Corneille Nangaa on the march to Kinshasa, the FDLR, and the M23 takeover of Goma

Corneille Nangaa, the organization’s political commander, stated that the group is still planning to march to Kinshasa in order to fight “poor governance and a failed state” after the AFC/M23 rebel coalition took control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Nangaa insisted that normalcy is returning to Goma, which has lately witnessed tense combat between the M23 rebels and the Congolese army (FARDC) alliance, during an exclusive conversation with reporters from The New Times in Goma on Thursday, January 30.

Forces of Genocide The FDLR is part of the FARDC, along with hundreds of European mercenaries, Burundian government forces, forces from the Southern African regional bloc, SADC, and several other armed factions.

“To be here today is a result of a struggle, and our struggle is indeed a result of people who are determined and engaged to move forward,” Nangaa told The New Times.

The rebel leader insisted that his troops are “dealing with the emergency to stabilize the situation,” despite the fact that Goma city has experienced a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the fighting, with the government cutting off water, power, and internet.

The majority of the population of Goma, a metropolis of two million people and a center for foreign military and humanitarian missions, is also returning.

“We’re trying to bring everything under control. People without access to power, clean water, or communication are shown here.

Kinshasa March

The AFC/M23 coalition is determined to march to Kinshasa, Nangaa said. “We have a vision for the people of DR Congo,” he emphasized, pausing.

“We must resolve this security issue. The first reason is the state’s failure, since it has now formed an alliance with hostile groups like the FDLR, who pose a threat not just to our people but also to our neighbors in the area.

The FDLR is made up of survivors of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi, and it has a long-term, evil goal to destabilize the country.

They killed over a million people during the Genocide and then went into the eastern section of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Nangaa emphasized that tribalism and the denial of Congolese nationals who speak Kinyarwanda their rights as citizens are equally concerning.

“We are fighting for our nation, for our people, for the return of Congolese refugees to their homeland, for the provision of basic necessities like food, education, better health care, and so forth.”

“We have a good reason to fight, and we are fighting for a good cause. We don’t have a nation, which is the cause,” Nangaa stated clearly.

Road infrastructure exists in other nations, but not in our one. But will we carry on in this manner? This is what we are examining, then. Our goal is to establish a state that enhances the welfare of its people.

From East to West

According to Nangaa, the AFC/M23 intends to advance from the east to the west of the nation.

“We will proceed to Kinshasa from Goma, Bukavu, Kisangani, Bunia, Lumumbashi, Kananga, and Mbujimayi, after which we will begin the development.”

Our goal is to transform a failing state into a contemporary one that is brimming with prospects. to establish DR Congo as a commercial hub.

Nangaa, a former chairman of the DR Congo Electoral Commission (CENI), also thought back on the 2018 presidential elections in the country and how he made it possible for Felix Tshisekedi to win the presidency.

“I think I made a mistake. Creating your own devil is what it is. And I am aware that I must correct him,” Nangaa remarked.

“Rwanda is being blamed for the lack of access to clean water, food, and education in the cities and among the people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

Nangaa rejected assertions that Rwanda backs M23, pointing out that the Kinshasa administration has exploited the accusations to deflect criticism of its own shortcomings.

In the DR Congo, how many nations are there? mercenaries from South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, Burundi, Uganda, and Europe. However, because some of us speak the same language as Rwandans, they are referring to us as Rwandans,” he stated.

We are Congolese, thus that is untrue. What are those nations doing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? The state has failed, which is the cause. And the Congolese people and the area are in peril as long as we tolerate this failure.

“Yes, we are in danger. The Kinshasa government poses a serious threat.

The AFC/M23 will take action to establish the conditions necessary for Congolese refugees to return to their homeland securely after spending almost 30 years in camps, Nangaa said.

“This should be something that we can easily sort out without any problem,” Nangaa added, referring to the approximately 100,000 Congolese refugees living in Rwanda.

Addressing the ideology of genocide in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he insisted that his troops were prepared to “deal with them.”