The former president spoke out again on the security situation in the two Kivus, in an interview granted to Namibian national television.
There’s no longer any doubt about it: Joseph Kabila has broken his silence. More than a week after his op-ed published in a South African newspaper, Tshisekedi’s predecessor gave a brief interview on Namibian television.
The former head of state returned to the issue of security in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where M23 rebels backed by the Rwandan army have been occupying the towns of Goma and Bukavu in North and South Kivu for several weeks. Since the resurgence of the M23 at the end of 2021, no peace process has been able to silence the weapons, and the man who ruled the DRC for 18 years does not believe in the effectiveness of international mediation.
“There is no foreign mediator who knows the Congo better than the Congolese themselves”, he declared.
In November 2022, the Nairobi process, led by former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, was initiated by the East African Community (EAC) with the aim of first obtaining an immediate ceasefire, then the repatriation of foreign armed groups and the enrolment of local armed groups in the new disarmament, demobilization, community rehabilitation and stabilization program. At the same time, the Luanda process, initiated by the African Union (AU) and facilitated by Angolan President Joao Lourenço, brought the DRC and Rwanda to the table.
More than two years later, these processes have failed to produce a solution. Today, with the progress of the M23, the tendency is to bring them together. But to what end, when each side continues to camp on its own position? Perhaps this is why Joseph Kabila does not believe in foreign mediation. He also believes that the withdrawal of all foreign armies from the DRC was an “important first step towards establishing peace in the eastern part of the country”. In his article, JKK advised South Africa against sending troops to the DRC as part of the SADC force.
Does this mean he’s ready to take part in Congolese-Congolese exchanges? Curiously, he and his party – the PPRD – have already announced their refusal to accept the outstretched hand proposed by Félix Tshisekedi to the opposition for a government of national unity.
On the other hand, the former president had held talks with the Catholic bishops and Protestant pastors, who have initiated consultations in the search for peace as part of their “pact for peace and good living together” project.
Infos.cd
