The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, recently brought together senior officers of the Congolese army for a meal in Kinshasa. The opportunity for him to deliver an offensive speech against Rwanda and to reaffirm his determination to put an end to the M23 rebel movement and its allies.
In his speech, Félix Tshisekedi highlighted the loss of life suffered by the country, attributing this situation to the negative influence of its neighbors, but also to internal flaws in the DRC’s defense and security system. He declared: “We have lost a lot of compatriots, firstly because of the negative influence of our neighbors, but also of ourselves. Let’s face ourselves. There have been flaws in our system of defense and security.” The president also spoke of the arrests of Congolese officers, including Lieutenant General Philémon Yav, accused of trying to force M23 rebels to take control of the city of Goma.
In order to remedy this situation, Félix Tshisekedi announced the strengthening of the military resources of the Congolese army and urged officers to mobilize to meet this challenge. With this in mind, around ten new, freshly trained brigades will be deployed on the ground from next month. The president stressed the importance of succeeding in this challenge for the country, affirming that failure would only worsen the situation in the DRC for a long time.
Officially, the DRC favors diplomacy to resolve tensions with Rwanda. However, groups described as pro-government are involved in the fighting against the M23 on the ground. These tensions between the DRC and Rwanda worry the international community, as the United Nations special envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa stressed before the UN Security Council: “The military reinforcement of the DRC and Rwanda, as well as the absence of direct high-level dialogue, are all worrying signs that we cannot ignore.”
In conclusion, Félix Tshisekedi’s offensive speech testifies to his determination to put an end to the M23 rebel movement and to strengthen the country’s defense. This military approach seems to be a new angle of action compared to the official diplomacy advocated by the DRC. It remains to be seen how this strategy will be implemented and what the consequences will be for the African Great Lakes region.