Opinion: The troubling shadow-game within the Great Lakes Region

There is an issue that returns and returns, something that never leaves. The bullets and the victims doesn’t stop. The armies and militias are continuing. They have sponsors and they have fields of tax to continue their looting of either South Kivu Province or the North Kivu Province. This has been going-on, but continues to this day.

Therefore, these days things are getting worse. The realities on the ground is hard figure and the players are acting aloof. Even as they are all playing victims of insurgency, as long as they are sponsoring insurgencies in proxy within the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Ugandans are known for supporting the M.R.C.D., the former FDLR and RNC combined group whose targeting the counterpart Rwanda. MRCD has promised to fight to overthrow Paul Kagame.

While the Rwandan Patriotic Army or Rwandan Defence Force is now in the DRC to fight the militias together with MONUSCO and FARDC. They are still following genocidaires and others there. Even the groups supported by the powers in Kampala. This being CMI and others who is giving training, ammunition and so-on.

While the Rwandan government isn’t innocent as they are supporting the Red-Tabara who is targeting Burundi and hunts for the head of Pierre Nkurunziza. Therefore, the Burundian is stressed by this.

The Burundi supported militia Mai-Mai has in the end also attacked Rwanda too. That is why all of these are using other militias, which is organized within the provinces of Kivu. While having bases there and being a proxy to attack the ones whose enemies of the head of state, who happens to control the various of Republics.

Taht is why this is worrying, as the intelligence and the means are there. That the Ugandan (Museveni) are having meetings and connections to the militias who works to topple Kagame. While Kagame are supporting another militia to topple Nkurunziza. As well, as Nkurunziza is supporting another militia to topple Kagame. Surely this East African Community (EAC) isn’t that friendly, neither is their intentions.

That they are all using various of groups, name-salads. Supported through the soft-borders of the DRC. To ensure their looting and enriching the supporters. While they are trying to find a way to ensure the end-game is secured. That their enemy and their neighbour is another leader, who they can have as a puppet.

What is worse too is that these groups are extending the harm, the deaths and the massacres in the Kivu’s. They are creating this and the masters across the borders are doing it for greed and for high of power. That they can use proxy warfare to extend their will. This is what they are doing with the various of groups. Just like the Ugandan-Rwandan used to do with the M23 and others in the past. Now, they are targeting each other and using militias for their own benefit. While Burundi has thrown their coins into the mix too, hoping for positive returns.

That should worry the FARDC, MONUSCO and the elite of Kinshasa. As their territory is used as battlefield and also as a training ground for insurgency. That will not create sustainable peace. Since, this will not silence the guns, but instead it will import the guns. That is the mere reality and reason why the silent war of Kivu’s continues. Peace.

DRC: Conflicting statements on the skirmishes at Kusisa in South Kivu Province

“Major fighting took place yesterday in Kusisa (Kalehe territory, South Kivu) between the Congolese army and the CNRD, a Rwandan rebellion that resulted from a split with the FDLR in 2016” (Kivu Security, 27.11.2019).

There are apparently two different views to what happened in Kusisa, Kalehe territory in South-Kivu province. What it says, there are claims of the violence towards civilians in a refugee camp by government soldiers and Rwandan soldiers camouflaged as so in South Kivu. While the Rwandan government claims the militia caused these attacks. The MRCD have already promised to wage war against Kigali, while they are still based in the DRC.

Clearly, they could play for the facade, but we never know in these instances. The MRCD claims a total different picture from the Rwandese, both using the UN documentation, while the DRC reporter states what the FARDC says it does. Therefore, it is hard to know what’s going on. But something is up and civilians are the casualties in all of this.

MRCD Statement:

“On the night of 25 to 26 November 2019, the FARDC (Armed Forces of the DRC), together with the Rwandan soldiers in Congolese army uniform, attacked and destroyed the Rwandan refugee camp in Kalehe territory in South Kivu. The Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD-Ubumwe) had nevertheless alerted the International Community of the imminence of these attacks given the encirclement of this camp since 13/11/2019 by members of the RDF (Rwandese Defence Forces) disguised as Congolese soldiers. We denounce the silence and passivity of the International Community before such massacres against the survivors of the genocide perpetrated in Congo by the same troops of General Paul KAGAME in 1996-1998, as proved in the UN Mapping Report: These massacres of refugees are committed with the indifference of the UN military force MONUSCO, which has been present in the DRC since 1999. The MRCD-Ubumwe also recalls that MONUSCO has several soldiers not far from this camp of attacked refugees” (MRCD – ‘Rwandan soldiers in Congolese army uniform, attacked and destroyed the Rwandan refugee camp in Kalehe territory’ 26.11.2019).

