and arming genocidaires.

Without setting parameters; frank discussions and accepting accountability, the meeting will only be a photo session with no tangible resolutions. And the DRC crisis will continue to be a nightmare for Congolese citizens and the entire region.