The security situation in the DRC continues to deteriorate, particularly in the east of the country where a crisis of confidence between the players in the region is compounded by tensions between the Congolese authorities and the regional force of the East African Community. ‘East (EACRF). The Congolese President, Félix Tshisekedi, has even just issued an ultimatum to the Kenyan, Ugandan, Burundian and South Sudanese troops who make up this regional force. If the results of their mission are not satisfactory by the end of June, he asks for their permanent departure from Congolese territory.
This firmness displayed on the part of the Congolese head of state partly reflects the frustration of the few results obtained by the EACRF, but also the message he wishes to send to his public opinion a few months before the presidential election. Indeed, many voices are calling for the departure of these troops from the region, believing that their mission is not effective enough.
The differences over the exact mandate of the EACRF are one of the reasons for the failure of their mission. For Félix Tshisekedi, the soldiers must face the armed militia of the M23, but the former Kenyan commander Jef Nyagah gave priority to the political process, a position publicly assumed by some heads of state in the region. This more defensive mandate is irreconcilable with the vision of the Congolese president who forcefully rejects any prospect of dialogue with the M23.
Several countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) already have men on the ground via the MONUSCO Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) to fight the armed militia of the M23. Gathered for the Windhoek summit, this sub-regional organization announced forthcoming support to “restore peace and security in the east” of the DRC. But the contours of the intervention remain to be defined, in particular the date of deployment of the forces and the countries which will contribute to it.
By approaching the SADC, Félix Tshisekedi is changing geopolitical footing, whereas he had concentrated most of his diplomatic efforts on the EAC at the start of his mandate. It remains to be seen whether this bet will pay off just eight months before the presidential election next December. The population of the country is indeed very worried about the resurgence of violence and insecurity in the eastern region of the DRC.