EngRegional
Will SADC bring peace to DRC?
As the security situation in the east of the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to deteriorate, the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) is preparing to deploy a peacekeeping
mission to the region in a bid to restore peace and security.
On November 17, Kinshasa signed an agreement on the
status of the SADC force, following the deployment decision made at the bloc’s summit
held in Windhoek, Namibia, on May 7.
Eastern DRC is a home to more than 260 local and
foreign armed groups.
The UN mission there, for over two decades, failed to
neutralize the armed groups which have consistently killed hundreds of
civilians, displacing millions others. Consequently, the blue helmets are supposed
to leave the volatile country by January 2024.
The East African Community deployed a regional force to
eastern DRC which managed to maintain a cease fire for almost eight months, but
Kinshasa expressed dissatisfaction with the force’s results. The EAC force withdrew
from country on December 8, after the Congolese government refused to extend
its mandate.
President Félix Tshisekedi alleged that the EAC force was cohabiting with the M23 rebels despite the fact that regional leaders commended the force’s achievements. The UN mission was accused of incompetence.
Kinshasa’s
hopes are now with the SADC force. But will SADC deliver peace?
Tshisekedi asked the EAC force to exit his country
because the force refused to satisfy his wishes of attacking the M23 rebels.
The bloc’s mission was only to create a buffer zone, allowing possibility of
dialogue between the warring parties. With SADC’s deployment, Tshisekedi
expects a heavy attack against M23.
The Congolese president failed to employ a political
approach in solving the escalating hostilities in eastern DRC as advised by regional
leaders. He opted for the military approach against the M23 –ahead of the DRC’s
elections on December 20.
The SADC force will have to come with military
solution as Tshisekedi wishes, most likely making history repeat itself. In
2013, SADC joined hands with the UN mission in DRC and the Congolese army in the
deployment of the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) which supposedly defeated
the M23.
Almost a decade later, the rebel group resurged; highlighting
the fact that no military solution to the DRC’s security crisis will work.
Only a political solution will bring an end to the decades-long insecurity in eastern DRC. The SADC’s force deployment to the region will only add fuel to the already burning fire.
