Lt. Col. Emmanuel Katabazi, Deputy Director General of Uganda’s Internal Security Organization, reportedly asked officials from districts bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to step up surveillance and mobilization in anticipation of impending troubles. According to several media outlets in Kampala, the Ugandan spymaster has put intelligence and security agencies on high alert, warning that a war that could topple “one or two” governments is imminent.
President Felix Tshisekedi is said to have called openly for the departure of the regional force of the Community of East African States (EAC), believing that it has failed in its mission. Last week, the SADC Heads of State Summit announced that a force from this regional organization will soon be deployed in the DRC. Although Lieutenant-Colonel Emmanuel Katabazi did not name the countries concerned which could change the regime in his briefing to spies and resident commissioners of districts that straddle the DRC border, Uganda remains in operation in the DRC alongside FARDC to hunt down the Islamists and several officials in Kinshasa have always suspected Uganda, like Rwanda, of supporting the M23.
In sum, the political and security situation continues to remain fragile in the DRC. Speculation about political tensions has been fueled by the arrest of Salomon Kalonda at Kinshasa airport, and the call by the Comité Laïc de Coordination Congolais to mobilize against Felix Tshisekedi. The province of Kasai Central is looking for partners to improve access to drinking water and strengthen education, while the ICC is on a mission to end sexual violence. The extension of the state of siege continues to face the challenges of the war against the M23 rebel movement in North Kivu.
In addition, the DRC is actively seeking partners for its development, as evidenced by its state visit to China, as the country faces a worrying situation in North Kivu.