Rwandan Embassy in Brussels Statement:

“Recently, and to the knowledge of the Belgian authorities, it has been proven that two politico military platforms named P5 and MRCD operate from the Kingdom of Belgium where some of its leaders are staying, including Paul Rusesabagina, who heads the Rwandan Movement for Peace. Democratic Change (MRCD Ubumwe), Faustin Twagiramungu and Placide Kayumba (Vice President of the United Democratic Forces (UDF) and co-founder of Jambo ASBL). This group meets regularly, signs pacts and raises funds for the sole purpose of overthrowing the Rwandan government by force. The details of the activities of the P5 military branch led by the Rwanda National Congress led by Kayumba Nyamwasa and the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) were analyzed in a report by the UN expert group. on the Congo from December 2018. As a reminder, the FDLR are the ideological heirs of the perpetrators of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994 and since their presence in eastern Congo are responsible for systematic killings and rapes. In spite of these criminal acts, members of the ASBL under Belgian law called “Jambo ASBL”, actively involved in a misinformation campaign against Rwanda, regularly visited the eastern part of the Congo to meet with them. FDLR leaders” (Rwanda in Belgium – ‘Le Rwanda déplore que la presse belge fasse l’écho d’une campagne visant à le déstabiliser’ 27.11.2019).

Reports from the DRC:

“Information confirmed by the FARDC that announce that on the orders of the high military hierarchy, the operational sector Sukola 2 South Kivu and North Kivu, launched this Tuesday, November 26, an offensive against the armed group CNRD with the objective of neutralizing this group armed foreign active on Congolese soil. “For the only day of this Tuesday, November 26, the FARDC have already recovered the localities of Kitindiro, Rutare1 and 2, Bibatama and Nganjo, formerly under control CNRD. The populations of all these localities are asked to remain calm and to dissociate themselves with all these armed groups “, adds captain Dieudonné Kasereka military spokesman of the operation Sukola 2 South South-kivu” (Justin Mwamba – ‘Sud-Kivu : les FARDC récupèrent plusieurs localités jadis occupées par les CNRD à Kahele’ 27.11.2019, Actulite.cd).

We can clearly see that none of them is denouncing the skirmishes, the battles nor the actually fatalities in South Kivu Province. However, the FARDC says its liberated parts of the territory, while the MRCD claims the army did crimes against humanity and went after civilians in a refugee camp. That is not the story from the FARDC. But who would confess that directly? Secondly, what militia doesn’t want goodwill and try to portray their enemies in the worst light? Thirdly, what government doesn’t want to defend themselves, against the ones who want to overthrow it?

That is all reasonable, but, a very important but, someone is lying here. Someone is not coming with a straight face. There is a lie here and I cannot catch it. As there are two much between the lines and that I have no knowledge of. What we do know, is that Rwandan soldiers has been and easily could be in the Kivu provinces. The MRCD and allies are working to get rid of Kagame, that is a mere fact. FARDC has a bad rep together with MONUSCO to not shield citizens. Therefore, there is a lot at stake and also open questions. Neither do I trust the FARDC, the MRCD nor the Rwandan in this matter. Because, they could all be lying. However, there must be truth there somewhere, but I cannot see that either.

That’s because they are all lying and in war, the first thing that is the innocent and the innocence of people. They are all using all means to win. It doesn’t matter which side of the gun you are, as long as your not on the losing side. Because, that means either punishment or death. That’s why all of these will tell stories, will amplify or even spread propaganda for their own narrative. I just don’t know who to believe. That’s my issue. What’s the real issue is that by all accounts, civilians and refugees was in the midsts of cross-fire and certainly someone died because of warlords was busy tormenting the region. Peace.